2006 Malaysian Grand Prix - Race 2/18

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Fry hopes FIA outlaws Ferrari wing

Honda Racing boss Nick Fry has said he hopes the FIA does not come out in support of Ferrari over the flexi-wing issue, after the matter reached a head at the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Eight teams wrote a letter to the FIA before the race demanding a clarification on the situation amid concerns about the manner in which Ferraris' front wings were flexing. Television pictures obtained by teams indicated that the wing changed shape at high speeds to aid performance.

The FIA is set to issue a clarification about the situation before the Australian Grand Prix and Fry hopes that it does not give the green light to Ferrari's interpretation of the rules - because that would force other teams to go down that route.

"The FIA will clarify the situation before we get to Melbourne," said Fry. "That's what we need. All we asked (FIA technical delegate) Charlie Whiting is which interpretation is correct.

"It would be unfortunate if Ferrari's interpretation is said to be right because all the other teams will have to do similar things."

There were several meetings between teams in the Sepang paddock on Saturday night and Sunday morning to discuss the matter, which had been brought to light thanks to images shown on German television.

"We have been aware of it for six months," added Fry. "But the situation is very difficult. It is hard for the FIA to measure. It was this weekend that for the first time we got a clear picture from German TV."

There had been fears that the situation could have led to a post-race protest about the Ferraris if they had taken a decent result in Malaysia, but their run to fifth and sixth places went some way to calming down the situation.

When asked whether a protest would definitely have happened if Ferrari had won, Fry said: "It's difficult to talk about things that didn't happen. I'm just pleased they didn't win...

"And we all agreed on the safety issue that it was unrealistic to expect them to change this weekend."

Fry also revealed that two of the eight teams that have signed the letter against Ferrari are operating similar flexi-wings.

"Anyone who is not an engineer can see from the TV pictures and make their own conclusions. Two other teams are in the same situation, and ironically they are part of the eight.

"We had a nice conversation with Charlie Whiting late morning today and we took his word that it will be fixed for Melbourne."

 

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Race Notes - Toro Rosso

Tonio Liuzzi: "It was a real pity that I had a tangle with another car on the first lap and had to lose time pitting for a new nose. Apart from that, the car was difficult to drive all through the race, as I was not happy with my brakes or the balance of the car, which meant I kept locking the inside front wheel, which was too light. I could not keep up a good pace and I also seemed to luck out with a load of blue flags. It’s been a race to forget so I’m already thinking about Melbourne."

Scott Speed: "I did not get off the line too well, because of the way we had the system set up. It’s too bad that I did not finish the race because this was the track where we expected to struggle the most. We were overgripped aerodynamically, but me and my engineer got the set-up about right in the end. After a poor qualifying, we ended up doing a good job, showing decent pace and having a good track position. It’s a shame, but I think we can come back stronger in Melbourne, as this place was never going to suit us."

Franz Tost (Team Principal): "If Tonio had not had to pit after the opening lap, I think he could have maybe finished a couple of places higher up. Scott did not finish because of what looks like a failure with the clutch lever on the steering wheel. What we can learn from this weekend is that if the works teams sort out their problems, we will struggle to finish in the top twelve. Williams also look extremely competitive, so it will be very difficult to pick up points this season. We have to up our game, do a really good job especially in qualifying, because if we get into the top ten on the grid, we might bring home some points."

 

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Race Notes - Super Aguri

Takuma Sato and Yuji Ide drove a solid race for the Super Aguri team in Sepang today. During what was only the team's second grand prix, they were able to challenge for position and contribute to an exciting, action-packed Malaysian race.

Takuma Sato: "Great team work has meant that we have been able to improve on our pitstops since Bahrain and as a result I lost no time and was able to get back into the race and actually challenge a few cars. Of course we struggle on the high downforce corners with our pace, but I had another exciting race and at least we managed to finish the race once again. We still have a lot of hard work to do if we are to catch up to our nearest rivals, but we showed good teamwork today and I am very happy and proud of the team."

Yuji Ide: "The balance of the car was not good from the start and I had the same mechanical problem as I had in Bahrain. The problem got worse as I continued the race and gradually the car's pace got slower and I could not accelerate on the straight, then I stopped. I really wanted to finish the race, so my goal is to finish the race in Australia and then move on from there."

Aguri Suzuki, Team Principal: "I think that the team did a great job during the pitstops and Takuma had a great race. He made a good start today and had better performance than we thought we could achieve from the current chassis. Unfortunately Yuji had a similar mechanical problem to the one he suffered in Bahrain and stopped once again before the checkered flag - but I think that he drove very well today. I am very happy that we have completed our second race and I am very much looking forward to traveling for round three in Australia next week."

 

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Race Notes - Red Bull

If our Red Bull Racing boys thought they were on for a nice afternoon in the warm heat of Malaysia watching the Grand Prix on their garage plasma screens, they soon found out different… You'd think a team owned by a drinks manufacturer would be able to deal with hot weather, but strangely enough this was the first time that neither car made it to the flag since last year's Hungarian Grand Prix, the other notoriously hot race on the calendar.

