FORMULA 1 - 2010

[MIKA27]

Webber: 'Mix of corners should suit the RB6'

Mark Webber is hoping for a better weekend in Malaysia after a disappointing result in the two opening rounds of the championship.

Webber came 8th in Bahrain, but faired worse in Australia when he collided with Lewis Hamilton, dropping him two places, to finally finish 9th.

"After the disappointment of Melbourne, the Malaysian Grand Prix can’t come soon enough," said Webber.

Vettel didn't do much better, after dropping out of the lead in both Bahrain and Australia. That meant the Red Bull team collected just 18 points, leaving them a massive 52 behind leaders Ferrari.

"We proved at Albert Park that the RB6 has great potential, but we didn’t get the results that the car or the team deserved. We want to put that right this weekend."

Webber, though, is expecting a better weekend in Malaysia. The mix of high and low speed corners suiting the Red Bull car.

"I really like Sepang. Its mix of high, medium and slow-speed corners should suit the RB6 and I expect us to be competitive. We might be left a bit out of breath along the circuit’s three long straights, but the car’s excellent aero should make up for that through the corners," added Webber.

The weather is also of concern, with torrential rain expected over all three days.

"We’ll be watching the weather at Sepang. April is the wettest month of the year in Kuala Lumpur, so we’re likely to get some wet running at some point. Following last year’s washout, the organisers have brought the race’s start time forward by an hour, to 4pm, and we’ll have to hope that that’s enough to let the race run its course."

MIKA: Webber should have done well in Melbourne had he not have had that shunt which was completely his own fault.

[MIKA27]

Petrov to wear black armband after bombings

Vitaly Petrov will wear a black armband at this weekend's Malaysian GP in honour of the 39 who died in the Metro bombings in Moscow earlier this week.

The country remains on high alert as two car bombs exploded today killing a further 12 people.

"This terrible news shocked me profoundly," Petrov told his official website. "I would like to give my support to everybody who was affected by this tragedy.

"I will wear a black armband during the Malaysian Grand Prix in memorial to the people who were killed or wounded at Lubyanka and Park Kultury stations.

"I’m sure organizers of this barbaric act will be found soon and brought to justice. And I hope from all my heart that such a thing will never happen again"

[MIKA27]

Heidfeld struggling to adapt to reserve role

Nick Heidfeld has admitted he is struggling to adapt to being just a reserve driver for Mercedes in 2010.

The German decided to hold-out for a race seat with a 'top' team in 2010. He confirmed he was in talks with Mclaren, but the departure of Jenson Button, to the Woking team closed that door.

"I was in negotiations with McLaren, but then Jenson [button] went there."

He then came close to signing alongside fellow German Nico Rosberg to fill Button's seat, but the late call to sign Michael Schumacher resulted in Heidfeld settling for the reserve role.

"It is still unusual, especially when you go to qualifying, I'm struggling with it," he told the German newspaper FAZ. "Previously this was always the moment where there was an adrenaline rush, and off you went. I really miss it."

Heidfeld now watches qualifying and the race from the sidelines, but insists he made the right call at the time, holding out for a 'top' seat rather than settling for a back-marker offer: "I have taken this decision because it was for me the best option."

He also added that he remains confident of securing a seat for 2011.

"I am convinced that I [will] again get a place [on the grid in 2011]."

[MIKA27]

Bridgestone preview the Malaysian GP

No sooner has the chequered flag fallen on the Australian Grand Prix than Bridgestone heads to Sepang where the hard and soft compound Potenza tyres will be used for the Malaysian Grand Prix on April 2-4.

Just one week separates the second and third races on this season’s gruelling 19-race calendar meaning that Bridgestone’s personnel leave Melbourne straight for the Sepang circuit, located approximately 60 km south of Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur.

The Sepang circuit is severe on tyres with two long straights leading into tight, slow speed corners which require heavy braking, putting high energy levels through the tyres. A wide range of corner types mean that Bridgestone’s tyres are kept under heavy loads over the course of a lap. The circuit layout is not the only aspect that is tough, as the hot weather experienced here provides a harsh test too. Indeed, even when it rains in Malaysia, as it does frequently, temperatures remain high.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, says: "Last year we had a very exciting Malaysian Grand Prix because of the weather, and this was a good event for us to showcase our full weather range of Bridgestone Potenza tyres. This is an interesting area for Bridgestone as much of our natural rubber comes from this region.

"This year also marks the 10th Anniversary of Bridgestone in Malaysia and our colleagues will be marking the occasion with a series of events in the build up to the Malaysia Grand Prix. Furthermore, there will be particular interest in the race for Malaysians this year as they have their own team for the first time with Lotus Racing."

Hirohide Hamashima -Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, says: "Sepang is relatively severe on tyres as it has many different corner types and two heavy braking zones after long straights. This means the energy going through the tyres over a lap is considerable. Drivers will have to be careful not to lock their brakes, especially when they have heavy fuel loads and cool tyres in the early laps.

"The section between turns seven and eleven are very important at this track as they give a very good illustration of a good overall car set-up. Being strong here is crucial for a good performance at Sepang. High temperatures are usually a factor in Malaysia and this could mean more tyre degradation than we’ve seen so far this year, particularly given the severity of the track. Last year illustrated that you never know what to expect in Malaysia."

[MIKA27]

McLaren preview the Malaysian GP

Jenson Button: “It was a tremendous achievement to score our first win of the season in Melbourne last week, and it’s given every single member of the team even greater enthusiasm for this weekend. Even so, I think we travel to Sepang mindful that the characteristics of the circuit probably won’t suit our car as well as it will suit some of the others – but I’m confident that, once again, we’ll be fighting at or near the front.

“We’re only two races in, but I think the development race will already be starting to have an influence on performance. It’s the rate of improvement that will most influence the battle at the front. And I’m confident we can deliver in this area: it was something I watched the team doing throughout 2009, and it was one of the key reasons for deciding to hold talks with the team. I’m convinced we have the firepower to develop faster than our key rivals.

