Malaysian GP – Race: Vettel in the lead, Button and Heidfeld on the podium

The Malaysian race took place this morning, and at the start, many uncertainties remained. The weather, with rising humidity levels and threatening clouds, and also the wear level of the tires provided by Pirelli.

The first corner saw a very good start from the two Lotus Renaults, with Heidfeld climbing to 2nd place while Vitaly Petrov moved up to 5th place. Felipe Massa took advantage to pass Fernando Alonso while Mark Webber dropped to tenth place in the standings, as Michael Schumacher was blocked by the Ferrari’s Spaniard. After a few laps, it was noted that Mark Webber did not have the KERS, unlike his teammate, likely due to an electrical problem, while Rubens Barrichello went to the pits with a puncture on the left rear. Felipe Massa used the activation of the DRS to overtake Vitaly Petrov on the straight, performing one of the first true overtakes thanks to this system. The Russian made a small mistake that benefited Fernando Alonso and allowed Michael Schumacher to catch up to him, but prevented him from overtaking despite using the DRS.

In the 9th lap, the battle for 9th place is intense between Kamui Kobayashi and Mark Webber, while the first pit stops are underway. At the front, Sebastian Vettel is racing alone with a six-second lead over Nick Heidfeld, who is resisting Lewis Hamilton in second position. The latter takes the risk of stopping first, while Nick Heidfeld is losing his tires, along with some drivers who are rushing to pit, as a few drops fall on the track. Fernando Alonso attempts the gamble of not stopping, like Vitaly Petrov, awaiting possible rain, but with the rain not coming, the Spaniard stops at the same time as Michael Schumacher, struggling with his tires against Lewis Hamilton and Jaime Alguersuari. Sergio Perez shows the good form of his Sauber, while Kobayashi is in third position before making his tire change. Yet the rain appears on the screens as Felipe Massa sets the fastest lap of the race. Meanwhile, his teammate overtakes Jenson Button and starts pushing to catch up with Lewis Hamilton, who is also setting fast laps to catch up to Sebastian Vettel.

On the 22nd lap, Mark Webber is forced to give way to Felipe Massa, hindered by the lack of KERS and the use of DRS by the Brazilian. The Australian makes a second pit stop to fit soft tires once again, followed by Jenson Button who puts on worn soft tires, while his teammate opts for hard tires. Retirements follow one another, with the withdrawal of both Williams cars and Sergio Perez, while Sebastian Vettel chooses soft tires but comes out behind Nick Heidfeld and Felipe Massa, finding himself hampered before quickly overtaking the Brazilian with DRS.

This one also changes his tires, like the Russian from Lotus Renault GP, quickly followed by Michael Schumacher who fits hard tires, like the 2008 world champion. And radio communications indicate that Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull Renault also has a KERS issue, with his engineers asking him not to use it. But even with this handicap, the reigning world champion manages to maintain the gap with his pursuers, while his teammate fits hard tires on the 33rd lap.

On the 37th lap, Sebastian Vettel completely widens the gap on the two McLarens while Fernando Alonso catches up to Jenson Button with his Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton makes his third pit stop to put on new hard tires but loses time during it, and his teammate comes out ahead of him after his stop on the following lap.

The struggle is tough between the Brit and Mark Webber, who can’t overtake him without the KERS, while Sebastian Vettel finally switches to hard tires before coming out in the lead, whereas Fernando Alonso does the same, coming out in fifth position behind Mark Webber’s Red Bull. Michael Schumacher, fighting for ninth position, makes a small mistake before changing tires, while the Australian from Red Bull makes his fourth stop, keeping the hard tires. This allows Fernando Alonso to dive on Lewis Hamilton for a fierce battle between the two former teammates from 2007 for access to the podium, but the Spaniard has an issue with his car: the DRS isn’t working, and wanting to attack too much, Fernando Alonso breaks part of his front wing on the rear wheel of Lewis Hamilton, who seems to be struggling with his tires.

In the lead, Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button are racing calmly with a good gap, while Vitaly Petrov makes a very good overtake on Kamui Kobayashi. Meanwhile, Mark Webber is catching up at a frantic pace to Felipe Massa, whose tires seem to be in very poor condition. The two drivers have a great battle in the early corners, with the advantage going to the Australian in a very tight fight, while Nick Heidfeld is closing in like a bullet on a struggling Lewis Hamilton, at almost two seconds per lap, and overtakes him quickly with the DRS, allowing the German to reach the podium, while Mark Webber also picks up the pace. The Englishman makes a mistake that benefits the Australian and goes to the pits before completely losing his rear tire.

The end of the race is eventful, Vitaly Petrov has an issue with his car and goes straight into a turn before returning to the track with a big jump in his car, and his steering wheel remains in his hands. The driver is forced to retire after a heavy impact upon landing from a jump about one meter above the ground. Two laps from the finish, Mark Webber is attacking Nick Heidfeld for access to the podium, and the German makes a small mistake while braking but stays ahead.

Sebastian Vettel crosses the finish line in the lead, winning a second victory in two races this season, ahead of Jenson Button and Nick Heidfeld at the end of a very eventful race.

The Red Bull drivers having issues with their KERS, Mark Webber finishes in fourth place with four pit stops, ahead of the two Ferraris and Lewis Hamilton, in a race taking place without rain.

Results of the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix: