Sebastian Vettel hitches a ride from F1 rival after bizarre post-race crash

Ahead of Formula 1's return to Sepang this weekend, RacingNews365 is revisiting some of the most dramatic moments the Malaysian Grand Prix has produced.

Few were as bizarre as Sebastian Vettel's slow-down lap collision with Lance Stroll in 2017.

Vettel had fought back from the rear of the grid to finish fourth for Ferrari after a difficult qualifying, with Max Verstappen taking victory for Red Bull ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo. 

But the drama did not end at the chequered flag.

On the cool-down lap, Vettel tried to pass Stroll's Williams around the outside at Turn 5. 

The rookie drifted wide, and the pair made heavy contact that wrecked the left-rear suspension of Vettel's Ferrari, leaving the four-time champion stranded out on track.

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A furious reaction over the radio

Vettel did not hide his frustration in the immediate aftermath, telling his team over the radio: "Stroll just drove into me. I mean, seriously."

He later gave his version of events: "I went on the outside to pick up a bit of rubber. I think Lance was trying to do the same thing, but wasn't looking and decided to turn in, so I was already there."

Stroll saw it rather differently, stating: "I was on the in-lap, on my normal line, picking up rubber, doing all my switch changes, shutting down the car and Sebastian came flying by me, pushing round the outside like the race was still on."

The FIA stewards investigated the clash and decided neither driver was predominantly at fault, with no penalties issued to either man.

With his Ferrari beyond repair, Vettel had to find another way back to the pits. 

In an incident that is rarely seen in F1 due to the obvious dangers, Vettel clambered aboard the sidepod of Pascal Wehrlein's Sauber, hitching a ride for the remainder of the lap.

Wehrlein explained his decision to stop in a German television interview after the race: "For a friend like Sebastian, of course, I brake. I didn't even know what happened before."

It was far from the first time an F1 driver has needed a lift home. 

Nigel Mansell famously carried Ayrton Senna back to the pits on his Williams FW14 at the 1991 British Grand Prix after Senna ran dry.

At the 2013 Singapore Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso picked up a stranded Mark Webber, earning both men a reprimand from the stewards.