Grand Prix of Malaysia

| Sunday, Race Day – Kimi Flies to Victory

Kimi Raikkonen got his title defence back on course with a dominant victory for Ferrari in the Malaysian Grand Prix.

With Raikkonen’s teammate Felipe Massa spinning out of second place
at half-distance, and McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton
only managing third and fifth places following their qualifying
penalties, Robert Kubica was able to take a career-best second place
for BMW Sauber.

16th Victory! His first as a world champion of course. What a superb
drive from Kimi, it was so satisfying to see him set blistering fast
laps to take the win. As I thought, he would use the approach similar
to his win at France and Silverstone last year – quick but not too
aggressive on the start, ensure a good position and secure the first
few laps, and then put the hammer down and charge for the lead. It’s
becoming a common masterful skill from the Iceman and one that seems to
favour the team very well. Despite Ferrari keeping the tension low
between Kimi and teammate Felipe Massa, the Brazilian looked content
for second place until he spun off, frustrating for the whole team for
what looked like a Ferrari 1-2. They are unsure whether it was a car
problem or Massa’s fault. Again, it hasn’t been a 100% smooth weekend
for Ferrari but atleast they got the win with Kimi and have shown their true potential. McLaren suffered a lot and were even lacking pace early on against Toyota’s Trulli, which was a suprise.

The
race itself was fairly decent with some good scraps, but it lacked the
excitement Melbourne brought us last weekend. The rain decided not to
arrive after a whole week of wet forecast in Kuala Lumpur, but it seems
Kimi’s Ice Age has hit the home of his biggest fan – it began snowing here the moment he crossed the line, now that’s freaky!

So,
it was five years ago today that Kimi actually won his maiden F1 race,
with McLaren in 2003 at Malaysia. Since then, the races haven’t always
gone so nicely for him but today was proper satisfaction – with the
heat and the criticisms from Melbourne, the Iceman certainly kept his
cool, apart from the press conference though!
Kimi joked about having an ‘issue’ on the podium when Robert Kubica
splashed champagne in Kimi’s eye – those cold blue/green eyes were
almost red in the conference…

KR: It wasn’t too bad really. Of course it is hotter than any
other race. Australia was hot but in here it is so humid but for me it
was okay. There was a small issue on the podium…

Q. There was champagne under the eye-lid there.

KR: Yeah, we should put it in the mouth not in the eye. Things go wrong sometimes…

Hahaha, they sure do. Keep flying Kimi~

Classified:

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time
 1.  Raikkonen     Ferrari               (B)  1h31:18.555
 2.  Kubica        BMW Sauber            (B)  +    19.570
 3.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  +    38.450
 4.  Trulli        Toyota                (B)  +    45.832
 5.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  +    46.548
 6.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber            (B)  +    49.833
 7.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault      (B)  +  1:08.130
 8.  Alonso        Renault               (B)  +  1:10.041
 9.  Coulthard     Red Bull-Renault      (B)  +  1:16.220
10.  Button        Honda                 (B)  +  1:26.214
11.  Piquet        Renault               (B)  +  1:32.202
12.  Fisichella    Force India-Ferrari   (B)  +     1 lap
13.  Barrichello   Honda                 (B)  +     1 lap
14.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota       (B)  +     1 lap
15.  Davidson      Super Aguri-Honda     (B)  +     1 lap
16.  Sato          Super Aguri-Honda     (B)  +    2 laps
17.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota       (B)  +    2 laps

Fastest lap: Heidfeld, 1:35.366

Not classified/retirements:

Driver        Team                      On lap
Vettel        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)    41
Massa         Ferrari               (B)    31
Sutil         Force India-Ferrari   (B)    7
Glock         Toyota                (B)    2
Bourdais      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)    1

| Quotes – Kimi Hails Ferrari Comeback

"For sure we had quite a difficult weekend in Australia but I didn’t
really expect to have such difficulties," said Raikkonen after his 16th
F1 win.

"We were not 100 percent sure things would be different here. We
knew speed wise we would be fine, even in Australia the speed should
have been fine.

"Everything worked perfectly here and we took it easy to make sure
nothing went wrong. We saved the engine. It was a perfect job by the
team to come back. I would have been happier with Felipe in second but
things go wrong."

"I think we still have some difficulties to get the qualifying
right," he said. "It was good in Q2 but in the last session we found no
grip on the tyres.

"We knew we were running one lap longer so we were not panicking
and
knew as long as we kept close I knew a good chance to pass him. The car
was good all weekend, but sometimes it was difficult to get the best
out the tyres."

