​Flash report: Hot and difficult first qualifying in Malaysia

As temperatures reached 34 degrees Celsius, Yvan Muller claimed 16th position on the grid and was 1.1 seconds from pole, a position claimed by main title rival Norbert Michelisz.

"It is obviously a disappointing result and it's going to be very difficult to score good points from 16th on the grid in the first race," said Yvan Muller.

Yann Ehrlacher claimed 24th position on the grid for race one, with Andy Priaulx in 27th and Thed Björk in 28th.

"This is a circuit where power and weight is especially punishing, just as in Slovakia. It's really tough, but we will keep our heads down and keep fighting," said Thed Björk.

Next up is the second qualifying session, starting at 19:30 local time / 12:30 CET.

Results Qualifying 1

⏱ Live timing: https://www.fiawtcr.com/live-timing/
🗒 Live updates: https://twitter.com/Cyan_Racing
📺 Live TV: http://www.eurosport.com
📸 Photos: http://bit.ly/2rF7Dni