In spite of disastrous rain during the qualifying and the temperature of asphalt rising to 46°C on the start of the main event Lewis Hamilton clinched the Malaysian Grand Prix title and the Russian driver Daniil Kvyat was able to score points rounding out the top 10.
With changes in its technical regulations and a switch to the new engines Formula 1 has lost sound but brought anticipation of action. There were rumours going on in the paddocks about Bernie Ecclestone hatching a plan to acquire the F1 shares belonging to the CVC Capital Partners which would allow him taking over full control and bringing back the voice of the “queen”. Sebastian Vettel made a very funny comment before the race: “It is s--t. I was on the pitwall during the race, and it is better [quieter] than in a bar!”
At the second Grand Prix of the year the battle unfolded at the Sepang circuit which is 5,543 m long, where pilots had to do a race of 56 laps. The track is about technique featuring both slow and fast corners. But the major problem was the weather which is extremely fast-changing in Malaysia at this time of the year bringing heavy showers during the qualifying and heat during the race. Doctors notified in advance that it would be very difficult for the drivers and they might lose 2–2.5 kg of weight.
Due to the new technical regulations the pilots have already gone on strict diets including dehydration and reducing the menu in order to meet the weight requirements which are set at 692 kg for the race car together with the pilot. This is the consequence of the fact that the new powerplants turned out to be heavier than the former naturally-aspirated V8s.
Mirror magazine quotes Jenson Button: “Some guys are struggling. It’s a pity we have to do things like that because the regulations force us to”. Lewis Hamilton fully agreed with that: “At the moment I’m pretty sure it’s hardcore what people are doing. At the moment we’re okay. But for the really heavy drivers, I can’t imagine how it is for them. You can go into qualifying a little bit dehydrated. I heard someone was doing that, exhausting themselves. You don't want drivers to be anorexic”.
So, qualifying was postponed due to pouring rain with streams of water running down the track. Apart from weather conditions, some of the drivers couldn’t cope with technical “illnesses” of their cars. For instance, according to f1news.ru, Kamui Kobayashi had problems with his energy-storage system necessitating the fourth replacement (out of five replacements allowed). Ten minutes after the sun came out and the green light was given it started raining again and the pilots looked like sodden otters in spaceships. The visibility was near zero. Gutierrez (Sauber) and Vettel (Red Bull) flew off the track and Ericsson (Caterham) crashed his car on the last minute of the first session. Red flags came out. In the second session Alonso (Scuderia Ferrari) had a collision with Kvyat (Scuderia Toro Rosso). The session was stopped. Alonso had issues with the suspension of the front left wheel, while Kvyat’s nose cone was damaged.
Autosport quoted Fernando Alonso: “I didn't see him coming. Obviously it was a little bit of an aggressive move on the out-lap with that sort of visibility”.
The race cars were fixed quite fast and the pilots were back on the track. Third session was more peaceful. All in all, Lewis Hamilton won pole position: “During my last lap I just couldn't see a thing behind Nico Hülkenberg. I couldn't see where the track went, didn't know where the corners were, when to brake. To start the lap I couldn't see where Fernando Alonso was behind me, so it was impossible to try to get a gap, so I had to bail out. It was definitely a little bit too close to Sebastian Vettel but I'm happy to be here”.
Vettel (Red Bull) and Rosberg (Mercedes) were right behind him. In spite of the incident with Alonso, Daniil Kvyat secured 11th position.
The race started without rain but with the sound of a dying engine. Before the formation lap the car of Sergio Pérez (Sahara Force India) stalled and he wasn’t able to start: “I'm disappointed not to have a chance to race today. The car kept going into neutral when I was downshifting on the way to the grid. I made it back to the garage but we could not find a solution”.
Hamilton used the advantage of pole position right from the start, Rosberg and Riccardo overtook Vettel while Maldonado (Lotus) and Bianchi (Marussia) collided. Stewards fined Bianchi five seconds stop in the pits while the unlucky Maldonado was told by the engineers to stop the car at the garage because of problems with the powerplant. In the course of the race Riccardo (Red Bull) started experiencing problems again — fuel-flow sensor went wrong — but FIA allowed switching to a backup fuel-flow checking system. At the 35th lap the car of Sauber’s pilot Adrian Sutil had a complete system shutdown and marshals rolled it to the side. Gutierrez (Sauber) also stopped the car in the pits one lap later. The front left wheel of Riccardo’s car was not fixed and he had his nose fairing and damaged tyres changed. Several minutes later he got a penalty with a ten second stop in the pits for exiting the pit lane with a loose wheel. So he just had to stand there. Later he stopped in the pits again and did not come back to the track.
As a result, Lewis Hamilton scored victory. No one could steal his first position throughout the entire race: “I'm incredibly happy today. This is my first win in Malaysia after eight attempts and to do it... I would like to offer this victory in tribute to all those affected by the tragedy of MH370. A special mention also goes to my step-mum Linda for her 50th birthday tomorrow”.
Nico Rosberg was the second to cross the finish line: “I had a great start again, even though it was tight with Sebastian. It was very close at the wall and I just closed the eyes, went for the gap and did it”.
The third pilot to climb the podium was the defending champion Sebastian Vettel: “We have certainly made a good step forwards, but we still have a lot of work to do. It’s great to get a podium finish today”.
What concerns the Russian pilot Daniil Kvyat, he finished 10th: “It’s good to finish in the top 10 for a second time in a row now. This afternoon’s race was very difficult and intense with a lot of fighting”. In his interview to f1news.ru Daniil said: “I must be honest, I was exhausted after the race. It’s really difficult to drive in such hot weather conditions. I was out of drinking water quite soon and it was very difficult form the physical standpoint during the last 10–15 laps”.
The pilots have passed the tests of rain and heat. Now comes the time to see what happens at the Bahrain Grand Prix with no air conditioners on the track either. We will also continue keeping an eye on Bernie Ecclestone who is doing his best to introduce any changes which might reduce the amount of criticism towards the sound of the race. Although it is possible that everyone will get used to it quite soon. However, Hamilton still fails to do that: “Most noise is really the wind, the buffeting, but otherwise what a great car”, said the winner of the second race of the world championship.
Photo: f1fanatic.co.uk
