Lap 34 Button now behind Massa in battle for 16th. These two are
having a right ding-dong and how these two are still on the track, only
Sepang’s finest clairvoyant can tell us. Still only one retirement
(Grosjean).
Lap 32 They’ll be dancing on the streets of Guadalajara tonight if Sergio
Perez can keep up the goods. This is no fluke. The wily Mexican, who
started in ninth, looks the real deal here. Hamilton still third and trying
to cool his inters down by racing wide.
Lap 31 Webber gaining time on Raikkonen. That should be some battle.
Especially as we have a little shower coming in from around turn 3. Nothing
like a frisson of excitement to spice up the rest of the rest. Might mean a
return to wets. Never seen so much garage activity.
Lap 29 Perez now seven seconds down on Alonso. But both doing PBs. Oh
how the Ferrari could do with a win here after their theatrics in Melbourne.
Button in 19th and has seemingly had it. Raikkonen fifth, Webber sixth. Di
Resta claws a couple of places into seventh. Good stuff.
Lap 26 Vergne and Massa wheel-to-wheel in race for ninth. Not what
Massa or Ferrari need really. A battle for ninth with a Toro Rosso. Senna up
to 11th and slicing his way through the field. Button 1.5secs faster than
Alonso. After four stops already, would hope so too.
Lap 25 Di Resta into ninth, Button making ground in 18th behind Glock.
Button having an absolute shocker. The Frome flyer pits yet again for
intermediates, having been told to make it work with what he’s got a few
laps ago. Another 20 seconds lost. Race order: Alonso, Perez,
Hamilton, Vettel. Perez just sprung another fastest lap. Button just set
fastest middle-sector out of the pits.
Lap 24 Vettel with the help of KERS and DRS goes past Rosberg into
fourth, who had nothing to offer, as last year’s winner flew past on the
outside. Senna producing the goods in 12th.
Lap 23 Meanwhile, Button’s radio does not make for pretty listening.
First it was lack of control on the front. Moments later it was the back
tyres. Alonso leads Perez by shade over four seconds.
Lap 22 Perez has just put in the fastest middle sector of the race to
date. And closing in on Alonso. Alonso! Leading the race! This is not an
historical live blog by the way. The Spaniard having a blinder.
Lap 20 DRS on but it’s not happening for Hamilton and the Briti is
losing time to Perez. Race order: Alonso, Perez, Hamilton, Rosberg,
Vettel, Raikkonen. Ah, Raikkonen! Here’s a stat: nobody has ever won
from further back on the grid than seventh (But Raikkonen started seventh
for McLaren and won in 2003). that would be some story, eh?
Lap 18 Button, incensed by what has unfolded, is however the fastest on
the track. Fascinating times ahead. Trust the rain to spice things up.
Lap 17 Alonso, on intermediates, currently setting the pace with
consecutive fastest laps. Out in front and free from track spray. Leads from
Perez and Hamilton. German duo Rosberg and Vettel in fourth and fifth. The
reason Button came in was for repairs on front wing after clashing with
HRT’s Karthikeyan. He is 20th and 42 seconds off the lead.
Lap 16 Now Button loses time in the pits after coming in first after
the restart. Around 30 secs for his latest stop. A forgettable few laps for
McLaren. He is pretty much last.
Lap 15 Rear jack takes an age under the McLaren car of Hamilton. And
that pit stop – a terrible one – has cost Hamilton dear. He’s well down the
field and behind traffic. Problems for Vettel with his race radio not
working. He’s coming in a lap late. Button struggling with front grip.
Lap 14 WE’RE BACK RACING! Button straight into the pits for
intermediate tyres. Rosberg also pitted. Schumacher expected to pit. Now
Hamilton pits and Perez leads the race for Sauber.
Lap 13 Aquaplaning still the issue when pelting it down the straight
but proper racing is imminent. Meanwhile, team personnel on the race grid
three minutes before the restart has seen a drive through penalty imposed on
Pedro de la Rosa. RULES!
Lap 11 Drivers are radioing back saying that the track is race-ready.
Come on safety car, you’ve had your 15 minutes. One thing to note about that
delay was that after the 2009 rains, the teams came prepared this time by
erecting awnings over their cars, probably wishing their competitors had
forgotten to do so.
Lap 10 So we’ve restarted. We won’t get wheel-to-wheel racing for a few
laps yet as we’re behind the safety car. And it is already evident that the
spray is still hanging around like an ageing boxer who refuses to retire.
1010 Silverstone and Sepang? Sepang or Silverstone?
1005 Race to restart at 1015 with the full wets and must start behind
the safety car. RULES!
1000 Rain has subsided. Cracking camping weather now, just drizzle in
Sepang. There will be a 10 minute warning for the drivers and cars are
likely to start behind the safety car if we get a restart.
0950 For drivers to gain full points, we need to complete 43 laps. Time
for a Malaysian interlude.
0945 Drivers are either remaining in their cars or standing close by if
we have a restart. With wind at a premium, the rain looks like hammering it
down for another 20 minutes or so. The other thing to consider is that
darkness will descend in a few hours. Quick flick through the Sunday papers?
Who is the Malaysian equivalent of Cliff Richard?
Lap 9 There go the pit boys racing from the garages and the cars will
now line up in race order on the grid. What we can tell you after that
frenetic opening is that a controlled Hamilton has driven brilliantly
on the wets.