Ferrari Race Quotes

Kimi Raikkonen – 1st: "I am very happy with this
win, for me and for the team. It’s a shame that Felipe was unable to
let us bring home a result that was within our grasp. At the start I
came alongside Felipe, but I did not take any risks, knowing I was
stopping one lap later than him at the end of the first stint.

"When that time came, I pushed to the maximum and I managed to come
out of my pit stop ahead of him. From then on, with a clear track ahead
of me, the car was perfect I was able to control the situation without
having to stress the car or the tyres. We are struggling a little bit
in qualifying, but in the race we have a very high potential. We have
had a very complicated start to the season, but I have certainly not
lost faith in the team: we can still do better."

Felipe Massa – DNF: "On lap 31, I clipped the kerb
at the exit to Turn 6 and hit it quite hard and then I lost the rear
end going into the next corner. We have to check to see if the impact
with the kerb damaged the car. It’s a real shame because we could have
brought home a one-two finish.

"Obviously this has been a very difficult start to the season for
me, but there is still a very long way to go. We have great potential,
as was seen today and so I am still confident. Naturally I hope to make
up for this soon, starting with the next race in Bahrain."

Stefano Domenicali: "This has been a bittersweet
Easter day. We are very happy with Kimi’s victory, but equally
disappointed with Felipe’s retirement as it robbed us of a possible
one-two. This weekend, we have shown what the team can do after our
very bad weekend in Melbourne.

"So, we were not cart horses in Australia and we did not become
phenomenons today. We know we still have much to do to improve in terms
of performance and, above all, reliability. The team carried out its
tasks well, showing in style that it knows how to react.
Congratulations to Kimi, who drove a superb race and thanks to our
commercial and technical partners, first and foremost, Philip Morris
and Shell."

| Photos

All the images you could possibly want from Malaysia, the race, parc ferme, the podium…. Check them all out!

| Videos
2008 Race Videos – Watch all the action from the race, including the press conference (Saturday video contribution courtesy of FerrariF1.Ro)

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| Saturday Qualifying – Massa Leads All Ferrari Front Row

Felipe Massa took a commanding pole position for Ferrari in the Malaysian Grand Prix qualifying.

The Brazilian, who was also on pole at Sepang a year ago, was almost half a second faster than teammate Kimi Raikkonen as the Ferraris secured both front row positions.

The McLarens had to settle for the second row, with Heikki Kovalainen beating Lewis Hamilton to third by 0.096 seconds.

Massa was fastest on both runs in Q3, and although Raikkonen briefly edged ahead of him with his second lap, the Brazilian responded with a 1:35.748 to comfortably take pole position.

Pos  Driver        Team                Q1       Q2       Q3       Laps
 1.  Massa         Ferrari             1:35.347 1:34.412 1:35.748  17
 2.  Raikkonen     Ferrari             1:35.645 1:34.188 1:36.230  13
 3.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes    1:35.227 1:34.759 1:36.613  12
 4.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes    1:35.392 1:34.627 1:36.709  18
 5.  Trulli        Toyota              1:35.205 1:34.825 1:36.711  18
 6.  Kubica        BMW Sauber          1:35.794 1:34.811 1:36.727  13
 7.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber          1:35.729 1:34.648 1:36.753  13
 8.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault    1:35.440 1:34.967 1:37.009  18
 9.  Alonso        Renault             1:35.983 1:35.140 1:38.450  18
10.  Glock         Toyota              1:35.891 1:35.000 1:39.656  20
11.  Button        Honda               1:35.847 1:35.208           15
12.  Coulthard     Red Bull-Renault    1:36.058 1:35.408           12
13.  Piquet        Renault             1:36.074 1:35.562           12
14.  Barrichello   Honda               1:36.198 1:35.622           15
15.  Vettel        Toro Rosso-Ferrari  1:36.111 1:35.648           15
16.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota     1:35.843 1:35.670           13
17.  Fisichella    Force India-Ferrari 1:36.240                     9
18.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota     1:36.388                     9
19.  Bourdais      Toro Rosso-Ferrari  1:36.677                     8
20.  Sato          Super Aguri-Honda   1:37.087                     9
21.  Sutil         Force India-Ferrari 1:37.101                    10
22.  Davidson      Super Aguri-Honda   1:37.481                     9

Good to see Kimi back in the front – I realised how much I missed seeing him in the press conference! Massa’s pole lap was super good and Raikko’s was fairly competitive, seeing they’re both well clear from the McLaren’s. Hamilton hasn’t had a good day, but BMW and Heidfeld had the worst when all the cars slowed down after Q3 while he was still on his hot lap. The FIA may issue a statement today and possibly another rule into the qualifying system, as many had voiced their disbelief for such a situation to occur. McLaren drivers Hamilton and Kovalainen have been summoned by the stewards for investigation. Heidfeld most likely would have been looking at P3, so while BMW’s season has begun to get tougher, Massa on the other hand says Ferrari’s championship has just begun – you’re one race late though? Ha!

