2013 Malaysian GP: Nods & Nays

[ManFromMilan]

Was great fun last time, thought it would be nice to do after every race.

Honor Role
Driver of the race Mark Webber, if all was left alone i am sure he would have won.
Honorable Mention Massa,Rosberg, Button
Overtaking Move of the Race Not Vettels
Race Highlight Not actually in the race, but when LH admitted that his team mate drove a better race than him and deserved the podium.

Horror Role
Driver off the pace Probably not the drivers this race, but definitely a few team of the pace this race
The Lewis Hamilton Bonehead Move of the Race Award LH driving into the McLaren pit box
Race Low Point Alonso's front wing failure and exit out of the race

Your Take on the Race
A great shame we did not do better, but we still have a lot to be positive about. Still second in the Constructors

[Kyss4k]

We are doing it here every race

Honor Role
Driver of the race Webber, Bianchi
Honorable Mention Mercedes
Overtaking Move of the Race Probably Webber overtaking both Ferrari's in the first 2 corners
Race Highlight There was one?

Horror Role
Driver off the pace Somehow I have to mention Kimi
The Lewis Hamilton Bonehead Move of the Race Award Well, this one goes to Fernando and after him to his pit wall
Race Low Point First two laps.

Your Take on the Race
I am confused. In Australia we looked mighty in the race. Here, on the circuit which (as everyone said) tells more about the true pace of the cars we were strugling big time. I just hope this China upgrade is more than just a wish.

[Klutch]

Honor Role
Driver of the race: Mark Webber, mostly for his revelations after the race
Honorable Mention: Hamilton, Rosberg, Massa
Overtaking Move of the Race: Hamilton on Vettel
Race Highlight: Team Radios - Iceman's butthurt, Vettel's true nature

Horror Role
Driver off the pace: Mostly newbies (exclude Bianchi). Do they see Blue flags or not? Also "brilliant tires-saver" Raikkonen.
Bonehead Move of the Race Award: Vettel on Webber, of course. Even Soda Water team said it was "silly".
Race Low Point: First laps of the race. Lowest point - First turn of second lap.

Your Take on the Race
F1 is going lower and lower. Nobody likes Vettel's dominance. And his greed and ignorance (glad this race revealed it - he lost fans today).
Ferrari will do better in next races.
And looks like this season our car isnt fastest in rain (like it was in 2012), and rain weather is best for Soda Water's car. So probably I wont be praying on rainy weekends anymore.

[Suzie]

Honor Role
Driver of the race Webber
Honorable Mention Rosberg - good performance and extremely classy about the team orders when interviewed afterwards
Overtaking Move of the Race *shrugs*
Race Highlight Massa getting past Perez, Kimi and Grosjean in the last few laps (thanks to fresher tyres, I know); honourable mention to Lewis bringing the lolz when he popped in to see his McLaren buddies for a cup of tea

Horror Role
Driver off the pace Maldonado just seems to have been nowhere both weekends now
The Lewis Hamilton Bonehead Move of the Race Award Sorry Nando...
Race Low Point Massa not capitalising on his great grid position

Your Take on the Race
Getting really fed up with tyre-saving, I just want to see drivers going for it without worrying about degradation etc. Not sure how I feel about the whole team orders issue as Ferrari have not been squeaky clean in that respect over the years, but it's definitely fun to watch the fall-out at Red Bull. I'm looking forward to a better result in China and writing this weekend off as something to be learnt from!

[shamim179]

Honor Role
Driver of the race: Webber
Honorable Mention: Hamilton, Rosberg, Bianchi
Overtaking Move of the Race: None
Race Highlight: Team Radios - Brawn team orders on Nico several times. Nico eventually agreed. It was managed well but it is slightly funny like a grown up man telling a kid what to do with constant explanations.

Horror Role
Driver off the pace: Massa in the beginning
Bonehead Move of the Race Award: Ferrari for not bringing in Alonso in earlier to replace his FW.
Race Low Point: Post race. Everyone was so down.

Your Take on the Race
Big tactical mistake by Ferrari. Could prove to be very costly. Lost opportunity to score some decent points and to validate the pecking order. Yes, Massa finished but we couldn't see what Alonso could have done. Seeing what he could have done would have been very useful data for the team in terms of how to develop the car further. Excessive risk taking by Ferrari but they have done this in the past so it isn't anything new.

[brembo man]

What nostalgia! Just call them Mark Barichello and Sebastian Chin. Ross treated Lewis like the #1 driver is truly is.

[Poltergeistes]

What nostalgia! Just call them Mark Barichello and Sebastian Chin. Ross treated Lewis like the #1 driver is truly is.

