16:28 – Sebastian Vettel will start from the rear of the 20-car field at the Malaysian Grand Prix after an engine issue in qualifying. GPUpdate.net takes a look at how Vettel has recovered from similar setbacks.
Abu Dhabi, 2012
Started: Pit lane | Finished: 3rd
Amid a tight title scrap with Ferrari rival Fernando Alonso, Vettel was excluded from qualifying, having initially taken third, after the FIA was unable to extract the sufficient fuel sample from his car. Vettel started from the pit lane and made only incremental progress early, and had to pit off-kilter after damaging his front wing in his recovery. That left him at the back once more, but his strong pace, allied to running a different strategy, enabled him to move forward. Vettel ran as high as second and built a sufficient gap to emerge from his final stop in fourth, before picking off Jenson Button with four laps remaining to take a podium.
United States, 2014
Started: Pit lane | Finished: 7th
Red Bull struggled for reliability in 2014 amid Renault’s problems with its power unit, and Vettel took new engine components in Austin, meaning he and the team spent the weekend focusing on race pace. Vettel notionally put in a qualifying lap, leaving him 17th, and he started from the pit lane. He made gains and opted for a fresh set of tyres with just eight laps left, relegating him to 14th. However, on new rubber, with rivals struggling on ailing tyres, Vettel carved his way back up to seventh, salvaging points from a troublesome weekend.
Abu Dhabi, 2014
Started: Pit lane | Finished: 8th
Unlike two years previously, Vettel’s recovery from the pit lane in Abu Dhabi was not so dramatic. Vettel initially qualified sixth but both Red Bull drivers were excluded due to running illegal front wings, and started from the pit lane. Whereas Daniel Ricciardo went on to claim fourth, Vettel got stuck behind Kevin Magnussen, with the knock-on effect leaving him staring at the rear wing of the Force India pair later on. Vettel finished eighth, half a minute behind Ricciardo, bowing out of Red Bull in unspectacular fashion.
Canada, 2015
Started: 18th | Finished: 5th
Vettel was already facing a five-place grid penalty for overtaking under red flag conditions in practice, but a failing ECU in Q1 had more of an impact, and the loss of pace prohibited him from making it through to the next segment. Vettel made steady progress in the race to work his way forward and survived a couple of close scrapes, most notably with Nico Hülkenberg, to wind up fifth, just nine seconds off a podium position.
Singapore, 2016
Started: 22nd | Finished: 5th
Vettel’s hopes of adding to his Singapore success were severely dented when an anti-roll bar issue robbed him of performance in Q1, leaving him at the back of the grid. Vettel ran the alternative strategy and got stuck behind Sauber’s Felipe Nasr, but made swift progress after his pit-stop to move up the order, his prospects accelerated by the softer compounds. Vettel came across the line in fifth position, and was deemed the ‘Driver of the Day’ for his exploits, having made up 17 places.
Source :http://feeds.gpupdate.net
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