Lewis Hamilton suffers engine failure as Daniel Ricciardo takes full advantage to win Malaysian Grand Prix ahead of team-mate Max Verstappen

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Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of claiming a fourth world title are in smoke after his retirement from the Malaysian Grand Prix. A spectacular engine failure forced the Briton to exit with 15 laps to go in Sepang.

Mercedes said there was ‘no prior warning signs’ the engine would blow but Hamilton cried foul after the race.

‘My question is to Mercedes,’ he told the BBC. ‘We have so many engines made for drivers, but mine are the only ones failing this year. 

Lewis Hamilton suffered a dramatic engine failure on lap 41 at the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang

Hamilton's hopes of victory went up in flames as his engine caught fire in the dying embers of the hotly-anticipated race

Mercedes and Hamilton suffered a truly miserable afternoon in Sepang with the drama seemingly never ending this season

Hamilton's fiery misery paved the way for Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo to claim victory 

Ricciardo (centre) was unsurprisingly jubilant as he stood next to Max Verstappen (left) and Nico Rosberg on the podium

Hamilton was understandably frustrated as he jumped out of his Mercedes vehicle with his race in tatters

An exasperated Hamilton demanded answers from Mercedes, and believes 'someone doesn't want me to win'

‘Someone needs to give me some answers because this is not acceptable. We are fighting for the championship and only my engines are failing. It does not sit right with me.’

‘There are many decisive races but this is one of those. Someone doesn't want me to win this year but I won't give up. I will keep pushing.’

Red Bull capitalised on a miserable afternoon for Mercedes, with Daniel Ricciardo taking the win ahead of team-mate Max Verstappen at the end of a dramatic race. 

Nico Rosberg battled his way back through the field after a collision with Sebastian Vettel at the start had relegated him to last. He also collected a 10-second time penalty late in the piece for a collision with Kimi Raikkonen in the other Ferrari, but the German clung on to finish third.

Despite his struggles, Hamilton’s early bath allowed Rosberg to extend his championship lead to 23 points over his team-mate. The German is now a firm favourite to land a maiden drivers’ championship title with just five races remaining this season.

All the talk in the build-up to the race had centred on Hamilton’s poor starts this season. But it was Rosberg who had the shocker here, though there was little he could do about it.

Both Mercedes got away cleanly, with Hamilton able to cover off Rosberg who followed close behind.

The German pulled out for a look around the outside, leaving a gap for Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen to dive down. 

Rosberg (left) collided with Sebastian Vettel early on but managed to claw his way back up the grid

Rosberg's frustration did not end with Vettel as he suffered a 10-second penalty after colliding with Kimi Raikkonen

The former got there first in his Ferrari, but in his keenness to make the move stick, tapped Rosberg’s right rear with his left front.

That sent Rosberg spinning before coming to rest facing the oncoming traffic. He got going again after the pack had flooded past but it was game over for compatriot Vettel who pulled over at turn three with a broken wishbone.

Verstappen called Vettel ‘crazy’ over team radio, before the four-time world champion responded after climbing out of his stricken Ferrari.

‘Racing Verstappen, he's moving around, I think everybody knows that,’ said Vettel.

Ricciardo (front) and Red Bull team-mate Verstappen fought tooth and nail at the Malaysian Grand Prix

The incident brought out the virtual safety car, which departed at the end of lap three. By then Rosberg was up to 17th after four cars in front of him had stopped. And he passed three more to sit 14th at the end of lap four, with Hamilton leading Daniel Ricciardo and Red Bull team-mate Verstappen.

The virtual safety car made its second appearance of the afternoon on lap nine, when Romain Grosjean beached his Haas through the gravel at the final corner.

Red Bull sensed their opportunity, pitting Verstappen for more soft tyres as the rest crawled around the Sepang International Circuit. Rosberg did the same – but opted for the more durable hard compound – and they emerged fourth and 14th respectively.

Hamilton led Ricciardo by just over two seconds at the front and Rosberg was into the points by the end of lap 13 when he passed Jolyon Palmer.

Verstappen was also caught in Ferrari driver Vettel's haywires and branded the German 'crazy' over the team radio

It looked a masterstroke by Red Bull, with Verstappen sure to be leading the race when Hamilton and Ricciardo stopped for the first time.

For the race leader that moment came on lap 20, when he switched soft for hard tyres.

He emerged in third, one place ahead of Raikkonen who was less than a second ahead of Rosberg. Ricciardo pitted a lap later, emerging behind Hamilton once more.

Verstappen led by eight seconds and was urged to push by the Red Bull pit wall. But Hamilton was reeling him in with a series of fastest laps. 

Hamilton was leading the race for long periods but that will matter little to the 31-year-old

Rosberg was caught in a spin at the start due to the collision but managed to claw his way back to third place

His lead was down to six seconds when he pitted on lap 27 for hard tyres and rejoined in third. He was still less than a pit-stop behind the front two, but with the temperature on track more than 50 degrees, it looked unlikely the teenager would be able to go quickly enough while managing his rubber for the second half of the race. 

Rosberg was all over Raikkonen at the start of lap 38 and made contact with his second Ferrari of the day when he banged into the side of the Finn at turn two.

He was placed under inbestigation for causing a collision, something which the Red Bull duo narrowly avoided when going wheel-to-wheel through the opening corners of lap 39.

Ricciardo just about held his team-mate at bay when the race was turned on its head two laps later.

Hamilton cried 'Oh, no, no!' over the team radio as his engine went up in a plume of smoke

Hamilton was coasting out in front when his engine let go on the pit straight in a plume of smoke and a lick of flames. ‘Oh no, no!’, cried Hamilton over team radio, before slumping to his haunches after stepping out of his stricken Mercedes. In the garage, team boss Toto Wolff had his head in his hands.

It brought out the virtual safety car once more, allowing Ricciardo and Verstappen to pit one after the other, and seal the team’s first one-two finish since the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Rosberg was third but received a 10-second time penalty for his Raikkonen shunt. It mattered not, with Rosberg able to retain a sufficient buffer over the Finn to cling on to the final podium spot.

If Hamilton’s afternoon ended in despair, the grid’s two fellow Britons had cause to celebrate. Jenson Button marked his 300th Grand Prix start by finishing ninth, one place ahead of Jolyon Palmer who picked up his first ever point in the sport.

Jenson Button became only the third driver ever to reach 300 Grand Prixs in Malaysia, and finished ninth on the gir

Hamilton looked fairly comfortable at the Sepang International Circuit and seemed set for yet another victory

The Formula 1 season has been full of incident and drama and the race in Malaysia was no different