Lewis Hamilton:
Max (Verstappen) was in my pit window so I was just trying to push him out of it. I think I'd done that, almost. But then, on the straight, I just lost power all of a sudden. You could hear something blew and I obviously had to stop. Honestly, you've got to understand it from my point of view. On one side, we've had the most incredible success these past two years, for which I'm so grateful. These guys work so hard and we're all feeling the pain right now. When you get out of the car - that feeling you have after leading the race and then your car fails - it's pretty hard to say positive things at the time. As I said in the TV interviews, Mercedes have built 43 engines or however many it might be with the extra three I've had, and I have happen to have most of, if not all of, the failures. So, that is definitely tough to take. But I have 100% confidence in these guys. It's my fourth year with them now and the guys in the garage and back at the factories - I have 100% faith in them. I love it here and without them I would not have won these two Championships. While the struggle is real right now and has been all year, I honestly feel that it's a test of my will, my spirit and who I am as a person to get back in and keep fighting it head on. It's not how you fall, it's how you get back up. That applies not just to me but to the guys as well. I saw tears in the eyes of my mechanics so I know that we all bear the pain. But, as I said, it's how we re-group. We have to keep in mind what we've already built. While in the short term it doesn't look good and for the long-term this year it might not be so good, there are still lots of positives. There's still five races to go and if I can perform the way I performed this weekend there's still everything to play for. We will learn. The guys will take the engine back and they'll understand what happened. Every time we've had engine issues they've gone away and found out why. It puts us potentially in a better position to make sure it doesn't happen next year. All I can do is what I've done this weekend. Come correct, be as focused as I can possibly be, put in this kind of performance and pray that the car holds together. I still have faith and hope. That's a powerful thing. It feels a little bit like the man above, or a higher power, is intervening a little bit. But I feel like I've been blessed with the opportunity firstly to be here with so many great people around me, in this great team, to have won these last two Championships with lots and lots of victories and records that I'm breaking time and time again. Whilst it does not feel great right now, I have to be grateful for all of that. If at the end of the year the higher powers don't want me to be Champion after everything I've given towards it, I will have to accept that. As long as I end the year knowing that I've given it everything, done everything I could possibly do and that we've done everything we could possibly do, that's all you can ask for. Don't forget that I'm World Champion. I'll be okay.
Nico Rosberg:
I came here with the will to win and that didn't work out, so I can't say that I am happy. After the first corner, it was looking pretty dark. I thought my race was over and never thought I'd be able to continue. It felt like an uncontrolled four-time World Champion torpedo had hit me! I reported to the pits that it was a pretty hard hit. I was fortunate to be able to fight through the field. But I got the knife between my teeth and went for it. I fought my way through, with some great battles along the way which I really enjoyed, and was pleased to make it back up to the podium. To be honest, I can't believe that I've just been standing up there from last! After the incident with Kimi I was surprised that I got penalized. I had to give it a go at some point and I saw the opportunity, so I went for it. You need to be creative and wherever a chance comes, take it. I thought it was an aggressive move but still okay, to be honest. That's what we race for! But I accept the decision and luckily it didn't have an influence on the result, as we had a better pace than Ferrari. I had to give it everything at the end to eke out that ten second gap but at the same time save the engine, as after Lewis' problem we were a bit hesitant to run it flat out to the end. It must have been a tough day for Lewis. I know how hard these moments are as I also went through a couple of them myself in my career, like in Abu Dhabi in 2014. It feels horrible and I'm sure he will come back strong, he is a fighter. But that brings me back to the approach of just taking things on a race-by-race basis. You just never know what's going to happen next. I'm not going to start thinking any differently. The next race is Suzuka, where I'll get back in the car and try to win again.
Sebastian Vettel:
We had a good start, then I was going side by side with Max. We were both battling for position into turn one. Nico in the front was turning in and he obviously decided to pick his line, which is absolutely fair and in his right. At that point with the speed I had I couldn't slow down anymore and I was also pushed by Max to the right. I did my best under braking but I couldn't avoid the impact. It was an unfortunate chain reaction which ruined my race and Nico's one. I can't do more than apologize to Nico, because the accident had nothing to do with him being in front. I think it was different to the case in Spa with Max and Kimi, as Max and I were trying to fight for turn 1, and Nico was trying to do a different thing ahead. I don't have to comment on what Max said afterwards.
Kimi Raikkonen:
Fourth position is not the result we wanted, but today unfortunately we couldn't get more. Overall the car was not too bad and the handling was quite ok, but the pure lap time was not there. We were missing speed and we never had the chance to challenge the cars in front . When Rosberg passed me I suddenly had to turn right to avoid him: I knew he was going to hit me and we both would have probably been out: my rear floor was damaged because of that and Nico got penalized. After that I did my best to keep the ten seconds gap to him, but unfortunately it was not enough to get a better result. Obviously we want to be higher up, but now we have to take what we get. We'll try to improve and push forward to make the car faster and be able to challenge the others.
Felipe Massa:
Well, when it's not your day, it's not your day. Everything happened at once. My throttle wasn't working. The engine was on and I was trying to get it to work, but I couldn't. Then when we went to the garage, we switched it off and on, and it was working again. Then we did the start from the pitlane. At the first virtual safety car I stopped to change to the hard tyres and did two or three laps after that until I got a puncture on my front-left. Maybe I picked up some debris from the track. I would say my race was completely finished from there. The only thing that would have changed it would have been a safety car, but it didn't work out like that. It's a shame, because Valtteri did a great job and it would have been great to get both cars in some good points, but unfortunately that didn't happen.
Valtteri Bottas:
I think it was a very good day for us. We definitely got everything there was to get from today. The start was good, we were able to make our planned strategy work, which was crucial today to be in front of Force India. We scored some good points. It's a shame that we lost points with Felipe's technical issues, but from my side I'm happy with the race. Let's try and repeat this in Japan.
Daniel Ricciardo:
"What a day, I'm feeling a bit emotional and overwhelmed! It's been a long time between drinks! A couple of weeks ago I said we'd win a race this year but to be honest I didn't expect a win to come at this circuit. This is probably the sweatiest race to win and do a shoey, but for me it's not so bad, I felt a bit sorry for the others though having to drink from my shoe, but the crowd was encouraging me! We had an opportunity today that we needed to capitalise on and I was determined to not let it go. We had a good battle with Max, he is a hard racer and we have that in common. We fought hard and aggressive but I think we showed we can push to the limit but still keep it on the track. We had a fair and clean fight and I think we both enjoyed it. My tyres were a little more tired than his but I was going to hold him off as long as I could. When the Virtual Safety Car came out and we both came into the pits for new tyres, that made me a little more comfortable for the last stint. This year has been an awesome year of progression for the team. We started the year a step higher from last year and kept going and getting better, and it really is amazing to win at this circuit. I want to thank the team for making this all possible and I'm very grateful for today. After Monaco I had a lot of mixed emotions and it was a hard one to take but I felt as a team we came through that stronger and better. I want to thank my parents and my sister as well for the support they gave me growing up. I also want to dedicate the win to Jules (Bianchi), I have been waiting for a victory to dedicate to him. My life definitely changed since that incident and I am extremely grateful and appreciative of everything I've got."
Max Verstappen:
"Having both drivers on the top two steps of the podium is a fantastic result for the team. I was really pleased about my start, finally it worked well again and put me right up there into turn one. I was then compromised due to Sebastian's move, I had to avoid his collision with Nico which meant I lost a few places. The time I lost ultimately cost me at the end of the race along with a few unfortunate Virtual Safety Cars, but that is racing. Once I had the hard compound on I was catching guys ahead. The battle with Daniel during the race was great and really good fun. We have a lot of respect for each other so you can see we gave plenty of space but were still able to push hard. I got close to being in the DRS activation zone but my rubber was slightly older and overheating so I just couldn't get within range and attack. The team told us we were free to race as long as we kept it clean, which we did. It is really nice to hear that from the radio. I think we had the race pace and speed to win today but we have to be very happy to settle for a perfect one-two for the team."