Gosh i gotta agree with you here, it felt that way...

and then raises another question:

So vettel does something bad, horner says it's bad, what happens now?

say for instance, if when vettel had challenged webber what if webber just went full dirty (as vettel) and took him out of the race (even if that would also take himself out) who would horner say about?

I do apologize i completely forgot it, i didn't mean to swear, so thank you very much for editing my post .

[Liscia]

Sebastian Weasel has "apologized" so we can all now move forward.

[71dino]

yes lets move ahead to china. ( I suppose I could mention that I think vettel is a spoiled, arrogant but I will spare everyone)

[brembo man]

Sebastian Weasel has "apologized" so we can all now move forward.

Somehow I feel I owe Todt an apology, he wasn't involved! I'll wait a little bit before I move on. Vettel is a chip off the old Chin! Just do it.

[Senna4Ever]

Honor Role
Driver of the race Webber
Honorable Mention Rosberg (extremely classy about the team orders when interviewed afterwards)
Overtaking Move of the Race hmmmmm, did we had one
Race Highlight Hamilton found time to visit some old friends ... and getting third

Horror Role
Driver off the pace Vettel
The Lewis Hamilton Bonehead Move of the Race Award The driver who drives against the one before is mostly always guilty - even if he would have used brakes more than needed; ForceIndia pit technique
Race Low Point Hope that a half broken (not partly damaged) front wing will last a couple of laps & how easy our front wing broke and no damage at the diffusor from RB ...

Your Take on the Race Malaysia was defined as a point where should have been able to see the real performance of 2013 cars for 1st time. No surprise about the pole possessing team and the winner. Expected a better performance from our car/team. It seems that our car actually has made some progress during qualifying but didn't improve much at the race. If Malaysia is the reference.

Summary of an interview with M. Rivola

for me something wrong between expectations and final result ...

[Forzi]

Honor Role
Driver of the race: Mark Webber
Honorable Mention: Button, Ross Brawn with handeling the team and being open with it.
Overtaking Move of the Race: the tangle between the two RBR
Race Highlight: The podium talks.

Horror Role
Driver off the pace: Kimi
The Lewis Hamilton Bonehead Move of the Race: the hilarious pit stop
Race Low Point: Alonso's front wing incident

Your Take on the Race
Was a rather borring race, the whole fun was the radio messages by RBR and Merc and the podium. Seems those two teams got their tire problems solved, meaning Ferrari got some rivals now unlike in Melbourne.

[Greig]

Honor Role
Driver of the race - Mark Webber.
Honorable Mention - Nico.
Overtaking Move of the Race - Seb on Webber even if sneaky.
Race Highlight - Not a lot really, but the Red Bull fall out might be tasty.

Horror Role
Driver off the pace - Kimi
The Lewis Hamilton Bonehead Move of the Race Award - Alonso (sorry) you can't win a race on lap 1.
Race Low Point - Alonso in the gravel

Your Take on the Race
Shame we left here with such disappointing feelings but onwards and upwards.

[SinanOzerS]

The Lewis Hamilton Bonehead Move of the Race Award - Alonso (sorry) you can't win a race on lap 1.

[R Ginart]

The Lewis Hamilton Bonehead Move of the Race Award - Alonso (sorry) you can't win a race on lap 1.

For God's sakes Nando, what were you thinking amigo. You had a shot at entering the pits, getting the wing replaced AND a change of tires (if you wanted), why even try to do a second lap? Porque? What would that have accomplished?
This could have worked to his advantadge: Come in change wing and get off the inters and off you go for a long run! All was not lost at that point!

[Kyss4k]

The Lewis Hamilton Bonehead Move of the Race Award - Alonso (sorry) you can't win a race on lap 1.

For God's sakes Nando, what were you thinking amigo. You had a shot at entering the pits, getting the wing replaced AND a change of tires (if you wanted), why even try to do a second lap? Porque? What would that have accomplished?
This could have worked to his advantadge: Come in change wing and get off the inters and off you go for a long run! All was not lost at that point!

It was said multiple times. Alonso couldn't see the damage. This was purely team's fault.

[R Ginart]

It was said multiple times. Alonso couldn't see the damage. This was purely team's fault.

Sorry Fernando NOT YOUR FAULT just read this on SPEED:
Stefano Domenicali admits that Ferrari took a big risk in leaving Fernando Alonso out with a damaged front wing after his first lap touch with Sebastian Vettel in Malaysia.

The team hoped that it would stay in place for four or five laps and take the Spaniard into the window for the switch to dry tires, but it came off and went under the car at the start of the second lap, sending Alonso off the road.

YEAH, Great move Stefano! lets keep Massa out on three tires too!!!

