Lewis and Nico claimed a second consecutive double podium today, finishing P2 and P3 respectively. Both drivers made clean starts to hold station in P1 / P3, only to then lose track position in the pits following the emergence of the Safety Car. Lewis and Nico battled back strongly to return to the podium places, but top spot was out of reach after a strong performance from Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari.
Toto Wolff: Our first feeling today is obviously one of disappointment. We were beaten fair and square by Ferrari and Sebastian, who did a fantastic job, and I'm not sure we could have matched their long run pace at any point. They took a well-deserved win. We saw on Friday that Kimi was really strong in these hot conditions, with the track over 60 degrees, and that was confirmed in the race. Of course, it's easy to be clever after the race looking at things we could have done better and there are certainly plenty of points that could have been optimised. But we take these decisions together as a team and this is the moment to stay calm, do our analysis and learn what we can improve for next time. It was a complicated race for the team to read - and for the drivers, too, from the cockpit. We had some interesting radio discussions and both guys did a great job to deliver the double podium at the finish. But I think we can also take a step back and look at the sport today. Always it seems that when people are making the most noise about changing the rules, Formula One delivers. It was the case in Bahrain last year and we saw it again today. It wasn't a perfect day for Mercedes but it was a good one for Formula One.
Paddy Lowe: First of all, congratulations to Ferrari and Sebastian on an impressive victory. Coming into the race, there were two main choices to be made: whether to make two or three stops, and whether the Prime or the Option would be the better race tyre. It was clear yesterday that opinion was divided on that question, as we saw the leading teams using different tyre compounds in Q1. We saved new Prime tyres for the race, while others saved new Options. We planned a three-stop strategy favouring the Prime tyre and, although the Safety Car came out early, it was late enough to be used as the first of our three stops. With hindsight, the advantage this gave to Ferrari on their two-stop strategy, and the time we lost in traffic in the first laps after the Safety Car, left us with a gap to Sebastian that proved too much of a challenge for us to recover - especially considering that we did not have an underlying pace advantage to Ferrari, who were very competitive this weekend. Nonetheless, we scored a good haul of points with P2 and P3 and I must also say well done to the team, who performed brilliantly on one of the most difficult weekends for human endurance.
Christian Horner, Team Principal: "A really difficult afternoon. Some contact at the first turn damaged Daniel's front wing, which seemed to deteriorate through the race. Then after the safety car we started to see brake temperatures climb and needed to nurse the cars quite significantly through the second half of the race. I don't think the drivers could have done anymore today. There's plenty to understand following this weekend and plenty to address before China in two weeks. Sebastian drove an incredible race, so congratulations to him and Ferrari. Hopefully we will give them a harder time soon."
Thierry Salvi, Renault: "This weekend we made a step forward in driveability compared to Melbourne, which was essential in the wet Quali. There are still improvements that can be made to bring lap time gains, but so far both drivers are happy with the work completed. As usual in Malaysia, we were on the limit cooling wise during the race and had to compromise to stay safe, especially when following competitors. Daniel's front wing issue cost him a lot of lap time and Dany had to work hard to come back after the clash with Hulkenberg. Reliability was much better this weekend, which will allow us to spend more time working on the performance of the Power Unit and with the team."
Valtteri Bottas finished fifth and Felipe Massa sixth in today's Malaysian Grand Prix. After a poor start Valtteri benefited from an early safety car, as did Felipe, who at one stage was running in fourth position. A recovering Kimi Raikkonen jumped both drivers at the final of three pitstops as Felipe and Valtteri raced wheel-to-wheel to the end, swapping positions on the final lap.
Rob Smedley, Head of Performance Engineering: It was a good team performance and we finished with the maximum points on offer considering the pace of the car. It was a tough race in the heat but we have highlighted some areas of the package that we need to improve. We made a good recovery from a difficult Saturday and it was good to have both cars racing each other at the end.
For Scuderia Ferrari, today's win is the 222nd, the first since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, while Sebastian Vettel is now on 40 wins.