“Sepang is an awesome circuit, one that I love driving, and I think that I’ll be able to further develop and improve my relationship with the car here. It’s a circuit that not only requires smooth and precise input, but it also needs real commitment through some of the high-speed stuff. I think it’s a circuit that every driver loves.”

Lewis Hamilton: “Sepang has some of the best high-speed corners on the entire calendar. And, this year, I think we’ve got a car that will be far better suited to the circuit than we did last year, so I’m heading to Malaysia optimistic of a good result.

“It’s a fast circuit, that requires a well-balanced car with a good level of downforce. In some ways, it’s quite similar to Barcelona, where we tested well before the start of the season, so I’m optimistic that we’ll be competitive this weekend. However, I still think it might be difficult to make up the difference that’s needed in qualifying. Hopefully, that’s something that we’ll be able to solve as soon as possible.

“Last year we saw what could happen here once the weather took over. While I’m hopeful that this year’s race will be run in the dry, you can never discount the threat of rain. Either way, I think we’ll be competitive.”

Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal: “Every single member of this team worked tirelessly to put us in a position to win the Australian Grand Prix – and we were tremendously buoyed by both Jenson and Lewis’s incredible performances. As a result, we travel to Malaysia keen to maintain the level of competitiveness we demonstrated in Melbourne.

“We’re under no illusions that the regular pacesetters will once again be up at the front, but I think we’ve now shown that we’re a match for the competition – particularly with our race pace, which is up there with the very best.

“On a broader note, it was very satisfying to see Formula 1 deliver such an invigorating and exciting race in Melbourne, and I hope that this weekend’s race can continue that trend. It’s a circuit that delivers natural spectacle and is one of the best places in the world for watching grand prix cars at high-speed. It looks like we have all the ingredients for a classic season.”

[MIKA27]

Mercedes preview the Malaysian GP

Nico Rosberg: "Malaysia is one of my favourite circuits on the Formula One calendar. It's fast and challenging with a nice layout and a real variation of corners which makes Sepang an exciting track to drive. I have generally qualified well there, starting from fourth on the grid last year and third in 2006. Although we didn't quite achieve the qualifying and race results that were our full potential in Australia, we made good progress on the set-up of our car over the weekend.

"Sepang is a different type of track to Albert Park but these developments should benefit us and it's a good circuit to see exactly how quick each team is at the moment. We will hope to continue our run of points-scoring finishes and stay within reach of the leaders in the Championship. It's the home Grand Prix for our title partner Petronas and before the race weekend gets underway, I'm looking forward to our demo runs at the Petronas Pit Pulse on Wednesday."

Michael Schumacher: "I have taken a lot of positives from the race weekend in Melbourne. Whilst that might not be evident at first sight, when you look into the weekend more deeply, we did make some real improvements and have good reasons to be satisfied, just not from the actual result obviously. Analysing qualifying, both Nico and I could have been two or three places higher and with hindsight, my set-up was too conservative and too much focused on the race. Those better positions would have enabled us to fight closer to the front on Sunday. All of this means that we are not too far away and I am quite confident that there will be more to come.

"Going to Malaysia this weekend, we know that we have clearly improved our pace since Bahrain which is a good feeling. It was a lot of fun fighting it out on the track in Melbourne, even if it was just for one point, and I will enjoy fighting again in Sepang."

Ross Brawn: "Malaysia will be a very special week for the team as the home race of our title partner Petronas, who are also the official sponsors of the Malaysian Grand Prix. In the first year of our partnership together, we are looking forward to working together here in Malaysia this week and it would be very nice to achieve a special result at one of our home Grands Prix. Before the race weekend gets underway, our drivers will be performing demo runs at the Petronas Pit Pulse site close to the Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur and making various appearances at the event. The Pit Pulse programme looks set to be spectacular and we hope to welcome many of the team's fans there over the next few days.

"Looking ahead to the race, the team performed well in Melbourne, even though we do not yet have the pace to be competing right at the front of the field. Four points finishes from the first two races puts us in third place in the Constructors' Championship and we need to keep this momentum going and keep scoring points whilst we work on improvements to the car."

Norbert Haug: "The race in Malaysia will be the second Grand Prix within eight days and for our team, a really special event. Malaysia, with its capital in Kuala Lumpur, is the headquarters and the home of our title partner Petronas and thus the Malaysian Grand Prix is a new 'home race' for Mercedes GP Petronas. The track layout at the Sepang International Circuit is significantly different from Albert Park in Melbourne which hosted an extremely thrilling Formula One race last weekend. The circuit, just outside the Kuala Lumpur city limits, features long and fast corners, tight hairpins and long straights. As usual for this race, we have to expect extremely hot and humid conditions, usually accompanied by torrential rain showers every now and then - a race in sauna conditions, virtually. This climate is the greatest challenge for the teams, cars and drivers. It is our target to score more points in Malaysia and to create the basis for further technical improvements. It would be particularly nice to achieve a good result at Petronas's home race."

[MIKA27]

FIA not investigating RB6 ride-height rumour

The FIA isn't investigating Red Bull's suspension despite report's they were, and calls from team bosses, including FOTA chairman and McLaren team principal, Martin Whitmarsh as well as Mercedes GP team principal, Ross Brawn.

After qualifying for the Australian GP, Whitmarsh commented on the ride-height of the RB6, suggesting they were using a system to lower the car during qualifying, then increasing it during the race to allow for a full tank of fuel. Such systems are believed to be against FIA regulations.

"There's evidence there are ride-height control systems which many people thought weren't permissible," he told the BBC.

A report in the Swiss newspaper this week confirmed the FIA were looking into the matter, after Red Bull team principal welcomed a ruling.

"The FIA is now investigating whether the suspension of the Red Bull is in line with the regulations," said the report.

However, an FIA spokesperson in Sepang has denied any investigation, stating: "The FIA has not introduced an investigation into the matter," Auto und Motor-Sport reports.

The FIA will only look into a matter when a team places a formal protest, which hasn't yet happened.

[MIKA27]

Hispania aim for a two-car finish in Malaysia

Melbourne presented a positive result for the Hispania team, hitting their target of finishing a race. Karun Chandhok managed to finish in 14th last weekend at Albert Park, albeit five laps down on leader Jenson Button.

The aim of this weekend in Malaysia is, according to team boss Collin Kolles, to get both cars to the checkered flag.

"We reached our goal with one of our two cars making it to the finish. Now we want to hit a new target and finish with both cars."

They officially overtook Virgin as the second best newcomer, but remain behind Lotus who have had three finishes. They are likely to remain ahead of Virgin who are yet to finish a race, and are unlikely to do so, thanks to insufficient fuel capacity.

Both Hispania drivers are looking forward to their third race, both of which have prior knowledge of the Sepang circuit, having driven it in the GP2 series.

"I'm looking forward to the Malaysian Grand Prix. I am very excited to go to Malaysia as I have driven there in GP2 so I know the track well," said Senna.

"I am really looking forward to my third F1 race. I have already driven a number of times in Malaysia and even won on the track with Renault V6. I was on the front row with iSport in GP2 Asia and also raced there many times in Formula Asia," added Chandhok.

[MIKA27]

Brembo denies Vettel's brake failure

Brake manufacturer Brembo has denied reports that Sebastian Vettel's retirement from the Australian Grand Prix was caused by a brake failure.

The Red Bull Racing driver retired from the Melbourne event while leading comfortably, after he suffered a mechanical problem on his front left wheel.

Red Bull's brake supplier Brembo issued a statement on Tuesday clarifying that the failure had nothing to do with the brakes.

The company said Red Bull had confirmed a torque drive between the front left axle and wheel has been lost.

"With regard to the retirement of the Red Bull Racing's driver Sebastian Vettel during the Grand Prix of Australia, Brembo communicates that the cause of his exit in Turn 13 was not caused by the braking system supplied by Brembo, as some publications have reported," Brembo said.

"Red Bull Racing has confirmed that Sebastian Vettel retired from the Australian Grand Prix after the torque drive between the front left axle and wheel was lost.

"Post-race investigations revealed the wheel nut was correctly tightened at the pitstop as well as other possible causes of the fault.

"The team has communicated that it's studying a number of solutions at present, which can be implemented for the Malaysian Grand Prix."

MIKA: Its amazing how the wrong comment could possibly ruin a companys reputation or place doubt in peoples minds. I think before teams make comments such was the case with RBR almost immediately via Radio comms, they should first investigate.

[MIKA27]

Malaysian Grand Prix preview

So far 2010 has delivered one of the most worryingly dull grands prix of all time, and one of the most relentlessly action-packed – but which was the anomaly and which will set the trend for the rest of the season?

Naturally everyone is hoping that the processional restraint of Sakhir was the blip and that most of the races will be bursting with wheel to wheel entertainment like Melbourne was.

And this weekend at Sepang, we’ll get a good indication of what the rest of the season will look like.

The weather played a big part in the Australian GP drama, and residents of Kuala Lumpur know a lot about rain too.

When the clouds open over Sepang, they do so with a vengeance – as the early chaos in the 2001 Malaysian GP and last year’s monsoon-truncated race proved.

But the humidity means the track dries fast – a shower early in the 2004 race meant about a lap and a half of sliding before the circuit was suddenly bone dry again.

The forecast for this weekend currently looks ominous... a repeat of last year's early finish is certainly possible.

The first of the Herrmann Tilke tracks, Sepang isn’t as atmospheric as Melbourne, but the balance between fast corners and overtaking opportunities is about right, in fact probably better than at any other Tilke track bar Istanbul Park.

The fast and flowing corners at the far side of the circuit are a real challenge, even more so with the track now beginning to show its age and the bumps growing.

And the combination of two consecutive long, wide straights into tight but wide hairpins has proved ideal for close racing over the years, for as well as creating big, overtaking-friendly, braking zones, the layout gives the driver just overtaken a great chance to cut back in tight and respond at the next bend.

That doesn’t mean the races are always thrillers, but it does mean some wheel to wheel jousting is more likely than at most venues.

Melbourne’s weather left a major question unanswered: in a totally dry race, is the no-refuelling race format inevitably a recipe for tedium?

The theory behind the 2010 rules was that there would end up being close racing between drivers who had gambled on making worn tyres last to the flag, and drivers who had dived in for fresh rubber mid-race and were now much faster.

That didn’t happen in Bahrain – everyone played it safe and cruised around in a queue, nursing their rubber.

It did happen in Australia – but worryingly when the cars on fresh rubber caught those on worn Bridgestones, they appeared unable to pass – although this didn’t seem to be the case in the midfield, where there was plenty of late overtaking.

Also by that time Melbourne was fully dry, and without the aid of a slippery surface, its layout isn’t quite as conducive to overtaking, whereas Sepang’s massive straights/tight hairpins combination should make it harder to defend against a faster car, regardless of turbulence issues.

If your fading tyres aren’t giving you traction onto those long straights, you’re going to be in trouble when someone on new tyres charges onto your tail – assuming anyone has the confidence to risk an extra pit stop (and Sepang’s long pit lane could be a deterrent).

Back in 2005, when drivers had to make their tyres last a whole race, there was some excellent (and messy) racing at Sepang as some failed to keep their rubber alive as effectively as others.

More of the same would do nicely.

So on paper, Sepang’s spectacle ought to sit somewhere between Melbourne mayhem and Sakhir slumber.

The storylines developing down the field certainly deserve a good race for their next chapter, for a fascinating contest is brewing.