Update – McLaren drivers’s Hamilton and Kovalainen have been docked five places each on the grid for blocking BMW’s Heidfeld and Renault’s Alonso during the final session in qualifying.

Revised grid:

 1.  Massa         Ferrari            
 2.  Raikkonen     Ferrari            
 3.  Trulli        Toyota             
 4.  Kubica        BMW Sauber         
 5.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber         
 6.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault   
 7.  Alonso        Renault            
 8.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes   *
 9.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes   *
10.  Glock         Toyota             
11.  Button        Honda              
12.  Coulthard     Red Bull-Renault   
13.  Piquet        Renault            
14.  Barrichello   Honda              
15.  Vettel        Toro Rosso-Ferrari 
16.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota    
17.  Fisichella    Force India-Ferrari
18.  Bourdais      Toro Rosso-Ferrari 
19.  Sato          Super Aguri-Honda  
20.  Sutil         Force India-Ferrari
21.  Davidson      Super Aguri-Honda  
22.  Nakajima      Williams-Toyota    **

*  Penalised for blocking
** Penalised for his crash in Australia

Oh dear! That’s going to spice things up a bit won’t it? I fear the FIA are doing the right thing yet abusing their power at the same time. I swear there were cars other than the McLarens in the way of Heidfeld and Alonso, but they are adamant that the Silver duo in particular were the problem…ouch.

Despite predictions in Q1 that it would rain, however nothing happened in what’s a truly unpredictable circuit in the heat of Malaysia. Rain has a chance to spoil the Ferrari party tomorrow, although they seem to be as competitive in the wet as they are in the dry. McLaren would be hoping for rain as it could help their chances in pit strategy as they believe to be a few laps heavier than Ferrari. But we’ll just have to wait and see for that won’t we? As Massa was clearly the fastest man by miles, and even Kimi wasn’t close, I suspect he is a few laps lighter than the Iceman. Kimi’s job will be to follow Massa and fly away from the rest on the opening laps, then when Massa pits Kimi will unleash the Ice Storm and take victory ala France and Silverstone 2007. Maybe that’s being too optimistic seeing as we’ve only just started a hectic 2008 campaign at Melbourne. Will it get any more chaotic? Wait and see!

Watch out for that Niceman Kovalainen, he is actually quite fesity on track! But he shouldn’t be a problem qualifying nearly half a second slower than Kimi, but he’s starting on the clean side (if he and Hamilton are not given penalties for the blocking issue, well it seems they have now so Kimi has Toyota’s Trulli and BMW’s Kubica in his mirrors tomorrow!). Kimi however needs to just make sure he has a great start being on the dirty side of the track. After such a fast grid start at Melbourne in 16th, there shouldn’t be any issues because of no traction control. Massa on the other hand may mess up his turn 1 entry or exit like he did in Melbourne. Nonetheless, it’ll be nice to see what Hamilton can do when he’s stuck in the mud a bit for a change.

Keep Flying Kimi! ~

| Ferrari Quotes – Kimi: "The Car is good, but I lacked grip"

Kimi Raikkonen – 2nd: "Of course, I would prefer to have taken pole, but second place is definitely not bad and I am happy that the team got the best result possible. In Q3, I was not able to get the tyres to work as well as possible, especially on my second run,

after having had a good lap in Q2. The track seemed to be a bit more slippery and I was not able to get everything out of the car. Tomorrow’s race will be very tough: I made a good start in Melbourne and I hope I can do the same tomorrow."

Felipe Massa – 1st: "I am very happy! In the final part of qualifying, I managed to put together two really good laps after struggling a bit in Q2. Right at the end there were a few drops of rain, but it had no effect whatsoever on the performance. It is very important to start from the front and I hope I can have a good race. We know our car is very competitive over a long run, but it is also clear we face a long tough race. All the same, we can only be confident about tomorrow."

Luca Baldisserri: "Finally, a trouble-free day. Car performance was good and it worked well as can be seen from the result. There are a few unknowns regarding the various sets of tyres, which seem to be a bit up and down and we will have to study that carefully. The threat of rain meant we operated differently to usual, going out on track at the start of all the sessions. We expect a very difficult race tomorrow because of the weather which will be tough on cars and drivers. Clearly our aim is to do the maximum, which is to say to repeat this afternoon’s result."

| Photos

Wanna see photos of Kimi searing his way through the Sepang corners and make funny faces in the press conference? Check them all out!

| Videos

2008 Race Videos – Watch all the action from practise and qualifying, including press conferences. (Upload Courtesy of FerrariF1.Ro)