Engine Blowout Denies Lewis Hamilton At Sepang As Daniel Ricciardo Takes Victory
Nico Rosberg now leads the Formula One world championship by 23 points after Lewis Hamilton was denied by an engine blowout at Sepang.
The Formula One world title race took another hugely dramatic turn in Nico Rosberg's favour at the Malaysia Grand Prix as an engine blowout for Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton handed Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo victory.
Rosberg has taken control of the drivers' championship with successive wins in the last three races, but Hamilton looked set to reclaim the lead going into the closing laps at the Sepang International Circuit.
Hamilton led after 41 of 56 laps with Rosberg in fourth having been as low as 16th following a first-corner incident, only for the defending champion to be undone by a cruel twist of fate as his Mercedes caught fire.
The retirement pushed Rosberg up to third, with Ricciardo holding off Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen - who had led earlier in the race after taking advantage of a pit stop during a virtual safety car period - to take the chequered flag.
While Red Bull were able to celebrate a first one-two since the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix, the big winner of the day was Rosberg who now holds a 23-point lead over Hamilton.