Red Bull has the out and out pace to dominate, but Sebastian Vettel’s car keeps falling apart and Mark Webber has lacked consistency.

That has given the steely Fernando Alonso an early points lead, but can he beat Vettel’s Red Bull in a straight fight if it lasts to the finish?

How will Lewis Hamilton respond to his high profile Melbourne tribulations, and to team-mate Jenson Button’s brilliant victory?

When is everything going to click for Michael Schumacher, who has so far been a long way shy of his greatest form, and can Nico Rosberg maintain his intra-team edge at Mercedes even when the legend in the other car finds his feet again?

That’s a particularly pertinent question in Malaysia, home of title sponsor Petronas.

Its heavy promotional efforts will make Mercedes just as much of a ‘home’ team as the locally-owned and backed Lotus team, which will give Malaysian test driver Fairuz Fauzy a run in Friday practice.

Robert Kubica’s brilliance and the team’s steady progress got Renault among the lead group in Australia, but in normal circumstances that squad should be found in a tight battle with Force India and Williams, while Sauber and Toro Rosso are not far behind.

And when is Sauber going to start looking like the team that stunned its rivals in testing, and when will Nico Hulkenberg live up to his ‘next big thing’ reputation?

So many tantalising storylines and so much expectation – but just one question at the forefront of everyone’s minds: can the Malaysian GP live up to everything Melbourne promised?

[MIKA27]

Video: Mark Webber's lap of Sepang

Jump into the Red Bull simulator for a hot lap of the Malaysian GP venue with Mark Webber.

Link:

[Bartolomeo]

Brembo denies Vettel's brake failure

Brake manufacturer Brembo has denied reports that Sebastian Vettel's retirement from the Australian Grand Prix was caused by a brake failure.

The Red Bull Racing driver retired from the Melbourne event while leading comfortably, after he suffered a mechanical problem on his front left wheel.

Red Bull's brake supplier Brembo issued a statement on Tuesday clarifying that the failure had nothing to do with the brakes.

The company said Red Bull had confirmed a torque drive between the front left axle and wheel has been lost.

"With regard to the retirement of the Red Bull Racing's driver Sebastian Vettel during the Grand Prix of Australia, Brembo communicates that the cause of his exit in Turn 13 was not caused by the braking system supplied by Brembo, as some publications have reported," Brembo said.

"Red Bull Racing has confirmed that Sebastian Vettel retired from the Australian Grand Prix after the torque drive between the front left axle and wheel was lost.

"Post-race investigations revealed the wheel nut was correctly tightened at the pitstop as well as other possible causes of the fault.

"The team has communicated that it's studying a number of solutions at present, which can be implemented for the Malaysian Grand Prix."

MIKA: Its amazing how the wrong comment could possibly ruin a companys reputation or place doubt in peoples minds. I think before teams make comments such was the case with RBR almost immediately via Radio comms, they should first investigate.

I am calling BS on brake failure.......I think it was something else....I think they spent too much time in the wind tunnel and not enough time testing but dont want to release the reasons for their failures the last two races

Ryan "Grease Monkey" Bartolomeo

[MIKA27]

I am calling BS on brake failure.......I think it was something else....I think they spent too much time in the wind tunnel and not enough time testing but dont want to release the reasons for their failures the last two races

Ryan "Grease Monkey" Bartolomeo

I agree Bart.

Red Bull Racing team this season is an exact repeat of McLarens troubles back in 2006 where Kimi Raikonnen had by far the most superior racer on track, beating all teams by miles, only to be damned and hardly finishing races due to reliability troubles. He won no GP's that season and only 6 podium finishes.

No wonder he left McLaren, I just hope RBR ups their game quick before Vettel looks for another team.

[bolivr]

Hey Mika,

Dang, I was there for a corporate thing and now I think of it, it is obvious - where else would Mika be when the GP is on? Duh.

Yes, will catch up. What about the June 9 evening at Siglo?

Mike

[OZCUBAN]

Webber sails to pole at rainy Sepang

Mark Webber delivered a majestic lap in challenging wet conditions to maintain Red Bull’s 100% pole position record this season in an unpredictable qualifying session in Malaysia that completely caught out its two main title rivals.

On-off rain showers of varying intensity hit Sepang as expected to coincide with the late afternoon session, creating a thrilling spectacle that put a premium on being out on track at the right time and, importantly, the right tyres.

Ferrari and McLaren got it wrong in Q1 and suffered embarrassing early exits, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa to start line astern in 19th, 20th and 21st respectively.

World champion Jenson Button, meanwhile, had done enough to make it through to the second stage but couldn’t take part after he aquaplaned off the circuit on a later lap, his McLaren beaching itself in the gravel and consigning him to a similarly lowly 17th place starting spot.

Red Bull made no such blunders, however, and Webber eventually claimed his second career pole by a mammoth 1.3s margin after he was the only driver to gamble on intermediate tyres in the final session.

The red flag had been thrown just three minutes into Q3 after the persistent rain suddenly turned more stormy and flooded parts of the track, the battle for pole suspended for 15 minutes while track conditions returned to acceptable levels again.

Nico Rosberg also impressed and secured by far Mercedes’s best qualifying result of the season, getting in between Webber and the other Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel to claim his first ever front-row berth.

Wet-weather specialist Adrian Sutil predictably revelled in the conditions and claimed a brilliant fourth for Force India, while Williams rookie Nico Hulkenberg showed a real glimpse of his undoubted potential for the first time in Formula 1 to net an impressive fifth place.

Renault’s Robert Kubica took sixth ahead of the other Williams of Rubens Barrichello, while Michael Schumacher couldn’t reproduce the kind of wet-weather magic of old when it mattered at the end of Q3 and will start behind Rosberg once again in eighth.

Kamui Kobayashi gave Sauber its first Q3 berth of the season and will share row five with Tonio Liuzzi, as Force India achieved its target of a double top-10 position.

