SEPANG—FORGET the fact that we should have seen three Formula One races already—the season opener in Bahrain was called off due to political unrest—or that the new tire rules as well as Pirelli’s high degrading compound are baffling drivers, teams and design engineers.
But if there is one thing that this year’s Malaysian Grand Prix has proven, teams and drivers learn quickly to solve whatever challenges that come their way.
A best example would be how teams Red Bull Racing and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes decided to just suck it up and not to panic in Malaysia. By the end of the race, they were able to post the best scores and savor early stranglehold on the season
HAMILTON takes a pit stop only to see his bid end by a collission. Photo by Charles E. Buban
The Malaysian GP provided the most drama as the 5.5-kilometer Sepang International Circuit provided not only the first real track experience for the drivers (the inaugural Australian GP is regarded as a semi-street circuit) but also experience on how to deal with the tire-melting temperature of the tracks that forced drivers to pit at least three times in order to complete the 56 laps.
Tire degradation
With average track temperature of 60 degrees Centigrade, tire degradation was so dramatic that teams that made the right and timely call for their drivers to pit emerged victorious.
Last year’s champion Sebastian Vettel was able to keep everyone at bay giving the German back to back wins to open the season.
The pole sitter led throughout to win by 3.2 seconds from McLaren’s Jenson Button, with Renault’s Nick Heidfeld hanging on for third.
Vettel’s victory was made more impressive by the malfunctioning of his car’s Kinetic Energy Recovery System (Kers) device, with the German told midway through the race that he could no longer use it.
Collision
One of the major talking points of the Malaysian GP was the collision of pre-race favorite McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton with old rival Ferrari driver and two-time champion Fernando Alonso with 10 laps to go.
The Ferrari driver tried a switchback passing move on Hamilton but did not quite measure the distance correctly, and snapped off the left endplate of his front wing by nudging Hamilton’s right rear tire.
As a result Hamilton fell from seventh to eighth in the final classification after being handed a costly 20-second time penalty for the incursion.
This left Hamilton with just 4 points to add to the previous 18 he earned in Australia. Leader Vettel now boosted his total to 50 points while MacLaren’s Jenson Button sits third with 26 points.
No rain
With rain surprisingly holding off throughout the race, the closing stages developed into a fight to see who could make their tires last longest. Button used his trademark tire management enough to snatch second place.
Heidfeld came under intense pressure in the final laps but managed to hold off fourth placer Webber.
“Who doesn’t find a great car race thrilling? Tires squealing, engines revving, car racing like the Formula One, excite and entertain us all. This is probably the main reason why it is loved so much here in this part of the world. Here in Malaysia, the race has been one of the most anticipated ever since it was first held in 1999,” commented Khaizarulnizam Eshak of the Embassy of Malaysia in Manila.
He added that spectators always find it captivating at how F1 drivers are able to stay stay focused and concentrated until checkered flag waves as well as the ability to withstand severe g-forces whenever they corner, accelerate and brake.
Those who missed the events in Malaysia (April 10) and China (April 17) will still have three races to look forward to: Singapore in Sept. 25, Japan in Oct. 9 and in Korea which hosts the Formula One series on Oct. 16 for the first time.