Just one lap into the race, Christian Klien made his first pit stop following an incident with Kimi Raikkönen and had to be pushed into the garage for repairs. Soon after Klien re-joined the race, his team-mate DC, who had made an excellent start, came in to the pits and was taken into the garage with a hydraulics failure. Christian then returned to the garage with a suspension problem. Coulthard was forced to retire, while Klien made it back out on track, before also retiring with a similar hydraulics problem.

David Coulthard: "I lost hydraulic pressure in the car, which meant I had no power assistance going into the chicane. With that alone your afternoon's going to be difficult, but as the gearbox is controlled by the hydraulics as well, I became stuck in sixth gear. Once you lose the ability to change gear you've no chance, so unfortunately we had to retire the car. The start of the race was good, I got up behind Michael, I had a long strategy, felt reasonably comfortable, was quick in areas where you could overtake and slow in the bits where you were following people, and I think we could have had easy points today. We're still learning a lot about this car. We lost a lot of winter testing because of the cooling issues, but basically I think the car has good pace, I'm just trying to find a set up that's suitable for me. I feel a lot more confident in the car this weekend so the future is encouraging – the car is definitely capable of scoring points in Grands Prix."

Christian Klien: "The start was okay, I was in a good place, then in Turn four there were three cars (me and the two McLarens) going into it. I was right on the inside, already over the kerbs. I couldn't go further to the right and mine and Kimi's cars touched. I broke my front suspension and that was basically it. I went to the pits and we tried to fix it just to get some more mileage on the car. We went out once more, but then we had a hydraulics failure and that was the end of the race. It's very disappointing, if you look at the race pace I think we could have been right up there."

Christian Horner, Sporting Director: "It's disappointing to have both cars retire here. Christian got involved in an incident on the first lap with Kimi Raikkönen, which caused him to pit for some suspension repairs, but we elected to put him back out in order to gather more information and learn a little bit more about RB2. Unfortunately David had a hydraulics failure. After Christian had completed several more laps, a similar problem occurred on his car. The one positive thing to take away from the race is that the performance and pace of both cars looked very competitive. Christian was doing good times with heavy fuel and David also looked competitive. It's a great shame, but we'll fight back at the next one."

 

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Race Notes - BMW

Strong performance and first championship points for the new BMW Sauber F1 Team. Nick Heidfeld drove an impressive race in the PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang, before an engine failure cost him fifth place. Jacques Villeneuve finished seventh and thus collected two championship points.

Jacques Villeneuve: I got held up early on behind Trulli, which was a pity because it cost me time, but once I had overtaken him it was just a question of running to the end. Physically it was an easier race than I had expected and I knew I should be in good shape mechanically because it was the first race for my engine. It was bad luck for Nick, but we've scored the points we should have taken in Bahrain so I am happy. The race pace was strong, so we need now to work on our qualifying.

Nick Heidfeld: I hoped we would be faster than we were in qualifying but I didn't expect us to be so good. I could keep pace with the McLaren and was quicker than either of the Ferraris. I made a superb start and gained places straight away. After that I had a troublefree race apart from delays with blue flags which made lapping backmarkers difficult. After my second pit stop it was pretty close between Felipe and I in Turn 1, but I was able to stay ahead of him. The engine failure came without warning. Fifth place would have been brilliant for us, it's a real shame.

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director): We are happy with the first two points for the new team, which we earned in the home country of our premium partner, Petronas. However, overall we are disappointed. Nick was in an excellent position to finish fifth until his engine failure intervened. We had already used that engine in Bahrain, and it will now be analysed in Munich.

Willy Rampf (Technical Director Chassis): Our cars demonstrated strong performance today, which mirrored what we had expected after practice on Friday. It was a thrilling race for us, particularly for Nick who was able to keep both Ferraris behind him after his second stop. Unfortunately, he was unable to finish the race so instead of five points we only collected two. Both drivers did an excellent job and those two points are the reward for the team.

 

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Race Notes - Toyota

Panasonic Toyota Racing capped off a promising weekend with its first point from 2006 in today's Malaysian Grand Prix under the sweltering skies of Sepang. After showing strong potential in qualifying, yesterday's engine failure demoted Ralf Schumacher to the back of the grid but he battled strongly on a three-stop strategy on his way to 8th place. Jarno Trulli suffered a broken diffuser early on and thus endured a difficult afternoon's work. Nevertheless he ended up only one place further back, just outside the points. The Toyotas have shown improved pace this weekend but there is still a lot of work to do. Both Ralf and Jarno are scheduled to test at France's Paul Ricard circuit next week as the team aims to make further gains on its early season performance.

Ralf Schumacher started at the back but a lightning start helped propel him to 8th place in today's Malaysian Grand Prix.

Ralf Schumacher: "That was a very interesting race and it is obviously good news to have scored our first point of the year so we are very happy with today's result. We certainly could not have expected that with a three-stop race from the back of the grid. We are also happy that our times showed that we are again competitive. But it was a difficult race today and of course that does not mean that we have solved all our problems. We have the cooler weather of Melbourne next so we will be testing in Paul Ricard next week to be as prepared as possible for that. We hope to be able to keep up this level of pace at the coming races. We have to keep fighting and try to push for the podium again as soon as possible."