With heavy late afternoon rain showers having hit Sepang on both Thursday and Friday, there was no surprise when the heavens opened to coincide with the start of Q1.

What was a shock, however, given accepted F1 logic was that while all the midfield teams and backmarkers all went out onto the circuit immediately to complete a ‘banker’ lap on intermediate tyres, Vettel was the only one of the front runners to follow suit.

McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes's cars all remained tucked up in their respective garages trusting their advanced weather forecasting technology’s predictions that the shower would prove to be both short and light.

To begin with the condition of the track varied almost from corner to corner, the backstraight soaked but the pit straight considerably drier – making drivers attempts at establishing grip levels a stab in the dark.

However, while conditions initially looked like they were indeed set to quickly improve as it stopped raining after seven minutes, the rain soon returned with vengeance just as the big guns were trying to set their first timed laps.

The result was particularly disastrous for Hamilton and both Ferraris, whose first attempts at first laps were more than six seconds off the early Q1 pace to leave them staring at an increasingly helpless position by the minute.

While Hamilton’s first attempt was ruined by a spin at the drenched final corner, Alonso’s penultimate effort was wrecked when his F10 pirouetted three times after coming through the tricky turn eight.

The world champion pair, along with Massa, tried do-or-die final runs in the closing minutes but, despite the rain having now stopped and track conditions improving once more, they remained more than half a second off the target time.

Button, meanwhile, had completed a time lap that would have proved good enough for him to complete in Q2 in 13th, but the world champion made a hugely costly error, hitting standing water at turn six which pitched his MP4-25 into the gravel and out of the remainder of the hour.

These shock casualties gave Lotus and Virgin a totally unexpected chance to make Q2 for the first time, both of the new squads getting one car apiece in the second phase.

Q2 didn’t prove quite as dramatic, but the continuing rain meant the pole shootout runners were never secure until the final seconds.

Vitaly Petrov just missed out on a first Q3 appearance but will still start from a career-high 11th in the second Renault, ahead of Pedro de la Rosa (Sauber) and the Toro Rosso pair of Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari.

Lotus, meanwhile, now has a two-one lead in its qualifying duel with Virgin, Heikki Kovalainen and Timo Glock’s Q2 battle ending in the former’s favour by 0.250s and 15th place.

Jarno Trulli only narrowly missed out on piping team-mate Kovalainen to Lotus’s first Q2 berth, the Italian to start directly ahead of the menacing looking trio of Hamilton, Alonso and Massa who will all no doubt be fired up to make up for their Saturday woes.

A Hispania car amazingly starts alongside a Ferrari on the penultimate row, Karun Chandhok outqualifying Bruno Senna for the first time after Senna got caught out by the rain and fell off the track at turn eight.

Malaysian GP starting grid

1 WEBBER Red Bull

2 ROSBERG Mercedes

3 VETTEL Red Bull

4 SUTIL Force India

5 HULKENBERG Williams

6 KUBICA Renault

7 BARRICHELLO Williams

8 SCHUMACHER Mercedes

9 KOBAYASHI Sauber

10 LIUZZI Force India

11 PETROV Renault

12 DE LA ROSA Sauber

13 BUEMI Toro Rosso

14 ALGUERSUARI Toro Rosso

15 KOVALAINEN Lotus

16 GLOCK Virgin

17 BUTTON McLaren

18 TRULLI Lotus

19 ALONSO Ferrari

20 HAMILTON McLaren

21 MASSA Ferrari

22 CHANDHOK HRT

23 SENNA HRT

24 DI GRASSI Virgin

OZ

Way to go Mark on the right rubber at the right time lets just hope you can stay ahead of pack and no reliability issues

[OZCUBAN]

Vettel outduels Webber in Red Bull 1-2

Sebastian Vettel outduelled Mark Webber to head a resounding Red Bull one-two in the Malaysian Grand Prix – putting the missed opportunities of Bahrain and Melbourne behind him and kick-starting his world championship challenge.

It was a textbook drive from the young German, who made a lightning start, outbraked his team-mate into the first corner and controlled the race from the front.

Webber shadowed him through the opening stint but lost touch after a slower pit stop – delayed by an airgun problem on the right-front wheel change – and was unable to mount a challenge thereafter.

It was an emphatic response from Red Bull after the reliability and other self-inflicted problems that cost it potential wins and points in the first two grands prix, and sent a clear message to the rest of the field that it – and not Ferrari – is the team to beat this season.

The Maranello squad had a torrid race fighting traffic and technical gremlins, but Felipe Massa’s seventh place gave him a two-point championship lead over team-mate Fernando Alonso and the menacing Vettel after three rounds of the 19-race campaign.

Nico Rosberg had a quiet and uneventful drive to third in the home race of Mercedes GP’s title partner Petronas, pursued surprisingly closely by Robert Kubica’s Renault for the entire 56-lap distance.

The Pole again capitalised on a great getaway off the line but the fact that he was able to all but match Rosberg’s pace will be a great source of encouragement for the Enstone-based team as it attempts to close the gap to the established top four of Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes.

Adrian Sutil took a hard-earned fifth place for Force India after keeping his friend and former Formula 3 team-mate Lewis Hamilton at bay for more than 20 laps.

The 2008 world champion drove a storming race from 20th on the grid, carving through the field in the early laps, but found the straightline speed of the Force India too much even for the McLaren with its drag-reducing F-duct.

Massa initially made slower progress from the 21st starting berth, but flew once he switched to soft tyres and snatched seventh from Jenson Button with 12 laps remaining.

Alonso looked set to leave Malaysia with his championship lead still intact, but the advantage swung to Massa when the Spaniard’s Ferrari gave up the ghost at the start of the penultimate lap.

Alonso had coped brilliantly with a clunky gearbox throughout the race and was still harrying eighth-placed Button when the F10 expired in a cloud of smoke.

