10 Things You Might Have Missed From Last Weekend's Dramatic Motorsport Spectacular

Image source: BTCC

It was certainly a busy weekend for the motorsport world, with F1, IndyCar, NASCAR and the British Touring Car Championship all in action. Here are some of the things you might have missed:

1. Chaos in F1 qualifying

Qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix was chaotic to say the least. Torrential rain caused the first session to be delayed by 50 minutes and when it eventually got underway, many drivers opted for intermediate tyres.

There were plenty of spins and off-track excursions, with Marcus Ericsson crashing in Q1 and Fernando Alonso and Daniil Kvyat colliding in Q2. Lewis Hamilton took pole and went on to win the race.

2. Power wins IndyCar opener...

The IndyCar season got underway at St. Petersburg, with Will Power overtaking pole-sitter Takuma Sato to take the race win. It was the Team Penske driver's second victory around the 1.8-mile circuit. Ryan Hunter-Reay and Helio Castroneves completed the podium. Sato wasn't the only ex-F1 driver in the field, with Juan Pablo Montoya finishing 15th on his return to open-wheel racing.

3. ...but not without controversy

Just prior to restarting after an extended caution period, Power bunched up the field on the pit straight. The leader's slow pace caught out some of the drivers in the midfield and sparked mayhem behind. Several cars made contact, with Jack Hawksworth and Marco Andretti both retiring on the spot.

4. Jordan dominates at Brands Hatch

Image source: BTCC

The BTCC season kicked off in style at the Brands Hatch circuit with three dramatic and thrilling races. Reigning champ Andrew Jordan took victory in the opening two rounds, with Colin Turkington winning the reverse grid race. A record 31-car field competed on the weekend, with 14 different car models and 11 different manufacturers.

5. Honda makes BTCC history

Image source: BTCC

Honda Yuasa Racing have arguably created the sexiest estate car ever and it made history on the weekend by becoming the first car of its type to finish on the British Touring Car Championship podium. Despite the added junk in its trunk, drivers Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden managed to score a total of four top three finishes.

6. Feeling the heat

Image source: Marussia F1 Team

Max Chilton may have finished the Malaysian Grand Prix in last place, but he still worked hard for that result. The Brit revealed after the 56-lap race, which is unquestionably the toughest on the calendar, that he lost 3kg in fluids due to the incredibly hot temperatures and high humidity.

Speaking of weight, ex-F1 driver and commentator Martin Brundle said over the weekend that a driver fainted at a media event due to severe dehydration. Some of the heavier racers on the grid have reportedly been deliberately becoming dehydrated to lose a few kilograms due to the new minimum weight limit in 2014.

7. Cumberbatch

Image source: WTF1 and Ben Sweeney's F1 Blog

The post-race F1 interviews are usually conducted by a legend of the sport. However, in Malaysia actor Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) took to the podium to chat to Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel.

8. Busch and Keselowski feud

Kurt Busch made it six different winners in six races after taking victory at the Martinsville NASCAR Sprint Cup race. However, it wasn't without incident. He made contact with Brad Keselowski in the pitlane after the latter had collided with Kasey Kahne. Keselowski believed Busch could have avoided the clash and when he returned to the race after repairs, they made deliberate contact several times. Both have promised revenge.

9. First Grand Slam

Image source: Mercedes AMG Petronas

Lewis Hamilton scored the first Grand Slam (or Grand Chelem) of his career, taking pole position, setting the fastest lap, winning the race and leading every lap. Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel are the only other drivers on the grid to achieve this.

10.  Too close for comfort

Image source: Mercedes AMG Petronas

Nico Rosberg said after the Malaysian Grand Prix that his "heart skipped a beat" at the start after he was squeezed towards the pit wall by Sebastian Vettel. He then had to work a bit harder to defend his position on the first lap after a slide through turn three.

"I thought he was going to put me right into the wall, but he stopped just before - so thank you for that. My heartbeat skipped a beat a little bit but I kept right on it, it was OK anyway. Then I had a bit of a moment in Turn Three, a bit of a tail, tank-slapper and that allowed them all to get another run on me, but it all worked out."