Jarno Trulli narrowly missed the points after a hard afternoon's work with a broken diffuser around the humid Sepang.

Jarno Trulli: "I'm delighted that we scored a point with Ralf today. We should probably have finished with both cars in the points but it was really bad luck for me today. My afternoon got off to an unfortunate start when I suffered a broken diffuser when someone hit me from behind, just like in Hungary last year. That destroyed the rear of the car and that cost me today because I could have scored points. From then on I was suffering a mixture of oversteer and understeer and it was a big struggle so I just concentrated on driving as quickly as possible. We tried to adjust the car at the pit stops but obviously with the diffuser broken we could do very little. It's good that our pace has shown an improvement since Bahrain and we've gained some important data. We know we will succeed if we keep our heads down and work hard."

Toyota scored its first point of 2006 but is realistic about the amount of work that lies ahead over the next few races.

Tsutomu Tomita – Team Principal: "That was obviously a much better performance over the whole weekend and a strong performance in the race thanks to a significant improvement in the combination of our car and our Bridgestone tyres. That gives the whole team a very high motivation which is the most important thing that we could gain here. Of course we are delighted that Ralf scored our first point of the year. Ralf was originally scheduled to do two stops but because of high pneumatic consumption we had to switch him to a three-stop strategy. So to score points from last on the grid is especially impressive due to that fact. Jarno struggled with a diffuser that was damaged early on, which meant he really struggled for race pace but he still finished 9th so those are very encouraging results. The team deserved that result for all their hard work, but now we must start pushing to get on the podium. We will go to Paul Ricard next week to test further development of our combination with the Bridgestone tyres in preparation for the next race and then the start of the European season. We will keep pushing hard as we seek further success."

 

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Race Notes - Midland

MF1 Racing made an encouraging return to form in Sepang on Sunday.

Both cars took the chequered flag - in 12th and 13th positions, respectively - and displayed the reliability that had been the team's hallmark in 2005.

The team returns to action at Melbourne's Albert Park street circuit for the Australian Grand Prix on April 2nd.

Colin Kolles, Managing Director: "I'm pleased that we were able to overcome our reliability issues, which was a positive sign. Our pace was not so bad either, compared to where we were last year. What's more, we were actually getting faster toward the end of the race, so we're continuing to make improvements all the time. We still have a lot to learn about this young car, and there is a lot of room to explore its potential."

Adrian Burgess, Sporting Director: "It was satisfying to have our first double-finish of the year after the problems we had in Bahrain. We were forced to make manual starts with both cars, which compromised our eventual finish quite heavily. As a result of that, we got stuck behind some slower cars off the lights, but after that, we had pretty good pace for the rest of the race. Both our guys drove brilliant races. The pit stops, the cars and everything else ran fine for the rest of the race. We just have to work on the reliability issues that we had with the driveshafts and get our starts back to normal. We know what we have to do and we should have some new parts for Melbourne."

Christijan Albers: "We had bad luck with the start, because both Tiago and I ended up being held up for a few laps. Afterward, we got caught up in traffic, so that limited what we were able to do for the rest of the race. That part was unfortunate, but it was nice to finally run a full race without problems. My crew did a great job, and I think we can have an even better result in Australia in two weeks."

Tiago Monteiro: "It was kind of a tough race for me. I got stuck behind a couple of slower cars at the beginning, so I think my engineers made a good decision to bring me in early. I really felt I had the pace to get by them, but it was difficult because I was losing ground on the straight sections. I was also disappointed not to be able to put in any quick laps on my fresh tyres because of all the traffic, but that's the way it goes, I guess. We pitted early a second time, which was another good decision, and was able to put in some good laps during that stint. But my race position was pretty much set by that point. I can't say I'm very excited to finish 13th, but in any case, I'd like to congratulate the team on a job well done: the pit stops were quick and clean, and we had good reliability."

 

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Race Notes - Renault

The 2006 Malaysian GP was an historic race for the Renault F1 Team, as drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando Alonso took the team's first ever one-two since Renault returned to the sport as a works manufacturer in the 2002 season, and only the second one-two finish in Renault's Formula One history, the last occasion being at the 1982 French Grand Prix.

Giancarlo Fisichella bounced back in style from a disappointing retirement in the Bahraini Grand Prix seven days ago, controlling the Malaysian Grand Prix from start to finish. Running a two-stop strategy, the Italian made a perfect start from pole position and did not put a foot wrong all afternoon. He pitted on laps 19 and 38, and ran an otherwise untroubled race as his R26 car and RS26 V8 engine did not miss a beat.

Fernando Alonso started from a lowly seventh position after problems in qualifying, but much of the disadvantage had been eradicated by the time he reached turn two. A lightning start, and a daring outside pass on both Williams drivers under braking into the first corner, meant the Spaniard emerged from the opening corners in third position. After holding off the lighter Williams of Mark Webber during the opening laps, and conserving his tyres for what would be a very long first stint, the Spaniard began to show the true pace of the R26. His two-stop strategy saw him visit the pits on laps 26 and 43, as he vaulted ahead of Jenson Button's Honda into second position, which he held comfortably to the flag.

The Renault F1 Team leads the Constructors' Championship with 28 points from the opening two races. Fernando Alonso heads the Drivers' Championship on 18 points, while Giancarlo Fisichella is fourth on 10 points. The RS26 V8 engine has also taken both race wins under the new V8 regulations, and Fernando Alonso's engine completed its first two-race life with a total of 18 points scored from a possible 20.

Giancarlo Fisichella: It was a perfect race for me, but it was very tough physically and mentally. It was really, really hot out there and I began to feel it from mid-race onwards. I knew it would be hard but there was no choice but to push all the way to the end. So I did. I didn't want to lose concentration in the last laps, and everything went well, the car and engine were perfect too. I am really so happy for this win. And I am especially pleased because I am dedicating the win to a friend who died last week, Pietro. To have my race engineer Alan Permane on the podium alongside me was special too. Thank you to the whole team, this is a brilliant result.

Fernando Alonso: From my point of view, I think things could have been different without the problems in qualifying, but today was about making everything we could from P7 on the grid, and I think we did that. I got a great start, and managed to brake late into turn 1 to get the Williams round the outside. I knew Webber was lighter than me, and would have let him go if he had tried to pass, but we had the speed in spite of the heavy fuel load. After that, it was just a question of pushing and letting the strategy work itself out. I have a special feeling for this circuit, it is a fantastic track, and it has always been good to me. I am very pleased to have 18 points out of a possible 20 after only two races, and we are really looking forward to Melbourne.

Flavio Briatore, Managing Director: This was a fantastic performance from the whole Renault team. Every single member of our team put in an exceptional performance today. Fisico and Fernando were fantastic. Giancarlo controlled the race, and Fernando amazed us at the start. The car was so heavy, that to do what he did into turn 1 was something special. I think this performance shows that we interpreted the rules for 2006, with the new V8 engines, in the right way. We have a great group of people, and everybody is pushing in the same direction. I am very happy for the whole Renault Group today, and they should be proud to have an incredible team like this one.

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering: We had a fantastic amount of success last season, but the one-two finish eluded us throughout 2005. It is the ultimate team prize, and we are delighted to have achieved it today. What a fantastic result this was for Giancarlo. We saw yesterday that he has real strength of character, as he bounced back from a disappointing weekend in Bahrain, and this just reinforces that. It was a controlling and compelling performance. It is important not to forget Fernando, who was disadvantaged in qualifying by a team problem. He fought through the field to make the most of his race, as he always does. This is a team result, and belongs to every single person at Enstone and Viry.

 

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Race Notes - WilliamsF1

Sam Michael, Technical Director, WilliamsF1: "It was a shame that we had two DNFs with the cars after a promising start. Both cars got off the line well until the first corner when Alonso went round the outside of both of them. Nico's engine failed early in the race, then we had a problem on Mark's car with the hydraulics - he developed a leak that we couldn't fix in the pitstop and the car stopped about a lap and a half later. It's a disappointing end to the weekend, but car performance-wise we could have been solidly into the points looking at everyone else's pace and we'll go to Melbourne with fixes to these problems with increased determination."

Mark Webber: "My start wasn't too bad, but Fernando's was phenomenal. He closed up really quickly from behind me and passed me. This was a shame because it prevented us from running at our own pace. The hydraulic problem came on as I was on the start-finish line. My engineers confirmed it was terminal, so we had to stop. I am off to Australia tonight and I am really looking forward to seeing my family that I haven't seen for a long time, so naturally I'm looking forward to my home race in a fortnight."

Nico Rosberg: "What happened today was a shame because I was going quite well, even if I had lost a couple of places at the start due to wheelspin and also at the first corner where I could have been maybe a bit more aggressive, but after my experience in Bahrain, I just wanted to be careful. Nevertheless, I still thought I could have a good race. But just a few seconds before my engine gave up, I felt there was something wrong with it. It's really unfortunate because I would have loved to finish the race, but that's the way it is and I can't change that. I'll now have a couple of days of holiday and look forward to the race in Australia."

Bernard Ferguson, Cosworth: "With it being the second race for the Cosworth CA2006 V8 engines in both cars, we knew it would be tough, especially in the hot conditions. Unfortunately Nico's engine expired on lap 7 due to an as yet undiagnosed problem. We need to get the failed engine back to our Northampton headquarters as quickly as possible so we can analyse the failure."

 

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Race Notes - Ferrari

Jean Todt: "Considering all the problems that we've had over the weekend, today our objective was to bring home some points and that's what we achieved. The team and the drivers worked well as did the Bridgestone tyres. Today it was very difficult for us because Michael, on a two-stop strategy was starting from 14th place on the grid and Felipe 21st, was on a one-stop strategy. The seven points that we've picked up – four with Felipe and three with Michael - are very important in as far as future prospects are concerned in that we're only at the start of the season. I'm very pleased for Felipe because he deservedly got his first championship points as a Ferrari driver. Now we have to work very hard in all areas so as to improve our competitiveness and reliability."

Felipe Massa: "I'm very pleased with this result and I would like to thank the team for an excellent job. To start from the last row and end up 5th is a good result. Our strategy worked well and I was able to make a good start. During the race I was able to push a bit more at the right moment knowing that during the other phases I would have needed to play more of a waiting game. I lost quite a bit of time behind some of the slower cars but when I had a free track I was able to improve my rhythm keep a good pace. It was a difficult race but finishing fifth gives me that extra bit of motivation for the next races where I hope to be able and compete with the front runners."

