SEPANG, Malaysia — Mark Webber, regarded as one of the unluckiest drivers in Formula One, almost fell victim to bizarre misfortune just moments after qualifying in pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Elated after his good performance Saturday — he was a full 1.3 seconds quicker than his nearest rival — Webber tried to slide down a staircase railing on his way back from the press room to his garage.
The Australian glided down a little faster than he anticipated, crashed into a wall and cut his right hand.
The 33-year-old Webber finished second, untroubled by the small injury. The Australian drove the early part of last season while recovering from a broken leg sustained when he was hit by a car while cycling in a charity adventure race in Australia.
Dashed hopes
The Malaysian GP was not a great one for the Ferrari brand, with three of its engines failing.
Long before Fernando Alonso’s engine blew up in spectacular fashion on the penultimate lap, the Ferrari engines in the two Sauber cars failed.
Sauber driver Pedro de la Rosa didn’t even make the start. The Spaniard’s car stopped at the top of pitlane after an installation lap. After the team got him going again for a further installation lap, a pneumatic failure destroyed the engine.
“The failure was unusual, unexpected and unlucky,” De la Rosa said. “It’s very disappointing not having competed in this race. This grand prix is one you prepare for all year because of the physical demands and you really want to be driving in it.”
A similar pneumatic engine failure on the ninth lap affected his teammate, Kamui Kobayashi, ruining a promising race in which he had started from his best position of ninth.
As for the Ferrari team, both cars have now gone through three engines each in as many races. Each car is limited to eight per season before penalties kick in.
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