Lewis Hamilton won his first race of the season as Mercedes dominate in Malaysia. Hamilton started on pole and expertly lead the race throughout to seal victory. Nico Rosberg managed to seal maximum points for Mercedes after moving past Vettel to take second place. Sebastien enjoyed a much better weekend and claimed the final spot on the podium after finishing third but it was clear to see that the Red Bull just didn't have the pace to stop or catch the Mercedes pair.
My Opinion:
Mercedes - Hamilton (Winner), Rosberg (2nd). Perfect result for Mercedes who dominated in Malaysia. Hamilton started on pole and drove supremely to claim his first win of the season. Meanwhile, Rosberg passed Vettel at the start and held on for second place. Strong stuff from both drivers as Mercedes look set to be the dominant team this season.
Mclaren - Button (6th), Magnussen (9th). Decent race in the end for Mclaren. Points seemed to be on the card before the race and both cars produced the goods. However, Button clearly had the better day of it out there after moving up four places to take 6th. Magnussen found the race tougher and dropped down one place into 9th by the finish. Still a good start to the season for the team and they will be looking to keep improving.
Ferrari - Alonso (4th), Raikkonen (12th). Mixed fortunes for Ferrari. Alonso was his typical self and maintained 4th place throughout after a strong drive from the Spaniard. However, Raikkonen suffered from an early flat tyre which scuppered his race credentials. Despite his best efforts, 12th was the highest place Kimi could manage. Alonso seems to be getting the most out of the car but it still doesn't look to be where Ferrari want to finish races.
Williams - Massa (7th), Bottas (8th). Strong race for Williams. After a terrible day of qualifying, Williams enjoyed a much better race which saw both cars bring home points. Massa climbed six places to finish 7th whilst Bottas rose seven places up the gird to finish one spot behind Massa in 8th. Overall, a poor Saturday cost them but they salvaged a good result on Sunday. I expect Williams to sort out their qualifying form next time around and would not be surprised to see them vying for top five places.
Force India - Hulkenberg (5th), Perez (Retired, 0 laps). The good and the bad for Force India. Hulkenberg was very impressive all weekend and made it an even better one after moving up two spots on the grid to finish in 5th for Force India. However, Perez struggled in qualifying and paid the biggest price for it on the first lap after being forced to retire the car. Force India seem to have a fast car but will be looking for more from Perez in the next race to back up the strong results from Hulkenberg.
Red Bull - Vettel (3rd), Ricciardo (Retired, 49 laps). Mixed results for Red Bull. Vettel got back to old ways with a strong qualifying performance but couldn't keep Rosberg behind him after finishing in 3rd. Disappointing for the team who clearly do not have a car that can match the pace of the Mercedes. Ricciardo made a quick start off the grid and found himself in 3rd after the first lap but unfortunately had to retire the car 7 laps before the finish.
Toro Rosso - Kvyat (10th), Vergne (Retired, 18 laps). Disappointing race for Toro Rosso. After a strong first race in Melbourne, Toro Rosso had high expectations for Malaysia. However, despite a decent qualifying the team were unable to capitalise on it. Kvyat managed to secure the last point on offer but Vergne was unable to bring the car home after retiring 18 laps into the race. They seem like they can score points but it must have been disappointing for the team that only one car made it to the finish.
Sauber - Gutierrez (Retired, 35 laps), Sutil (Retired, 32 laps). Awful race for Sauber. It was a pretty terrible weekend for Sauber who failed to make the top ten in qualifying and failed to get a car to the finish line in the race. In fact, they were only involved in the race for 35 laps as Gutierrez shortly followed Sutil back to the pits. Better times are surely ahead for Sauber.
Lotus - Grosjean (11th), Maldonado (Retired, 7 laps). Lotus struggling for form. Grosjean enjoyed a better race after a disappointing qualifying result and climbed five places up the order to finish just outside of the points in 11th. However, Maldonado endured even more pain after only lasting 7 laps to end a tough race weekend. Not what Lotus were hoping for but they are getting closer to securing those first points of the season.
Caterham - Kobayashi (13th), Ericsson (14th). Decent race for Caterham. The team were the faster of the two teams at the back of the grid whilst Kobayashi proved to be the star man. The Japanese driver managed to move himself into 13th place by the chequered flag which is two places better than he achieved in Melbourne. Ericsson will be pleased to have finished his first race in formula 1 and looked composed with his 14th place.
