Yes boys, that's what we're talking about - proper tyre degradation and games of DRS leapfrog.
Star of the Race
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Winner
Another untroubled win from pole for Vettel. Despite some mid-race radio traffic that suggested he wasn't using his KERS, Vettel seemed in control of this race from the opening lap. An exemplary qualifying performance, a great start and no mistakes in the race - what more could you ask for? The "KERS is not working" message was so laboured, and then repeated, that it sounded like some elaborate practical joke. Because after that transmission Vettel started to open up a gap to his rivals that he hadn't enjoyed up to that point in the race.
Overtaking Move of the Race
Lap 50: Mark Webber on Felipe Massa for P5
Mark Webber suffered for his lack of KERS at the start. If ever there was a demonstration of how important the technology was, Mark's fall from 3rd to 9th in the opening sprint provided it. He battled on manfully with a strategy none of the other front runners tries out of choice - though Hamilton and Alonso were forced into - and he made it work. When he came up against Felipe Massa in the closing stages of the race Massa had the advantage of KERS. Mark steamed round the outside of the Ferrari driver into Turn 1, flirted with the marbles (or as Michael Schumacher likes to call them 'the marble') held on till he was on the inside for Turn 2 and managed to push Felipe out wide. Felipe tried to duck inside but Mark got good traction and was through.
Winners
Jenson Button, McLaren, 2nd
Jenson bided his time behind Hamilton while trying to figure out the tyres. From his post-race comments it is clear that simply looking after your tyres in the old way - of limiting wheel spin, not trying to go too fast too soon - is not enough and you've got to look after them a certain way. This might have been the key to his closing up on Lewis and passing him in the pit-stops (as well as Lewis's delay). Hamilton's sulky post-race manner seemed to be generated more by his failure to beat Button than anything else. If Jenson didn't have problems, why should he have problems...?
Lewis Hamilton's contention "We always seemed to be stopping the earliest" actually worked well for Jenson because it put him in front of Alonso.
Nick Heidfeld, Renault, 3rd
Heidfeld (or Heidfield if you're name's Quagmire) got the start of the race, launching himself from 6th place to 2nd by the first corner. Petrov shot off like a rat up a drain as well, making it two races in a row that he's rocketed up the grid. Last season he normally made contact with someone before he'd gone very far, but so far this season he's kept his no claims bonus intact.
Heidfeld's race pace was just enough to prevent Lewis Hamilton from using his DRS to any benefit and he effectively ruined any chance that Hamilton would have of challenging Vettel without the intervention of rain.
All this talk about 'qualifying not being so important this year' can be put aside now because at Sepang we saw how Hamilton's failure to keep Heidfeld behind him gave Vettel a gap that he could manage.
A great race from Nick, though benefiting from the glitches of Webber, Alonso and Hamilton each of whom could have been on the podium.
Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 5th
Another great start from Massa and a strong race. I don't quite understand why the BBC commentary team feel the need to read out the last rites for Felipe Massa's career at the second race of the season. Massa's doing fine - a robust performance in Melbourne, a good one in Malaysia. They only need one Fernando Alonso in the team - and they have one already. The mildly ludicrous suggestion that after one race they should be looking at Sergio Perez is almost as ridiculous as employing a current team member as a commentator.
Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, 7th
Kobayashi overtook more people at the Malaysian Grand Prix than Sebastian Vettel does in a season. The Japanese driver had loads of fun with Mark Webber in the opening stint of the race and then when he disappeared up the road he resorted to having fun with Michael Schumacher instead. What was most impressive was that they didn't touch. Fabulous combative driving.
Michael Schumacher, Mercedes, 9th
Schumi got a great start and at one point had his Merc up between the Ferraris on the opening lap. Michael probably would have made the trip to Malaysia for that alone, it's got to be better than gardening on a Sunday afternoon. Most importantly, after being outqualified thanks to a faulty DRS wing, he got the edge on his hugely competitive team-mate.
