Poll Out of Ten: 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix

[sushifiesta]

A Vettel victory came as a complete surprise after the complete Mercedes dominance of Melbourne. Quite a bit of action through the field too, but how did you rate it?

I'm between a 7 and an 8. It's a great result for the prospects of the season but in the top 3 it was all about strategy and tyre degradation rather than elbows out battles. We had some nice battles in the midfield, but at the same time some amateurish mistakes. I'm leaning towards 7, which is possibly a bit harsh but I'm going to rate it as a good race rather than a great race.

 

[RasputinLives]

I've given it an 8 as really enjoyed the race with both strategy and overtakes (even for the lead! Crikey!). It fizzled out a bit there at the end but still really enjoyable.

 

[Titch]

I never thought that I would say I was happy to see a Ferrari driven by Vettel win, but I was. I have given it 9 because it gives me hope for the rest of the season.

 

[cider_and_toast]

As a race a very solid 8. A good watch but a pity we didn't get to see a closer run between the two Mercs and Seb towards the end. I've added a point for the added smile factor of Seb's first win for Ferrari and his "I want to get pissed tonight" line. As Titch said above, it gives hope for the rest of the season which is worthy of an extra point on its own. All in all, a real shot in the arm.

 

[siffert_fan]

I give it a 9. I love dark horse victories.

I also agree with the others: this gives hope that there may be a real battle for the title this year.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

7 from me. Nice to have an unexpected result but I found the race a little unsatisfying.

 

[ramilas1]

After today we can see the possibility of two teams fighting for championships. GOOD - race was 7 for me!

Now we need luck to change for Kimi, and Nico to get his act together, to make it a real contest.
Would a similar year to 2000, with Michael vs Mika aided by Rubens and DC, be so bad?

If Williams get in the mix as well we really could have a proper sporting contest,
..... not just a 'show for the fans'

 

[Sakari]

Good solid race. 6 for me.

 

[KekeTheKing]

8. Good for Seb! Good for Ferrari! Good for the sport!

Awesome to see how much this means to Vettel. You really can tell that winning in Red is something altogether different than winning in Purple. Him orchestrating the anthem was great.

In the words of Nico Rosberg - "Game On!"

 

[Road of Bones]

Not extremely crunchy and moderately enjoyable- a "better-than-Melbourne" 6 from me...

 

[Boyle]

What Rasputin and CaT said 8

 

[teabagyokel]

I'm going for a 9 - I really enjoyed it. The fact that Mercedes can be beaten in a dry race fills me with optimism all through. The tactical battle for the lead was brilliant - and Seb did have to pass both Mercedes to make it work. Elsewhere, I really enjoyed the internecine conflict at Williams, Verstappen sticking just on the right side of the laws and the immense battling after Ericsson's pratfall. Toro Rosso beating a Red Bull duo lapped by Vettel is the height of Horner-related schadenfreude, so that's always worth a laugh.

All in all, it was great.

 

[Tuscan1969]

Race was 7 for me simply because of the lack of tension at the end....a real slow fizzel out rather than the duel we all wanted to see.

Nevertheless battle is properly joined (at least for the warm circuits) and there should be four fighting over three podium places from now on.

Verstappen seems like the real deal though.....a long and possibly glorious career awaits

 

[Johnny Carwash]

8. Nice to have a surprise winner, and it's also one in the eye for the doom and gloom merchants who thought it was going to be a predictable season.

 

[Incubus]

I gave it a 6. Decent race but I can't help but feel the scores given so far are higher than they would have been had we not become used to expecting total Mercedes dominance. It's good for F1 to realise Mercedes have probably found a serious challenge to contend with but in terms of the race itself we didn't see an on-track battle for the lead with passing and defending moves. the race was too largely decided on strategy for it to make it truly pulsating.

I don't think Vettel's win should come as a surprise at all though. There's already been plenty of indication in Melbourne and in long run-practice here that Ferrari on race-pace (if not in quali) are currently more than a match for Mercedes.

 

[racecub]

I gave it an 8, a good race, much better than the last one with lots going on up and down the field. But as has been said, no hair raising on track battles for the lead, which would have raised it to a 9 or 10.

 

[Jos the Boss]

9, I thought it was brilliant, we had action throughout the field, the Incredible Hulk made a train causing a lot of action and Ericsson's stupid spin really mixed up the race and strategy, it's a great sight to see the Mercs fighting up through the field! Plus, the first Italian/German national anthem since Monza '08, lovely to see that! Also, Seb took twice as many races as Nando to win for Ferrari!

 

[FB]

8 for the race and an extra 1 for Jenson's "I'm catching others cars, what's going on?" radio message.

 

[sushifiesta]

Ha, I forgot about that

 

[Porceliamone]

A 7. The sycophantic response for the Ferrari win made me want to puke.