Marussia - Chilton (15th), Bianchi (Retired, 8 laps). Slowest team on the grid. Chilton finished in 15th and was the last driver across the line but I'm sure the team will have gained plenty of useful data from that race. Bianchi endured a tough time of it after having to retire 8 laps into the race.
Key Moments During the Race:
Start: Hamilton leads, Rosberg (up 1), Ricciardo (up 2), Vettel (up 2), Alonso (down 1), Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Magnussen, Massa (up 4), Button. Contact between Bianchi and Maldonado as both cars spin off. Perez OUT.
Lap 1: Hamilton leads, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Vettel, Alonso, Hulkenberg passes Raikkonen, Magnussen, Button passes Massa.
Lap 2: Hulkenberg moves into 5th after passing Alonso. Magnussen moves into 7th after passing Raikkonen. Raikkonen has a flat tyre which causes him to fall down the grid. Alonso moves into 5th after passing Hulkenberg.
Lap 4: Massa moves into 8th after passing Magnussen but Magnussen passes Massa to reclaim 8th.
Lap 5: Kvyat moves into 11th after passing Gutierrez.
Lap 7: Maldonado OUT.
Lap 8: Bianchi OUT.
Lap 12: Alonso moves into 9th after passing Grosjean.
Lap 14: Vettel moves into 4th and Ricciardo moves into 5th after both cars pass Bottas. Alonso moves into 6th after passing Bottas.
Lap 16: Hamilton makes a pit stop leaving Hulkenberg to take the lead of the race. Hamilton takes the lead of the race after passing Hulkenberg.
Lap 17: Raikkonen moves into 18th after passing Vergne.
Lap 18: Raikkonen moves into 17th after passing Ericsson. Vergne OUT.
Lap 21: Bottas moves into 9th after passing Kvyat.
Lap 26: Sutil moves into 14th after passing Chilton.
Lap 27: Gutierrez moves into 15th after passing Chilton. Kvyat moves into 10th after passing Kobayashi. Bottas moves into 8th after passing Button.
Lap 29: Magnussen moves into 11th after passing Kobayashi.
Lap 30: Grosjean moves into 12th after passing Kobayashi.
Lap 32: Sutil OUT.
Lap 34: Hamilton makes another pit stop and regains the lead.
Lap 35: Gutierrez OUT.
Lap 39: Raikkonen moves into 13th after passing Kobayashi.
Lap 41: Ricciardo makes a pit stop but stalls in the pit lane costing him time.
Lap 44: Ricciardo has front damage and receives a 10 second stop/go penalty.
Lap 46: Ricciardo moves into 16th after passing Chilton.
Lap 49: Ricciardo OUT.
Lap 51: Hamilton makes his third pit stop and regains the lead.
Lap 53: Alonso moves into 4th after passing Hulkenberg.
Lap 56/Finish: Hamilton wins the Malaysian Grand Prix. Rosberg comes second and Vettel third.
Race Result:
1. Hamilton (Mercedes) 1.40.25.974
2. Rosberg (Mercedes)
3. Vettel (Red Bull)
4. Alonso (Ferrari)
5. Hulkenberg (Force India)
6. Button (Mclaren)
7. Massa (Williams)
8. Bottas (Williams)
9. Magnussen (Mclaren)
10. Kvyat (Toro Rosso)
11. Grosjean (Lotus)
12. Raikkonen (Ferrari)
13. Kobasyashi (Caterham)
14. Ericsson (Caterham)
15. Chilton (Marussia)
16. Ricciardo (Red Bull) Retired after 49 laps.
17. Gutierrez (Sauber) Retired after 35 laps.
18. Sutil (Sauber) Retired after 32 laps.
19. Vergne (Toro Rosso) Retired after 18 laps.
20. Bianchi (Marussia) Retired after 8 laps.
21. Maldonado (Lotus) Retired after 7 laps.
22. Perez (Force India) Retired after 0 laps.
Fastest Lap: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1.43.066
Driver of the Day: Valteri Bottas (Williams) for finishing in 8th from 18th.
Team of the Day: Mercedes who secured the top two spots.
Driver Standings
1. Rosberg (Mercedes) 43pts
2. Hamilton (Mercedes) 25pts
3. Alonso (Ferrari) 24pts
4. Button (Mclaren) 23pts
5. Magnussen (Mclaren) 20pts
Constructor Standings
1. Mercedes 68pts
2. Mclaren 43pts
3. Ferrari 30pts
4. Williams 20pts
5. Force India 19pts
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