Paul di Resta, Force India, 10th
DiResta has outqualfied his much-fancied team-mate twice now and effectively outraced him twice. Considering Tonio Liuzzi hardly got a look-in last year, this is some achievement.
Lotus
In qualifying the KERS-less Lotus was 0.5 down on the Williams at the end of Q1. If the system is worth 0.3 of a second a lap, then to be only 0.2 (net) down in qualifying - on what is a strong aero circuit - is a major achievement.
HRT
HRT got both cars into the race with times that easily beat the 107% cut-off. Another fine result.
Renault's sponsors
Not only did they pick up their second podium in as many races they got the best endorsement they possibly could for their sponsor. In the FIA press conference winner Sebastian Vettel was describing the start of the race: "I looked in my mirrors and I saw something black and I knew it was a Lotus." The first Lotus had got ahead of the Vodafone while the other Lotus squeezed in front of the Santander.
Star of the Race
The Stewards
All I can think is that they were bored and looking to give out penalties. Maybe this lot of stewards don't get to be stewards for any other races and so they were keen to flex their muscles when they could - like a referee with a brand new whistle eager to hear the sound. In deciding to award penalties to Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton they have bound the stewards in subsequent races to punish and penalise all sorts of minor indiscretions.
Neither the penalty they dished out to Lewis Hamilton for blocking or Fernando Alonso for colliding was contested by either driver, but they were pretty stupid - Alonso's in particular. If Lewis blocked then he blocked, fair enough, but you must apply that rule scrupulously to every driver resisting an overtaking move - not just the high profile ones. That's going to be a lot of work in busy races to come.
Alonso's punishment was worse, because we have seen that kind of thing so many times before in races with no consequence at all. Fernando didn't damage Hamilton, he hurt himself more than anything else, losing what would have been a podium place. There was a reported collision between Perez and Maldonado right at the start, but that wasn't investigated. If every impact has to be looked into then they are going to have to delay the official publication of results for quite some time.
Rules are rules, but they have to be applied consistently, and not just because the stewards have got nothing else to do. This bunch in Malaysia have set a very unwise precedent for the rest of the season. If there were this level of scrutiny for every race, then that would be fine. But we know there won't be.
Losers
Lewis Hamilton, Mclaren, 8th
He was going to be 2nd and then...he was 8th. Lewis Hamilton's intended-to-be final set of tyres were either remoulds or he was nursing a tactically undisclosed problem. Either way, the ill-mannered sulky kid who turned out to answer reporters' questions endeared himself to no-one. With someone as skilled as Simon Fuller pulling the management strings now he must be told that he cannot behave like that. Nobody likes a bad loser and nobody loses worse than Lewis Hamilton. For such an impressive driver it is sad that he cannot reconcile when the fates are against him.
Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 6th
He knew he blew a podium place today. That would have made it a 4th and a 3rd from two races - which is none too shabby for a 'slow' car. Not only was the stewards' punishment he got from his front wing self-destruction unnecessary, it didn't even change anything after it was applied. Double madness.
Vitaly Petrov, Renault, DNF
A great start, but it was the 2010 Petrov behind the wheel not the 2011 version.
Comedy Club
Martin Brundle may have had sharp reflexes in his car, but in Malaysia he proved that he can be equally quick behind the microphone.
Kravitz: The drivers have been told that the rain will only be brief.
Brundle: And so might the trip to the barriers.
Meanwhile Eddie Jordan was concocting almost Blundellesque comments (defined as satisfying nonsense on an F1 theme). Talking about Mike Gascoyne and Lotus:
"The bodywork coming off the Toro Rosso will have encouraged him and that's why he did a good job."
Talking about Ferrari's great winter testing...
"Unless they were sandbagging in a negative way."
Talking about the Pirelli tyres that everyone has said would suit Michael in 2011.
"We always said these tyres would be difficult for him."
And, about that opening grand prix of the year in Italy.
"I'd like to go back to where we were in Milan...Melbourne."
Andrew Davies
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Originally Posted by Stormsearcher
Don't tell me Andrew Davis sees things more clearly now???????? Maybe it's just a glich 
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