Nico Hulkenberg:
"Finishing eighth is a reasonable result, given the circumstances of the race. It was quite a tough afternoon: I made a very good start, but coming to turn one I had to avoid the accident between Rosberg and Vettel and that cost me two positions. Being stuck behind Jenson [Button] cost me a lot of time in the first two stints and I just couldn't overtake him. Losing the track position so early on made it very difficult to finish higher up, despite the speed we had in the car today. I believe our strategy was the correct one for our race, but it's very hard to overtake here and it just didn't play out in our favour. All in all, we can be happy about putting two cars inside the points; we have increased our advantage a little and it should help us in what is going to be a very interesting end of the season."
Sergio Perez:
"It was a solid race for us today, but I think we were a bit unlucky with the way the race unfolded. At the start, things looked very positive: I had a good launch, stuck to the inside line and was up to third after turn one. There were some very quick cars behind me and I knew there was no point in fighting too hard and destroying my tyres. The key moment of my race was the first virtual safety car, because it handed a big advantage to those who were able to start on the medium tyres, and dropped me down the order when I pitted. To recover back to sixth place was a good effort and we know that every point will count in the fight to finish fourth in the constructors' championship. I don't think we made any wrong decisions today, but it was just that the circumstances played more against us and into the hands of others."
Kevin Magnussen:
"I was the filling in the sandwich as everyone reacted to the Vettel / Rosberg incident at the start. Everyone braked and went for the inside of the corner which isn't great if you're already at the inside of the corner and have contact from behind pushing you forward. That's motor racing sometimes. We changed the front wing and kept pushing, however the brake cooling was damaged, and the brake temperature kept climbing, so we had to retire. Nevertheless it's been a promising weekend. We continue to extract more pace from the car and we'll be pushing to keep this level of performance. I scored last time out; Jo scored today. Points are what we all want to see."
Jolyon Palmer:
"Point-scorer: It feels good! I'm really happy, I think the whole week has been really positive. The race was really smooth - I wish it was always so straightforward! I was really disappointed with how qualifying went especially as I'd been feeling strong all weekend, so I'm glad the race went really well and we could make up for it today. The car gave me everything I needed, we handled the tyres well and the team did a great job with strategy and pit stops. We got a little bit of a break as well; finally everything came together and we got it home to P10!"
Daniil Kvyat:
"Unfortunately our race was destroyed after some contact on the first lap with another car. My front wing got damaged and, from then on, we really couldn't hope for much. It's frustrating when this happens, but when you start from so back on the grid this is always one of the risks - sometimes you escape, sometimes you don't... It was just one of those races! Luckily the race in Japan is next week, so we can start working hard for it straight away and forget today."
Carlos Sainz Jr:
"We were so close to the points! It was quite an eventful race right from the start, which was what we needed. My start was also very stressful, as I was doing a clutch warming when I arrived to the grid and the engine suddenly stopped! I managed to turn it back on and it was just as the lights went out... So my start wasn't great because of this, but I then did a mega job at Turn 1 and overtook five or six cars! From then on we tried to follow the opposite strategy to many others - when the first Virtual Safety Car was deployed we decided to stay out, which was a bit risky, but meant we were fighting for the points positions! In the end, we did a good race and if we didn't end up in the points it's because we just didn't have the pace, not because we didn't try. We will of course keep working and I now look forward to Japan, a race that has become one of my favourites after enjoying it for the first time last year. I also can't wait to meet all those amazing Japanese fans again, they definitely give you an extra boost!"
Marcus Ericsson:
"I am satisfied with my performance today. I had quite a good start and was able to make up some positions as I had a decent pace throughout the race. We have clearly made progress on the car side, which brings us closer to the midfield. Obviously, we were aiming for points, but we were not close enough today. By the way, my drinking system was not working, so I had to go through the whole race distance without any liquids. That was really tough! For the upcoming race weekends we need to keep up the good work. I am really looking forward to Japan, because it is my favorite track. I cannot wait to get there."
