Closest Finish in F1 History Ends With Maldonado on Top

Qualifying:

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Time
1	1	Sebastian Vettel		1:07.019
2	29	Pastor Maldonado		1:07.050
3	30	Dean Stoneman		1:07.105
4	2	Lewis Hamilton		1:07.131
5	28	Daniel Melrose		1:07.600
6	27	Dave Cassidy		1:07.606
7	24	Kevin Magnussen		1:07.720
8	23	Pierre Gasly		1:07.770
9	31	Romain Grosjean		1:07.770
10	33	Einar Ármannsson		1:07.885
11	66	Pascal Wehrlein		1:07.848
12	34	Valtteri Bottas		1:07.963
13	32	Alexander Albon		1:07.978
14	67	Mike Rockenfeller		1:08.012
15	22	Jordan Davies		1:08.013
16	21	Stoffel Vandoorne		1:08.098
17	6	Santiago Urrutia		1:08.185
18	5	Marvin Kirchhöfer		1:08.191
19	55	Artem Markelov		1:08.350
20	63	Diego Álvarez Torrente		1:08.475
21	56	Sergey Sirotkin		1:08.477
22	62	Jules Bianchi		1:08.524
23	91	Max Verstappen		1:08.626
24	90	Daniel Ricciardo		1:08.730
25	118	Carlos Sainz Jr		1:09.222
26	119	Felix Rosenqvist		1:09.237

Report:

The fastest circuit F1 has ever raced on has just recently announced a contract extension that will keep it on the calendar for the next 15 years. This is certainly great news for the fans from Cyprus, who always show up in masses despite not having a local driver to cheer for.

It is also good news for whichever engine supplier currently provides the most powerful engines, as their supreme speed proves significant to the ability to succeed at this track. Ferrari currently holds that distinction, supplying their own team and Red Bull Racing.

Both of those teams managed to achieve relevant successes, hauling them up the standings. Another team profiting from the unusual circumstances was Holden, scoring a double points finish. Their success came at the expense of Precision, who had an awful day in Limassol.

However, the fight at the top actually deserves the most attention: after the two obligatory pitstops, Sauber’s two drivers where in a close battle, swapping P1 multiple times. In the end, in a thrilling climax, Maldonado barely managed to hang on to take F1’s joint-closest win by 0.03 seconds.

Race:

Pos	#	Driver	Constructor	Time/Retired	Points
1	29	Pastor Maldonado		33:27.015	15
2	30	Dean Stoneman		+0.033	12
3	2	Lewis Hamilton		+2.944	10
4	28	Daniel Melrose		+10.682	8
5	31	Romain Grosjean		+17.485	6
6	1	Sebastian Vettel		+21.244	5
7	67	Mike Rockenfeller		+24.455	4
8	32	Alexander Albon		+26.139	3
9	23	Pierre Gasly		+30.689	2
10	21	Stoffel Vandoorne		+34.418	1
11	33	Einar Ármannsson		+38.045	0
12	5	Marvin Kirchhöfer		+41.633	0
13	55	Artem Markelov		+42.764	0
14	6	Santiago Urrutia		+44.369	0
15	34	Valtteri Bottas		+62.890	0
16	118	Carlos Sainz Jr		+67.823	0
17	119	Felix Rosenqvist		1 Lap	0
18	91	Max Verstappen		1 Lap	0
19	90	Daniel Ricciardo		1 Lap	0
20	63	Diego Álvarez Torrente		1 Lap	0
21	66	Pascal Wehrlein		2 Laps	0
DNF	22	Jordan Davies		Oil Leak	0
DNF	24	Kevin Magnussen		Accident	0
DNF	62	Jules Bianchi		Accident	0
DNF	27	Dave Cassidy		Accident	0
DNF	56	Sergey Sirotkin		Collision	0

Fastest Lap:

Dean Stoneman – 1:08.488

Infinite Improbability Drive Of The Race:

Mike Rockenfeller – he managed to use Ferrari’s extreme power to haul the Red Bull to heights it never saw before.

Reject Of The Race:

Precision-Mercedes – their weak engine does not excuse this horrible performance.