[redkid]

Honor Role
Driver of the race Mark Webber
Honorable Mention Massa,Rosberg, Bianchi, Perez
Overtaking Move of the Race Kimi on Hulkenberg
Race Highlight At the Pits, where Hamilton pitted at Mclaren's, boy, he lost like 6 seconds there and could have made a whale of a diffrence in fighting with the RBs...but his low fuel will probably negate it.

Horror Role
Driver off the pace Kimi Raikkonen...he's quite slow this time around, I don't know why is that.
Race Low Point Absolutely, Fernando's front wing failure and exit out of the race

Your Take on the Race
We failed to harvest enough points but with the escalating feud between RB Drivers and obviously Mercs (though they downplayed it), this could play in our favor in the very near future.

[brembo man]

Let's hope that a Massa Ferrari feud isn't next along with the likes of Mark and Nico in the very near future seeing how Massa is now and hopefully will stay way up front, and possibly starting in front of Alonso. We all know deep down Ferrari is the mother team of " Let him Pass! " Is it constructors points; or driver points that count the most at the end? No one has to ask Vettel that question, that's for sure. RB in his opinion is lucky he drives for them.

[Poltergeistes]

Let's hope that a Massa Ferrari feud isn't next along with the likes of Mark and Nico in the very near future seeing how Massa is now and hopefully will stay way up front, and possibly starting in front of Alonso. We all know deep down Ferrari is the mother team of " Let him Pass! " Is it constructors points; or driver points that count the most at the end? No one has to ask Vettel that question, that's for sure. RB in his opinion is lucky he drives for them.

I don't know, being a Massa fan i can't say i don't wish to see him driving and getting results as good as he did in 2008, and back then he almost won the WDC, i see the point of ferrari having it like redbull had the intention and i guess everyone else's intentions, which is things are up for grabs until the last pitstop of the race, after that everyone stay in form... i don't see our boys actually going wheel to wheel and taking unnecessary risks.

Of course this is keeping in mind that we are at the beginning of the championship, both drivers are close at the scoreboard. i just don't beleive that after 2010 and specially last years efforts from felipe to help fernando win the wdc, fernando would be screaming orders for felipe to move over if they are both being equally competitive, i think fernando has had good and bad teammates, he knows which kind felipe is.

PS and before anyone adds in some hot water here, fernando has also been very helpful to felipe, specially during the time everyone was bashing the guy last season, perhaps it might have been because fernando himself knew that car was not the easiest to drive, he was always very keen to point out how irrational people were being about replacing felipe with just any other driver, when the car was a huge part of the problem also.

[wisepie]

I don't know, being a Massa fan i can't say i don't wish to see him driving and getting results as good as he did in 2008, and back then he almost won the WDC, i see the point of ferrari having it like redbull had the intention and i guess everyone else's intentions, which is things are up for grabs until the last pitstop of the race, after that everyone stay in form... i don't see our boys actually going wheel to wheel and taking unnecessary risks.

Of course this is keeping in mind that we are at the beginning of the championship, both drivers are close at the scoreboard. i just don't beleive that after 2010 and specially last years efforts from felipe to help fernando win the wdc, fernando would be screaming orders for felipe to move over if they are both being equally competitive, i think fernando has had good and bad teammates, he knows which kind felipe is.

PS and before anyone adds in some hot water here, fernando has also been very helpful to felipe, specially during the time everyone was bashing the guy last season, perhaps it might have been because fernando himself knew that car was not the easiest to drive, he was always very keen to point out how irrational people were being about replacing felipe with just any other driver, when the car was a huge part of the problem also.

I think both drivers fully respect each other, but there could come a time when Fernando starts to get irritated being either out-qualified or beaten off the start by Felipe. It was easy for Fernando to be supportive of Felipe the last couple of years as they weren't really competing against each other for championship status. I'm pretty sure Fernando is so desperate to win the WDC again that, if push came to shove, he would battle with Felipe. Fine, as long as they don't eliminate each other!

[brembo man]

I believe if push comes to shove, Santander will quickly remind Ferrari to " Let Alonso pass." leaving Massa a victim of circumstances $$$ . A 1.2 win points wise is always a const. championship total victory. Everyone here for the most part ranted and hated Rubens for saying anything about moving over, after all he signed up knowing what's up. Massa's wearing the same hat for sure.

[wisepie]

You're probably right, brembo man, but my point was that I think Alonso may become desperate if Massa proves to be a real threat to his WDC ambitions, irrespective of what Santander or anyone else decrees. If for some reason Fernando gets eliminated from a race (like Sepang), then Felipe will obviously be given free reign, but in any other situation, I have to concur with what you're saying. Sad but true. And I think that maybe Fernando's first lap at Sepang showed that he wants to stamp his authority over Felipe and everyone else, but championships aren't won by not finishing!

[sagi58]

...It was easy for Fernando to be supportive of Felipe the last couple of years as they weren't really competing against each other for championship status...