Felipe Nasr:
"It was not a good day for me. After the start, in Turn 1 Nico (Rosberg) spun and I had to avoid running into him. I lost some time because of this incident. After that we were able to recover quite well and went for a one stop strategy. Unfortunately, I then had issues with the brake-by-wire system, which forced me to retire. There are still some positives to take from this weekend. Now I am looking ahead to the upcoming race weekend in Suzuka."
Fernando Alonso:
"It was definitely a very exiting race for us today, with some great battles. Having started from the very back, we recovered some good places at the start - and were lucky not to get caught up in the first-corner accident. I was actually surprised by my position, because I'd already got into the points after just a bunch of laps.
"At that point, we had some debate over the radio about the strategy - about whether to be aggressive or more conservative. Eventually, we decided to attack and use all the new sets of Option tyres we had left over from qualifying. The final Virtual Safety Car certainly played in our favour, because it allowed us to use the last new set.
"After this weekend's penalties, we needed some luck - and we got that today!"
Jenson Button
"My race wasn't too bad - but I got so unlucky with the Virtual Safety Car. The cars behind me were on a three-stop and I was on a two-stopper - then, three laps after I pitted, there was a Virtual Safety Car, which meant they were all able to gain 15 seconds on me for free. It's a shame I missed it - but luck has not been on my side for these last few races.
"I was actually up into fourth position at the start before a couple of cars dragged past me on the opening lap.
"The two-stopper was the better strategy today, but it's too difficult to make work when there's a VSC; I was looking good for seventh up until that point.
"Hopefully I'll have a bit more luck in the last five races."
Pascal Wehrlein:
Well done, Pascal. 15th place in your first Malaysian Grand Prix. How was it?
"Well, the first lap was pretty cool. I got a good start and was up to 15th from 21st quite quickly, so that was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, after that, we didn't have the pace to fight as closely as we would we like and gradually we started to drop back. Realistically, I knew yesterday that it would be more of a battle between Esteban and me, which we had, and it was good."
How did you cope with the conditions? It's a demanding race, this one?
"It was tough. Very hot in the cockpit and a nice warm drink to keep me going. But it was okay. I think we managed the tyres well; the track temperature was pretty high, but no real problems there. We just didn't have the extra pace to push for something more today."
Esteban Ocon:
Esteban, up to P7 by lap 10. What an incredible start to your race today?
"Yes, it was pretty good, wasn't it? I had some fun with that. The start was excellent and on the Soft tyre on the first stint we could have a good race. Once we pitted onto the hard tyre we started to struggle. We had a decent battle with Ericsson but I couldn't beat my teammate, who was on a different strategy, and the penalties put paid to that anyway."
Perhaps not the result you wanted today, but a step up from Singapore and a sign of better things in the coming races?
"I hope so. We were definitely better off here and we've made some real progress since Singapore, no doubt about that. So my thanks to the team for a really good job this weekend and let's keep moving forward."
Romain Grosjean:
"There was a brake failure. We really don't know what yet, but the pedal just went straight to the floor and I had to avoid the car in front of me. Our data didn't suggest anything beforehand. It's a shame. We did a really good first lap and we were looking at points running inside the top-10. Things just didn't go very well. I was racing with Fernando (Alonso). He had power, so it was very difficult to keep him behind. I was then just trying to follow his pace. The plan was to try to keep the tires alive for quite a while. We just didn't get to that point, though."
Esteban Gutierrez:
"Today we had a fantastic start. It was pretty good up to the first corner when, unfortunately, I got a puncture in my rear-right tire from Kevin (Magnussen) touching behind. I then had to come back to the pits. The floor was damaged and when I went back out on track I was fighting a lot, pushing to make up places, but the car wasn't easy to drive. We had to retire after my second pit stop as we had a mechanical failure. Overall, a pretty disappointing weekend, but we have to keep our focus and keep the rhythm as we head to Japan."
