Williams and Haas lose potential points after early promising runs fall apart in Malaysia's challenging conditions.

Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon all made excellent starts by choosing intermediate tires for the wet conditions, charging into the top eight positions on the first lap. Sainz climbed from 13th to 6th, Albon from 18th to 7th, and Ocon from 17th to 8th as they passed cars that had started on slick compounds.

Ocon initially ran as high as sixth position and looked set for a strong points finish before the team's strategy decisions went wrong. He lost places during pit stops and ultimately finished 15th after missing the second safety car period that could have improved his position.

Sainz was running in sixth place when Gabriel Bortoleto nudged him into a spin at Turn 2, effectively ending his chances of scoring points. He eventually finished 17th after what he described as scrappy execution from the team following the incident.

Albon suffered brake problems throughout the race and lost positions during a double-stack pit stop behind Sainz. His weekend ended in retirement due to a late gearbox failure, adding to Williams' frustration after both drivers had made strong early progress in the difficult conditions.