Maurizio Arrivabene: "This is no one-man win: it's a success for the whole team, which has been working impeccably at all levels. Seb was just unbelievable today, and Kimi was able to put on a fantastic charge from the back. The whole team has showed a great deal of discipline, just like a Swiss watch-or should I say, an Italian one! Today, the whole team gave me great emotions and I wish to thank everybody, including the women and men back at the Maranello factory, for putting on an incredible effort over the last months, burning the midnight oil. Now we've got to be realistic, keep our feet on the ground and our concentration at a high level, because Mercedes is still a formidable contender. After the race our President Mr. Marchionne congratulated the whole team. He's really one of us, he likes to stay away from the spotlight but still gives us a powerful contribution. And he's a real Ferrari fan!."
Despite failing to get both cars to the flag, the Malaysian Grand Prix marked a significant step-up in performance for the whole McLaren-Honda team.
The two MP4-30s were the only cars to start the race on the Hard (Prime) tyres, but were able quickly to switch to the Medium (Option) when both boxed during an early Safety Car period. Jenson was delayed at his stop by an issue with the left-front, and was also hampered behind Manor's Roberto Merhi, who failed to catch the cars in front ahead of the restart.
During the race itself, both our cars ran more strongly than they had in Australia two weeks ago - Fernando ran as high as eighth before an ERS cooling problem required him to stop his car on lap 21. Jenson was able to latch onto a midfield battle but was also ordered to stop by the team. He retired on lap 41 with a turbo issue.
Eric Boullier, Racing director: "The fact that neither Fernando nor Jenson finished today's race is of course disappointing, but they both drove extremely well in arduous, challenging and frustrating conditions.
"Moreover, in line with the MP4-30's improved qualifying pace of yesterday, its race pace today was also a significant improvement over what it showed in Melbourne two weeks ago.
"Furthermore, the 62 laps driven by Fernando and Jenson this afternoon have garnered us additional invaluable data that will inform the ongoing intense development programme in which we are relentlessly engaged.
"Last but far from least, I want to say ‘merci beaucoup' to our mechanics, a mettlesome troupe who have been working with indefatigable tenacity, in severe heat and humidity, ever since we arrived in Sepang."
Yasuhisa Arai, Honda R&D senior managing officer - chief officer of motorsport: "Fernando was showing some good pace today until we had to pull his car out of the race with an ERS cooling issue. Obviously, that was a big disappointment for us.
"Jenson's car then encountered a turbo issue, when we were just about to push to maintain his position within a busy, jostling pack.
"Both retirements were a result of the harsh use of the power unit within competitive race conditions, not the result of the high-temperature conditions encountered at this circuit.
"We'll investigate the issues further and aim to improve things before Shanghai."
Sahara Force India battled hard in the Malaysian Grand Prix with Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg finishing in P13 and P14 respectively.
Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal: "It was a challenging afternoon for the team, although we were unlucky not to come away with at least a point. Both Checo and Nico gave everything in these conditions and featured in a lot of battles for the majority of the race. We seemed to have the measure of some of the stronger cars, but the penalties effectively cut us out of the fight for the top ten positions. We knew going into the race that we were lacking ultimate pace today and with a fully dry race there was not much that would disrupt the strategy or offer any opportunity to exploit. Now we need to regroup, continue our work back at base and come back stronger in the near future. Everyone is putting in a real effort to get us back where we belong quickly and it will be hugely rewarding when we are once more fighting closer to the front."
