Sebastian Vettel claimed his first victory of the season as Red Bull overcame their recent reliability problems to secure a one-two finish in Malaysia. Although team-mate Mark Webber had qualified in pole position, Vettel enjoyed a fantastic start off the line which allowed him take the lead going into the first corner, which he never looked like relinquishing at any point during the race. Vettel's triumph means that following miserable retirements in Bahrain and Australia, he is currently level on points with Fernando Alonso and just two behind Felipe Massa, both of whom endured a frustrating weekend along with their fellow title-contenders at McLaren. Following a disastrous error in qualifying, in which both teams were caught out by the onset of rain, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa found themselves in unfamiliar territory, 17th, 19th, 20th and 21st respectively. The manner in which the aforementioned drivers were able to move up the field was unsurprising, but the pace enjoyed by Hamilton was superior to that of his title rivals. Hamilton finished in sixth, having failed to pass equally-quick former GP2 rival Adrian Sutil in the Force India, whilst Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica enjoyed comparatively quiet races, ending up behind the Red Bulls. Jenson Button suffered significantly from yesterday's qualifying debacle, being overtaken by Felipe Massa and narrowly avoiding being leapfrogged a second time. However it was Fernando Alonso who had the most unfortunate weekend, suffering from a clutch problem for the majority of the race that prevented him passing Button, and an engine blow-out that forced him to retire with just two laps to go. Although Red Bull’s triumph will dominate coverage of this race, particular mention should go to Jaime Alguersuari and Niko Hulkenberg, both of whom scored the first World Championship points of their careers, and Virgin Racing, which secured its inaugural finish in Formula One through Lucas di Grassi. The day may have belonged to Vettel, who deservedly staked his claim as a title contender, but Hamilton’s excellent performance was particularly pleasing. Hamilton described his performance in Australia last week as “one of the drives of my life”, and on the basis of today’s performance, it won’t be long until the former World Champion is once again gracing the podium as a race winner. In the meantime Vettel’s victory, described as “ominous” by the BBC’s Martin Brundle, and the man himself as “a very good result for us especially after two races where we didn't finish”, and the manner in which it has opened up the title race, should be enough to convince any doubters that this season retains the potential to be one of the most exciting in recent years.
Sunday 4 April 2010
Red Bull reliability sickness cured by the Vet
Sebastian Vettel claimed his first victory of the season as Red Bull overcame their recent reliability problems to secure a one-two finish in Malaysia. Although team-mate Mark Webber had qualified in pole position, Vettel enjoyed a fantastic start off the line which allowed him take the lead going into the first corner, which he never looked like relinquishing at any point during the race. Vettel's triumph means that following miserable retirements in Bahrain and Australia, he is currently level on points with Fernando Alonso and just two behind Felipe Massa, both of whom endured a frustrating weekend along with their fellow title-contenders at McLaren. Following a disastrous error in qualifying, in which both teams were caught out by the onset of rain, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa found themselves in unfamiliar territory, 17th, 19th, 20th and 21st respectively. The manner in which the aforementioned drivers were able to move up the field was unsurprising, but the pace enjoyed by Hamilton was superior to that of his title rivals. Hamilton finished in sixth, having failed to pass equally-quick former GP2 rival Adrian Sutil in the Force India, whilst Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica enjoyed comparatively quiet races, ending up behind the Red Bulls. Jenson Button suffered significantly from yesterday's qualifying debacle, being overtaken by Felipe Massa and narrowly avoiding being leapfrogged a second time. However it was Fernando Alonso who had the most unfortunate weekend, suffering from a clutch problem for the majority of the race that prevented him passing Button, and an engine blow-out that forced him to retire with just two laps to go. Although Red Bull’s triumph will dominate coverage of this race, particular mention should go to Jaime Alguersuari and Niko Hulkenberg, both of whom scored the first World Championship points of their careers, and Virgin Racing, which secured its inaugural finish in Formula One through Lucas di Grassi. The day may have belonged to Vettel, who deservedly staked his claim as a title contender, but Hamilton’s excellent performance was particularly pleasing. Hamilton described his performance in Australia last week as “one of the drives of my life”, and on the basis of today’s performance, it won’t be long until the former World Champion is once again gracing the podium as a race winner. In the meantime Vettel’s victory, described as “ominous” by the BBC’s Martin Brundle, and the man himself as “a very good result for us especially after two races where we didn't finish”, and the manner in which it has opened up the title race, should be enough to convince any doubters that this season retains the potential to be one of the most exciting in recent years.
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