Toro Rosso’s Jaime Alguersuari drove an inspired race to score his first F1 points in ninth place, pulling off a series of spectacular overtaking manoeuvres including a breathtaking outside pass on Nico Hulkenberg’s Williams in the 150mph turn five.

Rookie Hulkenberg also opened his F1 points account with 10th after fighting a rearguard action against faster cars for most of the afternoon.

The third race of Michael Schumacher’s F1 comeback ended early when the German’s Mercedes suffered a hair-raising left-rear wheel failure through the fast turn 5/6 sweepers on lap 10 – apparently caused by the wheel nut having worked loose.

Schumacher was lying a solid sixth at the time, having moved up two places from his starting position, and now trails team-mate Rosberg by some 26 points in the drivers’ table.

The widely anticipated rain never materialised, but there was still plenty of action and excitement – much assisted by the jumbled grid as the McLarens and Ferraris battled through the field.

At the front, however, it was almost a demonstration run by the two Red Bulls. If they run as reliably as they did at Sepang, it is likely to be a tall order for the competition to stop the championship turning into a private battle between Vettel and Webber…

Malaysian Grand Prix result (56 laps)

1 VETTEL Red Bull

2 WEBBER Red Bull +4.8s

3 ROSBERG Mercedes +13.5s

4 KUBICA Renault +18.5s

5 SUTIL Force India +21.0s

6 HAMILTON McLaren +23.4s

7 MASSA Ferrari +27.0s

8 BUTTON McLaren +37.9s

9 ALGUERSUARI Toro Rosso +70.6s

10 HULKENBERG Williams +73.3s

11 BUEMI Toro Rosso +78.9s

12 BARRICHELLO Williams +1 lap

13 ALONSO Ferrari +2 laps

14 DI GRASSI Virgin +3 laps

15 CHANDHOK HRT +3 laps

16 SENNA HRT +4 laps

17 TRULLI Lotus +5 laps

R KOVALAINEN Lotus +10 laps

R PETROV Renault +24 laps

R LIUZZI Force India +44 laps

R SCHUMACHER Mercedes +47 laps

R KOBAYASHI Sauber +48 laps

R GLOCK Virgin +54 laps

DNS DE LA ROSA Sauber +56 laps

Fastest lap: WEBBER 1m37.054s (lap 53)

Oz

Good lesson here for Mark "don't leave the door open "

Least he got a good result ,hats off to Vettel,did not put a foot wrong good result for RBR by far the strongest car of the year to date .

lets hope that mark can get a win and take the fight up to the leaders

Ominous signs for Mclaren good car and a even better engine

Lets also hope that Micheal can get up to speed ,so far it's Nico 1 micheal 0

Cheers OZ

[OZCUBAN]

Webber content with second

Mark Webber said he was delighted with second in the Red Bull-dominated Malaysian Grand Prix, even though his team-mate Sebastian Vettel grabbed the lead from him into the first corner.

The Australian had taken an epic pole position thanks to a gamble on intermediate tyres in yesterday's thrilling wet session, but had to follow Vettel home in the race after the German slipped through at the start.

"We know these days with the strategy and how the races unfold that the first part of the race is crucial," said Webber.

"I got a little bit of wheelspin and on the run to the first corner obviously Seb had a big tow.

"I didn't really know where Nico [Rosberg] was either - whether I should go to the inside or stay in the middle, so I just braked late, tried to make the apex, then had a bit of a better exit up to turn two and the fight continued to turn four.

"We had a chat to Christian Horner before the race and Christian said 'boys, behave yourselves' - and we did."

He said that after Red Bull's frustrating start to the year he was thrilled that Red Bull had turned things around, while admitting he would naturally prefer to be the man taking the victory.

"The spirit and the chemistry in our team is awesome," Webber said.

"We fight hard and today the result could have gone either way, but in the end he did the job at a crucial time and got the victory.

"A one-two for us as a team is sensational, the cars ran very well and it was a nice comeback for us after a tough few races where we didn't finish where we should.

"Of course I'd like to be one spot further up, but in the end it's a great result for the team and we executed a beautiful weekend."

Oz Great race a bit of rain would not have gone astray

[OZCUBAN]

Massa warns Ferrari must improve car

Felipe Massa was relieved to salvage six points from the Malaysian Grand Prix after starting near the back of the grid – but warned that the Maranello squad has plenty of work to do to improve its F10 car in the wake of Red Bull’s resounding one-two finish.

After spending the opening stint stuck behind Toro Rossos, Massa went on a charge following his mid-race pit stop and passed a struggling Jenson Button for seventh place 12 laps from the finish.

He was pleased with the result given his inauspicious grid slot of 21st.

“It was a very exciting race,” said Massa.

“To finish seventh after starting 21st is definitely positive.

“We scored some points, which is always important, and it was a race in which you could [easily] not have scored any points.”

With his team-mate Fernando Alonso suffering an engine failure on the penultimate lap, Massa claimed a two-point championship lead heading into the fourth round in China.

But the Brazilian is far from complacent, saying Ferrari needs to eliminate the kind of operational mistakes that cost it dear in Saturday’s qualifying – when it misjudged the weather and failed to get either car through Q1 – while simultaneously finding more pace from the car.

“We need to work not to repeat what we did yesterday in qualifying,” he said, “and we need to improve the car race by race, because Red Bull is very strong and McLaren is strong as well.

“It’s always very nice to lead the championship, but we still have 16 races to go and we need to improve step by step because there are many drivers up there and many things can change.

“So we need to keep our feet on the ground.”

Oz Iam sure that Ferrari will bounce back next race

[OZCUBAN]

Delighted Vettel hails RBR response

Sebastian Vettel paid tribute to the way Red Bull responded to the disappointment of the season’s first two races after he led a dominant 1-2 for the team in Malaysia.

The German driver had lost likely victories in both Bahrain and Australia through reliability issues but the team experienced now such problems on Sunday at Sepang, Vettel outduelling team-mate Webber to the victory as the team fired itself back into the thick of the nascent 2010 championship fight.

