It seemed to be a promising race from the beginning. After the showing up of the rain during the qualification yesterday, which mixed up the starting lineup, we expected to see a good race and we did. With both Ferrari and McLaren starting from the back end of the grid, while Red bull drivers started from positions 1 and 3, we could guess that we would see many overtakings during the race.
Webber did not start very good and as a result Sebastian Vettel took the chance to pass him in the first corner. Both Red Bulls had been very fast, and only another unlucky incident could ruin their race. They got on top and stayed there till the end of the race.
But behind them the Malaysian race was a thrilling one. Lewis Hamilton started a great charge from position 20!, which brought him up to the 6th place. There he was stopped by an incredible Adrian Sutil, who showed that he has talent and also his team is making a very good job making a faster car. The Briton tried to pass in several occasions but Sutil managed to stay ahead. Some laps later Lewis stopped attacking as he faced some overheating due to the fact that he has been following Sutil closely for some laps.
Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso also climbed up many positions. Felipe managed to get behind Jenson Button in P8, and got past him a few laps later as he was much faster. Alonso also reached Button, as soon as he got his new set of tyres. After a fight that lasted for many laps, Alonso took the dive in turn 1 to pass the Briton. He did it but his engine betrayed him right there, causing him to retire.
The race ended, finding Vettel on top, followed by his teammate Mark Webber. Rosberg, Kubica follwed, after a race that was not disturbed by anyone, while Sutil, Hamilton, Massa, Button, Alguersuari and Hulkenberg completed the points awarding first ten positions.
Among the fights we have seen in this race we have to mention the one between Lewis Hamilton and Vitaly Petrov, with the Russian showing some talent and great aggressiveness. unfortunately Petrov had to retire from the race due to a mechanical failure that probably costed him his first world championship points.
Points of the race to be mentioned :
- The race has ended having a new winner (three races with 3 different winners).
- The first eight drivers in the standings are being separated by only 15 points (points being awarded by a 3rd place in the race).
- Red Bull racing has the fastest car in track, and without any reliability problems they have the best chance of winning the 2010 F1 world championship.
- McLaren and Ferrari can be challenging and their drivers have the ability to drive fast and chase down almost any rival.
- Mercedes GP is in good shape, it seems to be stabilizing along with Renault, right after the top three teams. Both will have the chance to take advantage of any mistakes or unfortunate events the others have, in order to challenge them. We can risk a prediction here, that they can win races, or at least a race during the season.
- Force India has made a great improvement and is moving somewhere in the middle of the standings. Some podium finishes this season are possible.
- Sauber, Lotus, HRT and Virgin will have a lot of work to do in order to provide their drivers with a decent racing car.
The conclusions made after the third race of the season, are many but lead to one. That we are going to watch a great championship this year.
Next stop: China in two weeks. In the meantime, stay tuned.
The race results are as follows
1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 93:48.412
2 Mark Webber Red Bull +4.80
3 Nico Rosberg Mercedes GP +13.50
4 Robert Kubica Renault +18.50
5 Adrian Sutil Force India +21.00
6 Lewis Hamilton McLaren +23.40
7 Felipe Massa Ferrari +27.00
8 Jenson Button McLaren +37.90
9 Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso +70.60
10 Nico Hulkenberg Williams +73.30
11 Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso +78.90
12 Rubens Barrichello Williams +1 lap
13 Fernando Alonso Ferrari +2 lap
14 Lucas Di Grassi Virgin Racing +3 lap
15 Karun Chandhok Hispania Racing +3 lap
16 Bruno Senna Hispania Racing +4 lap
17 Jarno Trulli Lotus F1 Racing +5 lap
Ret Michael Schumacher Mercedes GP
Ret Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India
Ret Vitaly Petrov Renault
Ret Pedro de la Rosa Sauber
Ret Heikki Kovalainen Lotus F1 Racing
Ret Timo Glock Virgin Racing
Ret Kamui Kobayashi Sauber
