Malaysian Grand Prix 2011

Malaysia, where it usually rains jaguars and elephants, just before, during and or after the race; but it didn’t this year. The clouds kept us in suspense, for we knew who would win the race if all else was equal, but we didn’t know if it would rain.

The guys in the pits knew. The kept on putting on soft compound tires as the poor Pirellis shed into little rubber ball lap after lap. And with each stop, someone gasped as another set of yellow highlighted Pirellis were shoved on the cars, each stop quicker than the last, until they reached a point where it was against the law of physics to change tires any quicker. We may be wrong, don’t quote me on this, but we don’t think a single team got suckered into wearing intermediates.

Also ran at Malaysia. Everone also ran, including of course Schumacher who came to the jungle with great expectations and a good practice but the end result was as dismal as the weather. He placed higher than Rosberg for a change but is still being beaten around corners, for chrissake, by that up and coming young Japanese Kobayashi we wrote about last year. Give that guy a good seat and he will no longer be up and coming but very much there. Koby must be learning a great deal dicing with the master.

Vettel at Malaysia. There is something disheartening about watching Vettel, not that you see much of him as the cameras are focused on the struggles taking place in Vettel’s distant rear view mirror. It’s gonna be a boring season. Four in a row. And seemingly no stopping him from just trouncing everything in sight for the rest of the year. He probably has not used the 80 hp KERS, and probably not the adjustable rear wing. That’s scary. Oh, maybe the wing to get around a back marker, but why bother.

So one must ask, what is going on here? Why is one driver so superior? Does he have a significantly better car than Webber? Well, something should be done about that. Or, is he himself, young Vettel, just that good? That’s really scary; Vettel’s like a Schumacher on KERS. And nothing can be done about that, morally, anyway.

Yknow, during the Ferrari/Todt/Shumacher era. It was clear that Michael was the superior driver but it was just as clear that it was the team and the strategy and the car that brought home so many victories. Vettel’s success is phantom, just there, we can’t see it or fathom it, although a large part of the phenomenon has got to be due to his particular team, but gee whiz. Maybe part of being such a good team is making it look all so easy. But gee whiz, that lead.

What of Ferrari now? Massa did better than Alonso, finishing fifth to Alonso’s sixth. They may get stronger as the season progresses, but if so they will only beat everyone else, except for Vettel.

And lastly, Bob Varsha, we missed you. As we said in the interview intro, you are “unflappable…an anchor’s anchor, rising about the noise and screams and conjecture”. I was criticized me for being so patronizing, but like a good editor I’ll stand by my words, as the proof was in the pudding of Malaysia.

Race Results

1	VETTEL	RBR-Renault	1h37m39.832s
2	BUTTON	McLaren-Mercedes	+ 3.2s
3	HEIDFELD	Renault	+ 25.0s
4	WEBBER	RBR-Renault	+ 26.3s
5	MASSA	Ferrari	+ 36.9s
6	ALONSO	Ferrari	+ 57.2s
7	KOBAYASHI	Sauber-Ferrari	+ 66.4s
8	HAMILTON	McLaren-Mercedes	+ 69.9s
9	SCHUMACHER	Mercedes	+ 84.8s
10	DI RESTA	Force India-Mercedes	+ 91.5s
11	SUTIL	Force India-Mercedes	+ 1 lap
12	ROSBERG	Mercedes	+ 1 lap
13	BUEMI	STR-Ferrari	+ 1 lap
14	ALGUERSUARI	STR-Ferrari	+ 1 lap
15	KOVALAINEN	Lotus-Renault	+ 1 lap
16	GLOCK	Virgin-Cosworth	+ 2 laps
17	PETROV	Renault	+ 4 laps, accident
18	LIUZZI	HRT-Cosworth	+ 10 laps, rear wing issue
19	D’AMBROSIO	Virgin-Cosworth	+ 14 laps, accident
20	TRULLI	Lotus-Renault	+ 25 laps, clutch
21	PEREZ	Sauber-Ferrari	+ 33 laps, accident
22	BARRICHELLO	Williams-Cosworth	+ 34 laps, hydraulics
23	KARTHIKEYAN	HRT-Cosworth	+ 42 laps, hydraulics
24	MALDONADO	Williams-Cosworth	+ 48 laps, engine misfire
Fastest Lap	WEBBER	RBR-Renault	1m40.571s

NOTE: Hamilton originally finished seventh, but had 20s added to his race time for making more than one change of direction in defending his position from Alonso. Alonso had 20s added for causing a collision with Hamilton.

Driver’s Championship Standings

1	VETTEL	RBR-Renault	50 Points
2	BUTTON	McLaren-Mercedes	26 Points
3	HAMILTON	McLaren-Mercedes	22 Points
4	WEBBER	RBR-Renault	22 Points
5	ALONSO	Ferrari	20 Points
6	MASSA	Ferrari	16 Points
7	HEIDFELD	Renault	15 Points
8	PETROV	Renault	15 Points
9	KOBAYASHI	Sauber-Ferrar	6 Points
10	BUEMI	STR-Ferrari	4 Points
11	SUTIL	Force India-Mercedes	2 Points
12	SCHUMACHER	Mercedes	2 Points
13	DI RESTA	Force India-Mercedes	2 Points

Constructor’s Championship Standings

1	RBR-RENAULT	72 Points
2	McLAREN-MERCEDES	48 Points
3	FERRARI	36 Points
4	RENAULT	30 Points
5	SAUBER-FERRARI	6 Points
6	STR-FERRARI	4 Points
7	FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES	4 Points
8	MERCEDES	2 Points