Vettel believes RBR deserves great credit for the way it calmly reacted to its early-season difficulties, describing his RB6 as “magnificent” throughout in the sweltering race conditions.

“What a day,” he said.

“Yesterday was very difficult with the conditions and today I think looking back it stayed dry all the time, we had a magnificent car and the key once again was to pace yourself and watch out for your tyres.

“At the end of the day a very good result for us – especially for myself after two races where we didn’t finish probably where we want to be.

“So to come back [and win]…thanks to the team – it’s very crucial in that moment not to panic and stay relaxed.

“Obviously it’s a long season, but sitting here on Sunday afternoon having finished the race in first position is obviously the best result we can get.

“On top of that with Mark in second place, it is a big plus for the team, a lot of points and I’m very, very happy.”

Vettel had started third on the grid, but was in the lead by the first corner after thrusting past Mercedes’s Nico Rosberg off the line and then diving down the inside of Webber into he first corner.

He admits his battle with the sister Red Bull was nip-and-tuck through the opening two corners and up the hill to turn four, but believes both he and Webber drove sensibly so to avoid any contract.

“It wasn’t comfortable,” he said of his afternoon.

“I realised straight away I had a good start, passed Nico and then obviously got the tow from Mark so was able to gain, gain, gain [positions].

“It’s a long sprint down to turn one so obviously I was clearly having an advantage over him.

“Then I took the chance I had [to take the lead] into turn one – it was quite late, so just made it.

“Mark then had a bit of a better exit out of turn two and then through turn three, but it’s very slippery and we both tried to push – we are here to fight ourseleves – but you should keep the respect and I think we both had respect for each other.

“If Mark had been in my position I’m sure he would have done the same.”

Vettel managed to hold a comfortable advantage over Webber for most of the 56-lap race but the young German insists it was never easy, joking he was even longing for a rain storm at one stage to give some relief in the 32C air temperatures.

“After that it was a question of getting away from our competitors. I could see that Mark and I were more or less having the same pace,” he said.

I think he was a little bit quicker in the beginning, I was trying to save my tyres – it did work and before my stop I could pull away a little bit.

“Then the second stint was extremely long, it’s extremely hot here, I didn’t stop sweating but fortunately I didn’t run out of drinks in the car so was trying not to be too extreme in the beginning, but it is very hot and very physical.

“At some stage I was hoping for rain just to get a bit of a cool down!”

Oz Seb is the inform driver for sure this season if luck had gone his way it would have been 3 out of 3

[MIKA27]

Yes, will catch up. What about the June 9 evening at Siglo?

Mike

Hi Mike.

I'll be at Siglo, June 9th.

[MIKA27]

Teams debate the return of KERS

A number of Formula One teams have welcomed the idea of a possible return of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) to the sport for 2011, although only if the system is more affordable.

Team principals discussed the possible re-introduction of the power boost system during a Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) meeting in Sepang ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix.

McLaren, Ferrari, Renault and BMW all used KERS in 2009 before the latter two teams chose to stop using the system during the season, feeling their cars were quicker without it.

The technology has been abandoned for this season due to the high cost involved in running the system but McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh, who is also chairman of FOTA, admitted he would be keen to see the technology re-introduced next year - as long as the high costs involved were brought down to a more manageable level.

"KERS is something we obviously ran successfully and enjoyed the technology last year," he said. "We support the idea of KERS in Formula One and we would love to have it.

"What we have to do is look at the bigger picture. If we had to reintroduce KERS we would have to decide at what speed we would re-introduce it and also whether it is affordable.

"It is an issue where a lot of the teams cannot afford KERS next year. That is why we need some understanding and something that is affordable and worthwhile for the sport."

Renault and Ferrari are believed to be among the teams most keen to see the system reintroduced while Williams team principal Sir Frank Williams would welcome the return, provided it can be made affordable to all teams.

"There's general agreement it should have a place in Formula One," he said.

"I believe it should be compulsory or not at all. It's appropriate if it's not too expensive."

MIKA: Bringing back KERRS is a huge mistake if they travel down that path.

This season already lacks pace with the no refuelling rule making cars heavier and slower. Imagine what KERRS will do with it's own weight, It will be like watching turtles race!

This is what bothers me with Formula 1. Each year, the FIA play with the rules, and when things dont work out, rather than reverting back to a 'formula' that previously worked (Allowing refuelling in pit stops for example) they introduce new technology or tweaks to 'improve the sport' that does not require improving if it were left alone in the first instance.

I dont believe there is an issue with the individual cars but rather the FIA who keep on changing rules and the past 5 years or so have become out of hand and is ruining the sports reputation.

There's far too much politics in this sport.

It is too focused on making money (For Bernie)

Fans of the sport are not considered and in turn, many have become bored of F1. Formula 3 is becomming the old F1.

Where are the good old days of agressive racing in competative, fast cars?

Just my two cents for what its worth....

[MIKA27]

'Brawn giving Merc until June to win'

Ross Brawn will reportedly scrap this year's Championship if Merc GP have not taken to the top step of the podium by June.

Joining Honda at the start of 2008, Brawn wrote off the campaign early in the season, switching the team's focus to 2009.

The decision paid off when, racing under the Brawn GP banner, the team claimed the double in last year's World Championships.

And although F1 is only three races into this season, reports claim Brawn is already considering a similar move, setting Mercedes GP a deadline of June by which to start winning.

An unnamed team insider told Bild am Sonntag: "Brawn wants to win races by June at the latest, or he will write off the season. Then he will turn his focus to next year.

"Brawn did this with Honda and therefore, with his own team the year after, became the World Champions."

Merc claimed their first podium at Sunday's Malaysian GP when Nico Rosberg brought his car home in third place behind the dominant Red Bulls.

