After the first round in Australia, the team went to the Sepang International Circuit for round two of the 2011 Formula 1 calendar – and it was a pretty good race!
Thankfully, it was bright and sunny outside on Sunday morning, which made the 8am start much easier than it otherwise would have been. The race probably gave us a fairer reflection of the season than in Australia, but there are still some unanswered questions as we go forward to China.
As expected, Red Bull and McLaren were both strong in Sepang. On the Saturday, Button, Webber, Hamilton and Vettel traded blows for pole. Webber, who had been fast on the Friday, couldn’t hook it up on the Saturday and ended fourth. Button was super-fast in Q2, but couldn’t quite get the job done in Q3, so started third. Hamilton set the fastest time, then beat it, but ultimately was pipped by Vettel, who knocked him off with seconds to go in the session.
Race day was, surprisingly, dry, with only the minutest of spots of rain. Off the line, both Renaults made a great start, Webber not so much. Vettel pulled out an advantage over Heidfeld, who looked comfortable throughout. When Hamilton got past Heidfeld, he did catch Vettel a little, but he was always going to struggle to beat him as Vettel was managing to go further on each set of tyres. Alonso gradually caught up with Hamilton and, in the latter stages of the race, and some feisty driving ensued. Hamilton defended rigorously, Alonso misjudged his speed and hit Hamilton’s rear tyre, losing part of his front wing. Oops. Meanwhile, Button was quietly driving along to fifth…
So, after a front wing change, Alonso was sixth, Hamilton was seventh after a late stop for tyres, but that became eighth after he was penalised for weaving down the straight…bit harsh, I thought.
Anyway, what did we learn in Malaysia? Well, we learned that the Renault *is* fast. It kept up with the McLaren and Ferrari, just about. So far, Red Bull, McLaren and Renault all have two podiums this season. The only driver in those three teams who’s not been on the rostrum? Mark Webber. He’s had a bad start to the season and he had a bad end to last season. He needs to up his game.
Vettel has, so far, looked unstoppable, but if McLaren can close the gap on Red Bull, Hamilton and Button both look well capable of challenging this season. We also saw that Ferrari do have good race pace, even if they struggle to qualify well. However, Mercedes are clearly struggling and no one seems quite sure why, considering how good their pace was in Barcelona. Furthermore, Williams look lost well back in the pack and Adrian Sutil has been slower than team mate di Resta at both the opening races, as well as reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg, who will surely get another F1 drive next season.
Interestingly, Lotus were just behind Force India and well ahead of Virgin, who were ahead of HRT. Sauber once again showed they can mix it in the points too. As we head to China, a slightly less aero-dependent, but permanent track, it’ll be interesting to see who falls where. Can McLaren get a little closer? See my thoughts later in the week…