Franz Tost (Team Principal): "To finish in seventh and eighth positions today here in Malaysia was a big success for the team as well as for the drivers because if both Ferrari's, Mercedes' and Williams' don't have any problems, this is the best position which we can achieve. Therefore, the team showed a very good race performance, of which I'm very proud. We were fast in yesterday's qualifying session but this was no surprise. Max ended up in an excellent sixth position and I think that also Carlos could have been in the top ten as he certainly had the speed, which he also showed in today's race. Both drivers did a reasonable start. Max had some problems during the first laps, where he was blocked by some traffic, but later on, after the safety car, he was able to overtake his rivals and put on a good show. Carlos had a great start as he gained lots of positions after starting from 15th position. He was also the only driver a part from Sebastian Vettel to go for a two-stop strategy and he really looked after the tyres well and drove a fantastic race. I'd like to congratulate the whole team as well as to Scuderia Ferrari and Sebastian, who won the race here today. This great result now gives us a big boost and we look forward to the next race in China in two weeks' time."
Cedrik Staudohar (Renault Sport F1 track support leader): "We are clearly delighted with the results today. After the disappointment of Melbourne, everyone at the factory worked very hard. We made a step forward in driveability and performance and right from the start of the weekend the drivers reported a big improvement in both areas. We're pleased both contributed to the double points' finish today. The package has a lot of potential as Max' qualifying and the drivers' pace during the race showed so it's renewed our confidence. A great result for the team."
Romain Grosjean finished just shy of the points whilst Pastor Maldonado had to retire from a promising but ultimately rather frustrating Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit. Romain ran as high as third during the race, but later traffic and an induced 360° spin meant a P11 finish. Pastor suffered from a first lap puncture then had to retire nine laps from the chequered flag due to a braking issue.
Romain started from P10 on the grid on his qualifying medium compound tyres, changing to new mediums on lap 15 and scrubbed mediums on lap 26. His final tyre change was to new hards on lap 34.
Pastor started from P12 on the grid with new medium compound tyres, coming in at the end of the first lap to change to another set of new mediums due to a rear right puncture. He subsequently changed to scrubbed mediums on lap 18 and new hards on lap 33. He retired nine laps before the end of the race due to a braking issue.
Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal: "Today was about unfulfilled potential. Both Pastor and Romain could have scored strongly but events out of their hands meant they did not. That's motor racing sometimes and we're firmly focused on China to open our points account. We've shown again that the E23 is a great package and both our drivers are capable of delivering with the very best. Shanghai will present a challenge very different from the one seen here so that's our next focus."
Nick Chester, Technical Director: "Romain was looking set for a pretty strong result however traffic and being tipped into a spin undid that potential whilst Pastor suffered from a first lap puncture then a problem with the brakes late in the race. It's a shame as we demonstrated good pace in qualifying and reasonable race pace in clear air in the very high temperatures here today. We're very eager to get back out on track in Shanghai and we're learning more about the E23's potential every time it's out on track."
After a quite a promising qualifying to the Malaysian Grand Prix on the Sepang International Circuit, the race ended in disappointment for the Sauber F1 Team: Felipe Nasr had to pit on lap two after he made contact with Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari. The mechanics had to fit a new nose to his car, and, as a result, his chances were significantly reduced. He finished in P12. Marcus Ericsson's race ended on lap four, when he tried to overtake Nico Hulkenberg and got stuck in the gravel trap.
Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal: "It's a shame that today we were not able to score points, because, for sure, the opportunity was there. Unfortunately, both drivers were involved in incidents in the first few laps. For Marcus the race was over, and Felipe's chances were significantly reduced. But he fought strongly afterwards, although unfortunately he was not rewarded with points. This result is obviously disappointing, but there are also positives we can take from this race weekend. Our package is competitive, which puts us in a position to fight for points. We have to make sure that we grab these chances."
Giampaolo Dall'Ara, Head of Track Engineering: "On the technical side it was another flawless afternoon without any noteworthy issues, which is the positive we can take out of this race. Unfortunately we had both drivers involved in incidents within a few laps, and our planned strategy was destroyed. So we had to reinvent the race with only one car, because Marcus was out. We switched from three to four stops, which was not planned. Nothing was wrong with that, but after the early incident the race was lost. It's obviously a big disappointment."