MIKA: I think the Mercedes racer this season has started off slow but already it has shown promise and looking at Sepang, P3 for Nico is a good sign. Mercedes GP have a very reliable car, it just needs more speed. I wouldn't include Michael Schumachers racer as unreliable due to his retiring on lap 10 at Sepang but rather, it must have been 'Human error' which caused his left rear wheel to loosen.

If Ross Brawn and team tweaked the car a little and manage to squeeze a little more power for speed, I think this season will be competative.

Easier said than done, I know.

[MIKA27]

Ferrari working flat out on their own F-duct

Ferrari are working 'flat out' on their own McLaren type F-duct system for the F10, Stefano Domenicali has revealed.

The system was given the all clear in Bahrain after Red Bull's Christian Horner questioned it's legality.

On average, McLaren have been between six to seven mph faster on the straights than their nearest rival. Once those benefits became clear, several teams began working on their own iteration.

Sauber were the first to copy it. Mounting it on the sidepod, but are yet to get the system working efficiently.

Now Ferrari have admitted they are busy working on their own F-duct, to be introduced as soon as possible.

"The system of McLaren, for sure we are working flat out at home, because we saw the benefit that seems to be very, very big above all in the main straight with certain conditions," said Ferrari team boss Domenicali.

He added: "We will bring our own as soon as everything is reliable, and we are 100% sure that the system will work."

Meanwhile, Red Bull's Christian Horner told Autosport that they are also working on incorporating the system, but are unsure of exactly when it will debut.

"It will be incorporated into an update at some point. The guys are looking at it."

MIKA: From my understanding (Please correct me if I'm wrong) the McLaren F-Duct took 2 years to develop, it will be interesting to see if teams who copy, can have it working efficiently and effectively for this season.

[MIKA27]

Red Bull denies active suspension claims

Red Bull Racing is adamant that it is not running a trick form of active suspension and is prepared to protest any rival that tries to run such a system at future grands prix.

The qualifying pace of the RB6 this season has prompted suggestions that the outfit could be using a clever damper system to lower the car for its qualifying laps.

There has even been talk in the paddock that Red Bull may be using compressed gas to push the car down for qualifying, before the gas is released - through time or a temperature change - to then allow the car to run higher for the race when a heavy fuel load needs to be added.

The team has consistently denied that it is doing anything like this – with the FIA giving the car the all-clear after a detailed inspection at Sepang on Saturday night – but rival outfits, including McLaren, are looking at introducing their own suspension systems soon to improve their qualifying form.

Horner has warned, however, that any design that changes suspension settings between qualifying and the race is illegal.

"We haven't got one, it is as simple as that," said Horner about the continued 'active ride' suspicions that have circulated the paddock.

"If McLaren have one in China we will protest them, because theoretically they are illegal. The FIA had a good look at our car [in Malaysia] on Saturday night and they are happy with it – they will struggle to find anything because there simply isn't anything there."

It is understood that the FIA is considering ending the prospect of an expensive spending war between teams creating complex suspension systems that help optimise the car for both qualifying and the race, by allowing outfits to make a single change to ride heights between Saturday and Sunday.

Such a move would require a change in the technical regulations and therefore need unanimous support among the teams – something that sources have suggested is unlikely.

Horner said Red Bull would have no problem in backing the FIA's push – which would end all allegations about his team doing something clever with its suspension.

"I would support it, as it would probably save us a bit of money," he said.

[MIKA27]

Ferrari admits reliability concerns

Ferrari has admitted that it is 'worried' about its reliability in the wake of more engine problems at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso lost valuable points when his engine blew-up just a few laps from the end of the Sepang event. And with customer team Sauber having also hit trouble, Ferrari knows it needs to get to the bottom of the problem as quickly as possible.

The events in Sepang were also not the first time that Ferrari has faced engine concerns this season - with the power units on Alonso and Felipe Massa's cars having had to be changed between qualifying and the race in Bahrain.

Team principal Stefano Domenicali reckoned the first three races showed that the F10 had speed, but also that Ferrari needs to get on top of both reliability and the errors that messed up its qualifying performance in Malaysia.

"We are there," he said. "We are competitive, we are strong and we need to make sure that we are on top of the problems. Unfortunately this weekend was the worst weekend in terms of a global result - mainly for two main factors.

"Reliability, which was unfortunately not good enough. But we cannot forget also that the bad result of this weekend was related to qualifying - because when you start from 19th and 21st, to be there is a miracle."

He added: "When we have a problem with reliability it is a worry and we have to make sure we can solve it as soon as possible. We don't know what is exactly the nature of Fernando's engine problem at the moment, and we don't know what is the situation on the Sauber's engines. But what I can say now, as far as the information I have, is that these problems are different.

"This is in a way something that will add another reason to make sure we are on top of the reliability problems on the engine side. More than that at the moment is difficult to say."

Speaking about the lessons learned from the qualifying disaster, Domenicali said: "What happened on Saturday was not acceptable and we discussed it in the team. We don't have to take any risks, even if the other big teams did the same. It is a lesson learned for the group of people. But we need to keep working very, very strongly on the development of the car, because I am expecting the others to do a new step.

"We have a competitive package but it is never enough and we need to make sure that when we bring the new parts onto the track, they will be reliable. The data should be confirmed 100 per cent, because with no testing you need to avoid having analysis of simulation showing that you have good numbers but then what is on the track being different. That is the approach that we need to keep for the next races."

When asked about who he thought had the fastest car, Domenicali said: "I think it is difficult to say for sure. Who has the fastest car after three grands prix? If I had to look from the number point of view, we are leading the championship so we should be fastest. But we know that it is a very optimistic approach and this is not the way that we think.

"We think that, looking at the results of the first three grands prix, Red Bull did three pole positions and they had reliability issues on other occasions. So the Red Bull seems to be the most competitive car. But I don't want to forget that also McLaren seems very good, that is the ranking I see if I had to freeze the situation today."