Michael Schumacher: "We can accept this result, considering everything that has happened over the weekend. I don't think that we could have achieved much more. On my second stint I wasn't as quick as I was on my first and third one, so now we need to understand the reasons why. All things said and done, the race went basically as I had expected even if one always hopes for something more. During my first pit stop I had to wait a fraction of a second before going out because another car was coming down the pit lane. This was a wise decision from the safety point of view. During the closing stages of the race I was not able to get past Felipe because I just wasn't fast enough and he didn't make any mistakes. This track has always been one of the most difficult for us. Melbourne is a completely different circuit and I hope that it will be better suited to our 248 F1. Now I'm going to take a few days off with my wife Corinna before travelling on to Australia."

Ross Brawn: "Obviously this result isn't too bad considering how we qualified. The tyre performance was consistent and this proves that we chose the right compound, especially in the first stint. Michael didn't quite have the pace in the second stint so we need to understand exactly why. That's why he lost the ground to Felipe and Heidfeld."

 

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Race Notes - Honda

The Honda Racing F1 Team were back on the podium today after Jenson Button finished the Malaysian Grand Prix in third position. From second on the grid he was embroiled in a race-long battle with Renault, holding P2 until Alonso squeezed out ahead of him after the second round of pitstops. Today's result boosts Jenson's points tally to 11 after two rounds of the Championship, which puts him equal second with Michael Schumacher in the Drivers' standings.

Rubens Barrichello had a disappointing end to a difficult weekend, finishing 10th after incurring a stop-go penalty for speeding in the pit lane when he had been looking good for points.

Jenson Button: "I'm obviously pleased to see us back on the podium but it was the top step that we had in mind, so we are a little disappointed. We want to be winning races and today showed that we are in the fight, but there is still a lot of work to be done before we can achieve that target. Having said that, I was held up by traffic a few times, not least of all by Scott Speed before the second pitstop. Had that not happened, maybe I could have come out of the pits ahead of Alonso. Regardless of that though, we have two weeks and a test in Vallelunga to work through our issues and hopefully we can look forward to better things in Melbourne in two weeks' time."

Rubens Barrichello: "It's certainly been an eventful weekend and it was disappointing to end it with a stop-go penalty when I was in with a chance of at least coming away with a few points. These past two races have been a bit of a learning curve but I'm sure things will pick up for the next few races and we can start to realise more of the car's potential."

Gil de Ferran: "We are happy with our first podium of the year. Jenson fought hard all afternoon but in the end we lacked a little pace and he lost some time in traffic during crucial periods of the race, especially around the second stop. Rubens was on course to be fighting for points, but unfortunately got a 10 second stop-go penalty for a pit lane speed violation. Another good note was the reliability of the engine, which in its second race showed no problems in dealing with the hot conditions we have encountered in Malaysia. We are certainly encouraged by our performance so far this season, but at the same time are determined to make further improvements and bring us closer to the fight. Let's see what Australia brings."

Shuhei Nakamoto: "Aside from the problem with Rubens yesterday, which necessitated an engine change, we have been encouraged by the engine performance in the first two races. We have two weeks to improve for the next race in Australia and will be working hard in testing and with the data we have gathered here to do our best for Melbourne."

 

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Race Notes - McLaren

Team McLaren Mercedes driver Juan Pablo Montoya finished today's 56 lap Malaysian Grand Prix in fourth place. Juan Pablo was on a two-stop strategy coming in on laps 23 (8.3 seconds) and 42 (7.0 seconds). Kimi Raikkonen was hit by Christian Klien's Red Bull on the opening lap of the race which damaged his rear suspension and caused him to retire. Track conditions were very warm with air temperatures reaching 33 degrees centigrade, track temperatures at 37 degrees and 62% humidity. Juan Pablo remains fifth in the Drivers' standings with nine points and Kimi is sixth with six. Team McLaren Mercedes is joint second with Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship with a total of 15 points.

Juan Pablo Montoya: "The car was good today and I think we had a solid race. We lost a lot of time in the first stint as my front tyres were graining, but as soon as we changed the tyres the car came back to life and if you look at my pace against Jenson Button later on it was pretty much the same. With the hot temperatures here we did have to look after the engine, which means that we had to sacrifice downforce, so finishing fourth is encouraging. We have scored some more points for the team and I think we look strong going into the next race."

Kimi Raikkonen: "I am very disappointed because I had a great car set-up and very good race strategy. I think it was fairly obvious that Christian Klien made a pretty fundamental mistake and ran into the back of me at turn five, breaking my rear suspension in the process. A positive side, the team has had good race reliability in the first two races and I am already looking forward to Melbourne in two weeks."

Ron Dennis: "Kimi being taken out in the first lap and Juan Pablo's first stint tyre graining problems masked our true competitiveness. We also had to sacrifice some downforce to improve the cooling efficiency of the car. The whole team is looking forward to the scheduled improvements to both the car and engine, which should make us even more competitive in two weeks time. Unlike many teams, we have enjoyed good engine reliability which also supports our positive expectations for Melbourne."