The Manor Marussia F1 Team's Roberto Merhi took his first chequered flag of the 2015 season at Sepang today, finishing the 2015 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix in 15th place. In doing so he delivered not only a fantastic reward for the incredible hard work of the past few months, but also some valuable data with which to commence the 2015 development programme.
Unfortunately Will Stevens was unable to start the race as the team was unable to get on top of the fuel system problems which first surfaced in Free Practice 3 and into Qualifying.
John Booth, Team Principal: "We couldn't be more thrilled to see the chequered flag today. We've had to overcome some massive hurdles in a very short space of time, so everyone is pretty emotional this afternoon because this result is just reward for an incredible amount of hard work and determination from a fantastic team of people. Roberto delivered the solid race performance we asked of him, and that will stand us in such good stead as we head to China. Let's not forget that this is the first real data we've had to work with. Of course, we're disappointed that we didn't achieve that same objective with two cars and our apologies to Will that he was denied the chance to convert a positive start to the weekend into what I'm sure would have been a similarly strong race performance. We hope for better things for him in China in two weeks' time. We still have a great deal of hard work ahead, so we'll enjoy the moment and then get straight back to it tomorrow."
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel took the first win for Ferrari since Spain in 2013 and his own first victory since Brazil in 2013, using a two-stop strategy in the hottest possible conditions and on very abrasive asphalt to finish in front of both Mercedes drivers. Vettel started on the P Zero White medium tyres and stopped for the mediums again on lap 17, finishing the race on the P Zero Orange hard compound from lap 37. His fourth victory in Malaysia - the 40th of his career - means that he is now the most successful driver in the history of the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who started from pole, used a three-stop strategy en route to second. His team mate Nico Rosberg adopted a different three-stop strategy to finish third: ending the race on the medium whereas Hamilton's last stint was on hard.
The race got underway in track temperatures of 56 degrees centigrade: similar to the hottest conditions seen throughout last season. Despite driving on a surface hot enough to fry an egg - as proven by Pirelli on its Instagram account - there was no blistering or graining seen on the tyres that finished the race.
All the drivers started the race on the medium compound, with the exception of the two McLaren drivers, who started on the hard tyre and got into the points before retiring.
An early three-lap safety car period helped to contain tyre degradation but also provided an opportunity to switch to fresh tyres, which was taken up by many of the frontrunners, while the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel stayed out. The Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg both made an early stop, switching to the hard tyres.
Vettel pitted from the lead for his first stop, emerging in third place behind the Mercedes drivers, and then used the speed of the medium tyre to close in on the leader and regain the advantage. The German's second and final stop for the hard compound fed him back into second place behind Hamilton, setting up a successful run to the finish after his Mercedes rival pitted for the hard tyre one lap later, following a race that revolved around tyre strategy.
Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen used a three-stop strategy to become the youngest ever driver to score points in a Formula One race at 17, comprehensively beating the record previously held by Daniil Kvyat. A three-stop strategy also helped Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen to climb to fourth at the finish from the very back, having had to pit on the opening lap after a rear tyre was punctured following contact from another competitor.
Paul Hembery: "I think we did our bit today. We saw a great strategic battle between Ferrari and Mercedes, with two different approaches to the race, which were also influenced by an early safety car period. Despite the highest track temperatures we are likely to see all year, the tyres did not suffer from blistering or graining, enabling a two-stop strategy to be not only possible, but victorious. The different tyre strategies available set up an exciting battle for the race victory and underlined the difference that using the tyres to the best effect can make. Congratulations to Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel for a truly memorable victory."
Truth-O-Meter
We predicted a three-stopper as being the safest strategy to guard against degradation, although there was theoretically very little time difference between that and two stopper: depending on how much performance can be extracted from the tyres. Our theory proved to be correct, as Ferrari managed degradation sufficiently to make two stops the winning choice. We said that the best two-stopper would be to start on the medium and then stop for the hard on laps 15 and 37. Vettel went one better than our prediction by completing two stints on the medium tyre before switching to the hard for the final stint.
