Grand Prix 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

The first race of the season has just finished and what a race it was. Exciting from start to finish. Nice battles. Three World Champions on the podium. And the good thing is, there is another Grand Prix in just seven days time in Malaysia!

Having won in Melbourne, Kimi Räikkönen will go into the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix leading the World Driver's Championship. His Lotus car looked as though it was treating the new Pirelli tyres better than any other car/driver-combination, managing to win the race with only two stops. Can they keep this good initial form up?

Red Bulls pace didn't look too frightening in Melbourne. Mark Webbers race was ruined by his (usual) bad start, which apparently was caused by a software issue. Sebastian Vettel finished third. Let's see if they'll be able to fight for the win in Malaysia, where temperatures should be significantly higher than in Australia.

McLaren had a poor race (as expected). Jenson Button just finishing within the points. Sergio Perez' terrible qualifying led to him finishing just outside the points. Jenson sounded pretty pessimistic after the race about short term improvements. So we shouldn't expect a strong performance from them in Malaysia. But one never knows.

Mercedes had a pretty good start to the 2013 F1 season. Even though Nico Rosberg retired in the middle of the race, Lewis Hamilton was able to qualify third and finish fifth, which in his own words was more than expected. He seemed very upbeat about the car's performance, so there is probably more to b e expected from them. Considering McLaren's early form, his switch to Mercedes seems to have worked out.

Ferrari had a very strong race, leading the constructor's championship after Fernando Alonso finished second and Felipe Massa finished fourth. Alonso was strong as usual, but it was Felipe Massa who looked really impressive. After outqualifying his teammate, he was able to keep Alonso behind him for the first part of the race only losing the battle against Alonso due to a poor pit stop strategy. They're in for a pretty strong season.

In the midfield battle it was Force India who looked mightily impressive with Adrain Sutil leading the race twice and finishing seventh after his last stint was compromised by the quickly deterioating super soft tyres. Let's see if they can keep up their good form in Malaysia.
Sauber only started the race with one car as Nico Hülkenberg was unable to start due to a fuel pump problem. Esteban Gutierrez looked rather anonymous during the race. They'll be hoping for a more competetive outing in the next race.
Williams didn't look too strong with Pastor Maldonado calling the car "undriveable" and retiring after beaching his car in turn one. Rookie Valtteri Bottas finished 14th not living up to the high expectations people put on him. Let's see, if they will be able to make short term improvements for the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Toro Rosso looked strong during Free Practice and parts of qualifying but only managed to finish 9th with Jean Eric Vergne. Daniel Riccardo, who told media before the race that he will have to "blow Vergne away" in order to get a shot at the Red Bull seat for 2014, retired from the race.

In the battle of the "new teams" it was Marussia who looked to have the upper hand over Caterham, with Jules Bianchi appearing to be strongest of the four backmarkers.

Can Kimi Räikkönen make it two out of two? Are McLaren going to be as poor as in Malaysia? Will Nico Rosberg come back strongly after his retirement? And most imprortantly: What about the weather?

Discuss!
 
It's simple really; all Vettel needs to do, next time the Red Bulls are leading a race with him in front, is ease off the pedal or run a bit wide into a suitable corner, thus letting Webber through and giving his seven points back.

Just wait and see.
 
I guess i'm in the minority here. I have no problem with what Vettel did during the race. I have a problem with the terrible apology that he is trying to pass off as sincere. Vettel isn't sorry for what he did to Webber. He may be sorry for what he did to the team, but I think this was a very clear and conscious psychological shot at Mark Webber that he is the number one and that he'll do anything to prove that point.

Also, everyone keeps going on about Seb asking for Webber to move out of the way earlier in the race. I've seen many people say that this was arrogant on Sebs part because Webber was clearly faster. I counter that we don't really know that, one could say that Seb was really holding back to stay behind Webber at that point and decided to take matters into his own hands at the end when the team wouldn't let him pass earlier. I'm not a Vettel fan or a RBR fan but i'm personally glad the facade around Vettel is beginning to fade and we can see just how ruthless and motivated he is.
 
WWASD?

What would Ayrton Senna do?

I'm have the bracelets manufactured now.



This also is bringing the topic of the legality of team orders to the fore (again). Which is rather pointless because there can't not be team orders when teams only have the one pit box. I am aware all team orders do not revolve around the matter of the single pit box but the undeniable truth is that at every race, every team on the grid has to show favoritism to one of its drivers -- either in pre-race planning or in race strategy execution -- because both cars cannot be serviced simultaneously.
 
We know that Vettel was not being asked to hold station earlier in the race, only after the first pitstops. We also know that Vettel was asking for Webber to be moved out of the way for him early on as he could not make the pass on his own merit. The reason that we know that is that otherwise he simply would have made the pass on his own merit. It is that sense of entitlement that Brundle has mentioned before that Seb seems to have and that Brundle finds quite ugly. Vettel feels that his teammate should never be allowed to be in front of him because HE is the man and his team should recognise that. This is the worst display of that yet and where he has only alienated himself from factions of spectators in the past he has now alienated himself from a great number of individuals within his own team. A big own goal, I feel.
 
I thought it was after the last pit stops? or am I reading you wrong...

Wonder what Mark will think of Seb's request to RBR pits...Lap 28...."Get him out of the way."

The Mercs
Lap 12 Pit to LH..."you're a sec... faster than the leaders"
Lap 13 Brundle Sky says " Lewis is 5 secs behind the leader dragging Rosberg with him."
 
One of my favourite Seb radio calls...

... because on this day you made a schoolboy error behind the safety car and were outdriven by your team team-mate...

ExtremeNinja ... this is but one example of what you state

Was reading somewhere that the MW side of the garage nickname him "the smiling assassin" ... because they know exactly what he is like and capable of in the car...
 
ExtremeNinja

I hear Ferrari and Mercedes knocking on Seb's door or phone about joining them

Either team knows the problem but both want to be winners and want the best drivers available

--------------------------------------

For those Star Wars fans just for laughs

Since Helmut Marko is the Dark Lord

How about this

Marko - Emperor Palpatine

Schumacher - Darth Maul

Vettel - Sunday was his conversion to the Dark side from Anakin to Darth Vader !
 
As for the podium I have to agree it should be Horner up there but it displays weakness in his management. Ron Dennis would have been up there if he was still Mclaren boss

BUT there was no celebratory team photo like Mclaren do

Vettel :1st::oops::embarrassed::please:

Webber:2nd:>:(:rolleyes::crazy::no:

Newey:givemestrength::disappointed::no:

I think Helmut is going to get his wish to promote one of the STR drivers but the expense of ??? - Briatore is right Vettel has done too much damage and its unattenable for anyone

Mateschitz does not get involved in the racing team and I don;t think he is too happy about this either
 
Fenderman

Mateschitz says he can't stop Vettel leaving if Seb harbours ambitions to drive for glamorous teams (ie Ferrari)

Luca said he wanted Seb and Marko was the one saying hands off he's contracted to us

Luca did say Alonso's contract is to 2015 not 2016 as everyone thought

Luca is not afraid to make these decisions he wanted Raikkonen and Schumacher on equal terms with the baton being passed but off course Schumacher quit before suffering the ignominy

As for Mercedes we've seen wholesale changes in that team and it would please Mercedes to have a top German driver winning for them especially as this one was backed once by their rivals BMW

Rosberg contract is up at the end of the season so a simple swap with Vettel is workable
 
Back
Top Bottom