Norbert Haug: "Kimi was pushed out in the opening lap and we missed him a lot in this race. Our reliability was there and Juan Pablo drove a solid race. I would like to thank everybody in the team in Woking, Brixworth and Stuttgart for all their efforts over the last busy month to create this level. Our engines ran fine in both races within a week's time. We have a solid basis, however we definitely want to do better and we will continue to work hard."

 

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Race Notes - Bridgestone

A notoriously tough Malaysian Grand Prix took its toll on the Bridgestone runners today in sweltering conditions but Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher and Toyota's Ralf Schumacher battled through to take valuable points. For the Williams team in particular it was a day of unfulfilled promise as engine and hydraulic problems put an end to their race. Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg had started from the second row of the grid and were running a strong race up with the front runners until their early demise potentially robbed them of podium places. In fact, engine problems seemed to compromise the progress of several Bridgestone runners this weekend. Both Ferrari drivers and Toyota's Ralf Schumacher had been penalized ten places on the grid following engine changes earlier in the weekend. Massa started from 21st and Michael Schumacher from 14th on the grid while his brother Ralf started from the very back, making their points scoring finishing positions significant achievements. The Bridgestone teams now head for Melbourne where the Australian Grand Prix will be held in two weeks time.

Hisao Suganuma, Technical Manager of Bridgestone Motorsport: "It was a shame not to make the podium today but both Ferrari drivers and Toyota's Ralf Schumacher scored points. We could see from Ralf's pace during the race that Toyota is steadily improving as they become more familiar with the Bridgestone tyres and I believe they will show their true performance as the season progresses. It was not a good day for the Williams drivers who stopped due to engine and hydraulic problems respectively but I am sure that if they had continued the race we would have seen the strength of the Williams package. Felipe Massa did a good job to finish fifth with a one-stop strategy. It was good to see how adaptable the Bridgestone tyres were this weekend, being able to support one, two and three-stop strategies, which is not easy in these hot conditions. Michael had a longer first stint than Felipe and although he pushed very hard to gain positions in that first stint he couldn't keep up the momentum. He did finish sixth however. From our point of view it is clear we had the right tyres for this weekend and once things start to come together for our teams in all areas of their packages we look forward to seeing their competitiveness increase. It was also good to see the two Midland drivers and Takuma Sato in the Super Aguri bring their cars home. This provided them with valuable track time and good car and tyre data, all of which will help improve their overall packages."

Ross Brawn, Technical Director – Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro: "Considering our starting positions today it was a reasonable result. We're generally happy. The Bridgestone tyres were consistent. We certainly chose the right compound – which we saw in the first stint. Michael, however, did not seem to have the same pace in the second stint and we shall need to understand why that was the case."

Mike Gascoyne, Technical Director, Chassis – Panasonic Toyota Racing: "Clearly we managed to get the Bridgestone tyres working better this weekend. Qualifying was disappointing and we could have achieved a better grid position. We are very pleased with the race pace and Ralf was able to push when we switched to a three-stop strategy. To score points from the back of the grid is encouraging. We had no issues with the tyres and we are happy with the level of performance."

 

[Flibster]

Race Notes - Michelin

Giancarlo Fisichella maintained Renault's winning start to the season with a measured drive to victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix. After qualifying his Michelin-shod RS26 on pole position, the Italian led from the start and maintained his advantage throughout the 56 laps.

His championship-leading team-mate Fernando Alonso made a bright start from eighth place on the grid to seize third place on the opening lap, and he eventually worked his way up to second to complete a team one-two.

The Renault F1 team's executive engineering director Pat Symonds said: "We had a fantastic amount of success last season, but the one-two finish eluded us throughout 2005. It is the ultimate team prize, and we are delighted to have achieved it today."

Alonso netted the race's fastest lap to complete Renault's perfect weekend. He leads the world title chase by seven points after two of the 18 races.

Jenson Button qualified on the front row alongside Fisichella and ran second for much of the race, but he was unable to keep Alonso at bay during the final round of scheduled pit stops. "I lost quite a bit of time behind lapped traffic," he said, "and that cost me dearly."

Even so, the Englishman finished well clear of Juan Pablo Montoya. The McLaren challenge was diluted on the opening lap, when former Malaysian GP winner Kimi Raikkonen spun into retirement moments after a collision with Christian Klien. The incident also ended the Austrian's chances of a strong result.

As the race entered its closing stages, Michelin was set to complete a clean sweep of the top five positions, but engine failure forced Nick Heidfeld to retire with just seven laps remaining. His team-mate Jacques Villeneuve salvaged a couple of points for seventh, however.

Of the remaining Michelin runners, Rubens Barrichello proved his tyres' durability by running the longest stint of the race – 31 laps – although he was subsequently penalised for speeding in the pit lane when making his only scheduled stop.

That dropped him to 10th in the final standings, ahead of Tonio Liuzzi. Liuzzi had to make an unscheduled stop for a replacement nose after clipping another car on the opening lap.