Personally, where Alonso is concerned, I believe it was more a matter of dedicated team work and recognition of what his teammate could potentially contribute.
I'm afraid that saying that it was easy to be supportive of Massa when he wasn't a "threat" might be underestimating the focus and determination Alonso has shown Ferrari and the Tifosi!!

[Greig]

Personally, where Alonso is concerned, I believe it was more a matter of dedicated team work and recognition of what his teammate could potentially contribute.
I'm afraid that saying that it was easy to be supportive of Massa when he wasn't a "threat" might be underestimating the focus and determination Alonso has shown Ferrari and the Tifosi!!

Just a shame so many "Tifosi" could not give Felipe the same respect really.

[sagi58]

Just a shame so many "Tifosi" could not give Felipe the same respect really.

Possibly because most Tifosi don't have as much riding on Massa being productive and successful, as Alonso does!

p.s. Notice I didn't mention the fact that it's a shame that so many "Tifosi" could/do not give Kimi the same respect... really!

[Greig]

Possibly because most Tifosi don't have as much riding on Massa being productive and successful, as Alonso does!

p.s. Notice I didn't mention the fact that it's a shame that so many "Tifosi" could/do not give Kimi the same respect... really!

Not sure how you work out Alonso has more riding on it than Ferrari fans?

Respect is earned in my book, that's why Kimi never got much I guess and I doubt he could care less, nice sidestep though

[sagi58]

Not sure how you work out Alonso has more riding on it than Ferrari fans?

Respect is earned in my book, that's why Kimi never got much I guess and I doubt he could care less, nice sidestep though

Maybe you "skimmed" over my comment, again?

What I said is that Alonso has more riding on Massa being productive and successful than Ferrari fans!
Alonso works with Massa in a collaborative and cooperative environment at Ferrari; where, the theory
that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, is proven once again! Alonso depends on Massa to
score as many points as he can because that means "other" drivers aren't getting those same points.
All you need to do is look at the last two years, to recognize that!

Ferrari fans don't have as much riding on Massa's perfomance as Alonso does, do we?

As for Kimi, I guess you have set your standards incredibly high if a driver who has won the Driver's title
with Ferrari, helped Massa get as close as you can get to a title the next year, and contributed to winning
the Constructor's title both years, hasn't earned your respect!

[Greig]

helped Massa get as close as you can get to a title the next year

[Sonic Feathers]

All Ferrari fans want - is for our drivers to do well. Yeah, we support our drivers individually but the reason we call ourselves Tifosi is because we love our team. The passion we have will easily irk the passions of supporters of the other Ferrari driver but we are Ferrari supporters 1st & foremost. It serves only the other teams interest to dump on FA or FM.
As we don't know what the Malaysian strategies were, we're 'hobbled' in drawing conclusions from Alonsos' race for the lead at the start. SV caught Alonso out (perhaps on purpose) but that is how Fernando starts, he seldomly leaves space for others to squeeze in. He had to be aggressive, had to nail SV asap - I believe. We should be asking after the event, "so what was the Malaysian race strategy?", that we can understand better how their race was to work out. When Massa was slower this time on launch (most unusual !) Fernando did what his character does - he challenges, BTTW, every race & any in compo. Then ('cos we not privy to all) poor pitwall call & Fernando for not deciding himself to pit, pitwall or not (he's human enough to make a poor judgement call, too. But still is an icon of correct decision making).
I think it is reasonable to assume Fellipe & Fernando would still have helped the others' race, during the race, given the opportunity. They race for Ferrari but they both want & deserve personal glory - individually. But not at the peril of the other! Definitely not at the detriment of the team.
Surmising 'what ifs', won't change SDs' decision when the time arrives, which won't be any time soon. Both Fernando & Felipe are racing each other at this point to get the upper hand so that when & if team orders are used, they are the ones to benefit. Felipe needs be desperate to out-perform at this point to break the Rubhino mould. Anyone that believes FM is happy with wearing the #2 tag is not observant of human behavior. Not one of us would accept #2 happily & would fight always to leave it behind.
Assume Felipe leads the DC points of Ferrari & he gives the 'Nico call - I'm faster than him', SD will assume team interest 1st. It has happened & Massa held station.
How would Fernando behave in a SV/NR situation? 'Nando would fume but follow the pitwalls' command, I believe. He is a Ferrari racer!
Lastly, it is good that SV & MW quarrel, it's a distraction. SV watches his mirrors more now for treachery being returned & fast Ferraris.

Nods: Just happy that we are in the state we are & not a repeat of '12.
Nays: Our designers haven't found the 'Holy Grail' yet to annihilate RB, Lotus & Merc (Macca not worth effort of thought to list)

Forza Ferrari