Lap 8 Latest local weather bods say that the rains could last for
another 30 minutes. Conditions are pretty rank it has to be said. And we
have a RED FLAG. Race suspended and the clock is stopped with the
cars losing grip. You’ll be glad to here that no race can last more than
four hours thanks to new rulings.
Lap 7 Well, try multi-tasking those opening laps. Time to breathe with
the safety out. Race position: Hamilton, Button, Perez (the first man
to pit for extreme tyres), Webber, Alonso, Vettel, Vergne (who amazingly
hasn’t pitted yet), Massa. Di Resta in 12th. Schumacher in 15th after that
early spin.
Lap 6 Ooophh! Hamilton comes out ahead of his compatriot but this spray
is ridiculous as Button nearly shunts into the back of his team-mate. Perez
has no control and goes straight off the track, but does well to get back. “The
last sector is like a lake,” says Button over the radio. Red flag
instruction has been cancelled and we have a safety car situation.
Lap 5 Button passes Schumacher with virutal walking pace. Time for the
wets me thinks. Hamilton, Webber and Vettel in the pits.
GROSJEAN RETIRES
Lap 4 Massa, who needs a good race here, into the pits with
intermediate change. Yellow flags are out. Grosjean is out of the race,
spinning violently. Activity in the McLaren garage as Button and, then,
Ferrari’s Alonso pit.
Lap 3 The pit lane is a busy place. The rain is still fairly intense
and will continue to do so for a while. No wind means the track spray is
hanging in the air.
Lap 1 So a great start from the McLaren duo. Webber and Vettel follow.
Grosjean, who had a brilliant start to snatch third is now down to 21st.
Webber squeezed out Schui and then got bumped by Grosjean.
0900 LIGHTS OUT IN SEPANG! Super start from Hamilton. Grosjean
overtakes Shcumacher, who spins massively on turn four. There’s a surprise.
Webber into third. Already, it is a guessing game as to the tyre grip on the
track.
0900 So can Hamilton keep ahead here? It’s a long haul down to turn
one. The Briton has to make his car as wide as a jumbo. We’re on the grid.
0858 The track is damp now so the teams are on the intermediates. The
localised downpour hasn’t materialised but it’s still a difficult decison
for the teams here. We’re on the formation lap as Hamilton leads the grid
into turn one…
0855 With rain a factor now, as well as the heat and humidity, here’s Telegraph
columnist David Coulthard on where the race will be won:
One word: strategy. Whereas in Australia I felt that grid position would be
crucial, in Malaysia it will be all about strategy. Although the lap
distance is roughly the same at Sepang as it is at Albert Park, this circuit
feels much longer with the stultifying heat and the long corners. Tyre wear
will be an issue. It will be a test of making your tyres last and timing
your pit-stops, of which there will be many. You do not want to pass the pit
entry to find your tyres suddenly drop off a cliff or it will feel like a
long, lonely lap back to the pits.
0850 How do we know it’s raining? Well…
0840 We’re in for a wet one. Black clouds lurk menacingly and rain is
expected before the off. If anything, it is going to make things very
exciting. The McLarens would probably like nothing better for a dry start to
the race (many moons ago Button would probably have thought differently, but
not when you’re starting at the front of the race). Here’s Hamilton
on his chances, speaking before the threat of rain.
This is a very tricky circuit because of the track temperatures and of the
humidity. It’s going to be massively tough tomorrow but we just have to make
sure we prepare ourselves in the best way we can.
0830 Here’s what our F1 man, Tom Cary – right now with an ice
towel around his neck – has to say on a riveting opening to the season.
This weekend has a reputation for being the most demanding of the year; the
punishing temperatures and humidity transforming cockpits into high-speed
ovens. Hopes are high that the action on track this season will prove just
as hot. Last weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix fired the
imagination. The top five positions may ultimately have been occupied by two
McLarens, two Red Bulls and a Ferrari but that told only half the story.
Mercedes have raw pace aplenty and if they can get their tyre wear under
control will undoubtedly pose a threat, while Lotus, Sauber, Toro Rosso and
even Williams appear to be far closer to the frontrunners than they were
last year.
0850 Ah, there he is..
0815 Let’s dive straight into some stats for this race.
Jenson Button’s Melbourne win last weekend was the 13th of his career,
bringing him level with David Coulthard and the late Italian champion
Alberto Ascari in the all-time list. A win today would bring the McLaren
driver’s tally level with that of past champions Jack Brabham of Australia,
Graham Hill and Brazil’s Emerson Fittipaldi.
There is one respite for Ferrari, who endured a tough campaign last
year with just one win at Silverstone: the Italian outfit have won five of
the 13 races held at Sepang. Then again six Malaysian GP’s have ended in
one-two finishes, so the spoils point to McLaren.
And what about the all-important pole? Well, five of the last 10 races at
Sepang have been won from pole. Nobody has ever won from further back on the
grid than seventh (Raikkonen started seventh for McLaren and won in
2003). And who wouldn’t begrudge the same again?
2011 pole position: Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Red Bull 1 min 34.870
secs.
Race lap record: Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) Williams 1:34.223 (2004)
0800 Good morning and welcome to live coverage of the second Grand Prix
of the season. And to those who will be joining us in an hour, having woken
with a suffen jolt after forgetting to do the annual clock thing – what are
you playing at? After the frisson of excitement created in Melbourne, the F1
circus moves to Sepang. It’s hot, it’s humid and no doubt we’ll get the
torrential downpours. But, hey, it wouldn’t be a Malaysian GP without you,
me and Berne talking about the weather threats.