Scott Speed ran strongly in midfield for much of the race, but eventually stopped with a suspected clutch problem, while David Coulthard made a fantastic start from the back of the grid – the consequence of an unscheduled engine change – but dropped out with a loss of hydraulic pressure after 10 laps.

Nick Shorrock, Michelin F1 director: "We passed with flying colours. This was always going to be a challenging race in the fierce heat– but Michelin passed with flying colours. Our partner teams did an excellent job in terms of preparation and strategy – and the result speaks for itself. But for the unfortunate first-lap incident that befell Kimi Raikkonen and Nick Heidfeld's engine problem, the outcome might have been even more convincing. "We ran three different types of tyre in the race and two of them featured inthe top three. Irrespective of strategies, all our tyres demonstrated a great blend of performance and consistency – a tribute to all the hard work that our engineers and six F1 partners carried out during the winter. This is a very pleasing result."

Pat Symonds, executive engineering director, Renault F1 Team: "Faultless! Sepang places enormous stresses on tyres, with its blend of intense heat, long corners and various traction events. Michelin worked hard in every area over the winter and the long stints we ran today were a real test. Michelin's tyres were faultless and allowed us to stick to our chosen strategies and kept the pace. There were no significant changes in balance or performance throughout the race."

 

[el_dazza]

Well, i was rather shattered..
Only just got up
Great display again from renault, nice to see button closer than the others, ferrari's wing didn't actually help them that much, raikkonen unlucky again, etc.

 

[Flibster]

Race Results.

[b]Pos	No	Driver			Team			Laps	Time		Grid	Points[/b]
1	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault			56	1:30:40.529	1	10	
2	1	Fernando Alonso		Renault			56	+4.5 secs	7	8	
3	12	Jenson Button		Honda			56	+9.6 secs	2	6	
4	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren-Mercedes	56	+39.3 secs	5	5	
5	6	Felipe Massa		Ferrari			56	+43.2 secs	21	4	
6	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari			56	+43.8 secs	14	3	
7	17	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber-BMW		56	+80.4 secs	10	2	
8	7	Ralf Schumacher		Toyota			56	+81.2 secs	22	1	
9	8	Jarno Trulli		Toyota			55	+1 Lap		9		
10	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda			55	+1 Lap		20		
11	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	STR-Cosworth		54	+2 Laps		13		
12	19	Christijan Albers	MF1-Toyota		54	+2 Laps		15		
13	18	Tiago Monteiro		MF1-Toyota		54	+2 Laps		16		
14	22	Takuma Sato		Super Aguri-Honda	53	+3 Laps		17		
Ret	16	Nick Heidfeld		Sauber-BMW		48	Engine		11		
Ret	21	Scott Speed		STR-Cosworth		41	Clutch		12		
Ret	23	Yuji Ide		Super Aguri-Honda	33	Mechanical	18		
Ret	15	Christian Klien		RBR-Ferrari		26	Hydraulics	8		
Ret	9	Mark Webber		Williams-Cosworth	15	Hydraulics	4		
Ret	14	David Coulthard		RBR-Ferrari		10	Hydraulics	19		
Ret	10	Nico Rosberg		Williams-Cosworth	6	Engine		3		
Ret	3	Kimi Räikkönen		McLaren-Mercedes	0	Accident	6

Fastest Laps.

[b]Pos	No	Driver			Team			Lap	Time		Speed		Laptime[/b]
1	1	Fernando Alonso		Renault			45	16:16:43	210.487		1:34.803	
2	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault			16	15:29:19	209.402		1:35.294	
3	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren-Mercedes	39	16:07:10	208.806		1:35.566	
4	12	Jenson Button		Honda			35	16:00:19	208.723		1:35.604	
5	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari			44	16:15:23	208.629		1:35.647	
6	7	Ralf Schumacher		Toyota			34	15:59:50	208.544		1:35.686	
7	16	Nick Heidfeld		Sauber-BMW		41	16:10:30	208.403		1:35.751	
8	6	Felipe Massa		Ferrari			51	16:26:58	207.962		1:35.954	
9	17	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber-BMW		43	16:14:34	207.858		1:36.002	
10	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda			54	16:32:53	207.456		1:36.188	
11	8	Jarno Trulli		Toyota			52	16:29:28	207.042		1:36.380	
12	9	Mark Webber		Williams-Cosworth	12	15:23:13	206.206		1:36.771	
13	15	Christian Klien		Red Bull Racing		14	15:41:45	206.002		1:36.867	
14	21	Scott Speed		STR-Cosworth		25	15:45:26	205.057		1:37.313	
15	10	Nico Rosberg		Williams-Cosworth	6	15:13:32	204.946		1:37.366	
16	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	STR-Cosworth		40	16:11:34	204.902		1:37.387	
17	14	David Coulthard		Red Bull Racing		4	15:10:23	203.458		1:38.078	
18	19	Christijan Albers	MF1-Toyota		34	16:01:08	203.209		1:38.198	
19	18	Tiago Monteiro		MF1-Toyota		39	16:10:42	200.530		1:39.510	
20	22	Takuma Sato		Super Aguri-Honda	14	15:27:27	199.151		1:40.199	
21	23	Yuji Ide		Super Aguri-Honda	18	15:35:36	194.050		1:42.833

Pit Stops

[b]Stop	No	Driver			Team			Lap	Time Of Day	Time		Total Time[/b]
1	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	STR-Cosworth		1	15:05:29	34.193		34.193	
1	15	Christian Klien		Red Bull Racing		1	15:06:22	9:34.749	9:34.749	
2	15	Christian Klien		Red Bull Racing		4	15:21:12	4:08.631	13:43.380	
1	18	Tiago Monteiro		MF1-Toyota		12	15:24:10	28.625		28.625	
1	7	Ralf Schumacher		Toyota			13	15:25:08	27.796		27.796	
1	9	Mark Webber		Williams-Cosworth	14	15:26:27	26.486		26.486	
1	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault			17	15:30:56	29.126		29.126	
1	23	Yuji Ide		Super Aguri-Honda	16	15:31:41	30.339		30.339	
1	12	Jenson Button		Honda			19	15:34:15	26.023		26.023	
1	19	Christijan Albers	MF1-Toyota		19	15:35:48	26.871		26.871	
1	22	Takuma Sato		Super Aguri-Honda	19	15:35:53	28.588		28.588	
2	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	STR-Cosworth		19	15:35:53	34.239		1:08.432	
1	8	Jarno Trulli		Toyota			20	15:36:35	25.511		25.511	
1	21	Scott Speed		STR-Cosworth		22	15:40:06	29.904		29.904	
2	7	Ralf Schumacher		Toyota			22	15:40:07	28.675		56.471	
1	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren-Mercedes	23	15:41:07	26.518		26.518	
1	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari			23	15:41:12	30.135		30.135	
1	17	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber-BMW		23	15:41:25	27.015		27.015	
1	16	Nick Heidfeld		Sauber-BMW		24	15:42:48	25.701		25.701	
1	1	Fernando Alonso		Renault			26	15:45:42	25.455		25.455	
1	6	Felipe Massa		Ferrari			29	15:51:04	28.412		28.412	
1	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda			31	15:54:41	30.540		30.540	
2	8	Jarno Trulli		Toyota			36	16:03:00	30.312		55.823	
2	11	Rubens Barrichello	Honda			36	16:03:17	30.219		1:00.759	
2	2	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault			38	16:04:59	25.473		54.599	
2	12	Jenson Button		Honda			38	16:05:13	26.325		52.348	
2	18	Tiago Monteiro		MF1-Toyota		36	16:05:15	28.686		57.311	
2	19	Christijan Albers	MF1-Toyota		37	16:06:07	28.201		55.072	
3	20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	STR-Cosworth		37	16:06:15	28.073		1:36.505	
3	7	Ralf Schumacher		Toyota			38	16:06:16	28.431		1:24.902	
2	22	Takuma Sato		Super Aguri-Honda	39	16:10:19	28.241		56.829	
2	17	Jacques Villeneuve	Sauber-BMW		41	16:10:58	25.341		52.356	
2	4	Juan Pablo Montoya	McLaren-Mercedes	42	16:12:01	25.467		51.985	
2	16	Nick Heidfeld		Sauber-BMW		42	16:12:07	24.971		50.672	
2	1	Fernando Alonso		Renault			43	16:13:13	24.441		49.896	
2	5	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari			45	16:17:00	25.614		55.749

 

[Flibster]

Current Standings

2006 Drivers Championship.

[b]Pos	Driver			Nationality	Team			Points[/b]
1	Fernando Alonso		Spanish		Renault			18
=3	Michael Schumacher	German		Ferrari			11
=3	Jenson Button		British		Honda			11
4	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian		Renault			10
5	Juan Pablo Montoya	Colombian	McLaren-Mercedes	9
6	Kimi Räikkönen		Finnish		McLaren-Mercedes	6
7	Felipe Massa		Brazilian	Ferrari			4
8	Mark Webber		Australian	Williams-Cosworth	3
=10	Jacques Villeneuve	Canadian	Sauber-BMW		2
=10	Nico Rosberg		German		Williams-Cosworth	2
=12	Ralf Schumacher		German		Toyota			1
=12	Christian Klien		Austrian	RBR-Ferrari		1

2006 Constructors Championship.

[b]Pos	Constructor 		Points[/b]
1	Renault			28
=3	Ferrari			15
=3	McLaren-Mercedes	15
4	Honda			11
5	Williams-Cosworth	5
6	Sauber-BMW		2
=8	Toyota			1
=8	RBR-Ferrari		1

 

[Alibaba99]

Shouldn't that be 2= for JB and MSC in the drivers championship and also McLaren and Ferrari in the constructors?

 

[Flibster]

Shouldn't that be 2= for JB and MSC in the drivers championship and also McLaren and Ferrari in the constructors?

Nope. They are equal 3rd...

It's an old hang up going back many years that F1.com kindly chooses to ignore.

I could go through the rules and work out exactly who is where *non fo the = rubbish* but will take a little time...

 

[Duke]

Pretty good race.. Jenson did well to keep fairly close to the Renaults. Ferrari and Mclaren have some work to do, although we haven't seen the true front running pace from Kimi yet. Williams were looking v.good but the luck ran out this time.