Google+ Jack Leslie F1: 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix Weekend Report

27 March 2015

2015 Malaysian Grand Prix Weekend Report

The second round of the 2015 Formula 1 season took place at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
© Daimler Mercedes
It was the 17th running of the event, which first joined the calendar in 1999, and followed a relatively low-key start to the year in Australia.

The 3.444 mile track features a mix of slow and high-speed corners, as well as several long straights. The high temperatures and humidity makes the race one of the toughest on the F1 calendar.

Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas were both back in action after missing round one in Melbourne, while the Malaysian Grand Prix marked Manor Marussia's first on-track appearance of the season.

FP1
It was a busy start to the opening 90-minute session, with Marcus Ericsson, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz Jr being the first to take to the circuit. Will Stevens emerge from his pit garage early on to debut Manor Marussia's interim 2015 car.
© Daimler Mercedes

Alonso soon joined the Englishman, completing his first laps in the McLaren Honda MP4-30 since the second winter test. Ericsson set the opening timed lap, with a 1:44.483. Raffaele Marciello joined the Swede on the timesheets as he replaced Felipe Nasr for FP1 at Sauber.

Following an earlier telemetry issue, Lewis Hamilton stopped on track at Turn 9 with one hour remaining. The team later confirmed it was an engine issue. His team-mate Nico Rosberg hit the front and improved to a 1:40.124, ending the session fastest. 

A late improvement saw Kimi Raikkonen move to within four tenths of Rosberg, with Sebastian Vettel in third after a delayed start to his session. Romain Grosjean, Sainz Jr, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen were next up. Valtteri Bottas, Daniil Kvyat and Ericsson completed the top 10. Alonso was 14th quickest, while Stevens and Roberto Merhi were 18th and 19th. Manor Marussia managed 16 laps in total during FP1.

FP2
Second practice got off to a typically quiet start, with Stevens and Raikkonen being the first to take to the track. The former then set the opening timed lap with a 1:46.705. 
© Daimler Mercedes

The two Ferrari drivers quickly moved to the front, with Vettel leading Raikkonen in the opening 10 minutes by just 0.022 seconds. The four-time champion then improved his time to a 1:40.652, before Rosberg took over the top spot to go two tenths clear.

The session was red flagged with 57 minutes to go after Merhi spun into the gravel at Turn 11. The beached Manor was swiftly recovered and FP2 got back underway. Hamilton returned to the track after his practice one problem, as drivers switched to the option tyres.

Raikkonen returned to the top of the timesheets, before the majority of drivers switched focus to longer runs. Despite more telemetry issues, Hamilton returned to the track and went fastest with a 1:39.790. Raikkonen ended the session just under four tenths further back, with Rosberg, Kvyat, Bottas and Massa next up. Vettel, who spun on his quick lap, Verstappen, Ericsson and Ricciardo completed the top 10.

FP3
The third and final 60-minute practice session got off to a busy start, with Bottas, Vettel and Stevens being the first to take to the Sepang International Circuit. Practice starts were completed at the pit exit, in preparation for the race.
© Daimler Mercedes

Stevens put in the first timed lap for Manor Marussia with a 1:49.397. The Sauber duo quickly displaced the Englishman, before Kvyat and Ricciardo moved to the front. Rosberg emerged with 35 minutes left on the clock and took over the top spot on the timesheets. 

Hamilton made a mistake on his first lap, going fourth behind Vettel and Ricciardo. He later improved but failed to move up a position. Drivers then switched to the medium tyre, with Rosberg remaining fastest, putting in a 1:39.690. Hamilton moved up to second place, just under two tenths behind his team-mate.

Raikkonen and Vettel were third and fourth, with Massa, Bottas, Ricciardo and Sainz Jr next up. The top eight were within one second of Rosberg's top time. Verstappen and Ericsson completed the top 10. Alonso was 15th, with Button in 18th. Stevens rounded out the results after sitting out most of FP3 with a car problem.

Qualifying
Q1
The slowest five drivers were eliminated from the fight for pole position in the opening segment of qualifying. The session got off to a quiet start, with Merhi and Verstappen being the first to take to the circuit.
© McLaren

The Mercedes duo both exited the garage on the medium compound tyre. Merhi also put in the opening lap time with a 1:47.214. Hamilton and Rosberg then moved to first and second, with the former putting in a 1:39.269.

The reigning world champion remained at the top of the timesheets by the end of the session, as dark clouds and storms edged closer to the track. Rosberg, Vettel, Sainz Jr and Bottas completed the top five. 

Grosjean, Ericsson, Maldonado, Raikkonen and Ricciardo rounded out the top 10. At the back of the field, Nasr, Button and Alonso were all eliminated from qualifying. Merhi's best time was outside the 107% rule, while Stevens failed to set a time.

Q2
Five drivers were also eliminated from the second qualifying session. With a thunder and lightning storm closing in, all 15 drivers quickly headed out on track to complete an early lap in dry conditions.
© Sahara Force India F1 Team

Vettel set the opening timed lap with a 1:39.632. He was displaced by Rosberg, with Bottas and Ricciardo going third and fourth. The rain quickly turned torrential, with drivers tentatively making their way back to the pit lane. 

The dramatic change in weather meant no one was able to improve. Rosberg remained fastest with a 1:39.377, with Vettel in second. Grosjean and Massa were fifth and sixth behind Ricciardo, with Verstappen and Hamilton next up.

The Englishman was caught up in a pack of cars on his one and only timed lap, but the rain saved him from losing more positions. Kvyat and Ericsson also made it through to Q3. Raikkonen, Maldonado, Hulkenberg, Perez and Sainz Jr were all eliminated.

Q3
The start of the top 10 shoot-out was delayed by around 30 minutes due to the rain. There was a mix of strategies, with some opting to go out on the wet tyre and others choosing the intermediates.
© Daimler Mercedes

Bottas and Massa were the first emerge out on track. However, they both pitted before completing their opening timed laps to switch from wets to intermediates. Hamilton went fastest with a 1:49.834, 1.3 seconds clear of Rosberg.

Vettel improved to third on his second attempt, displacing Verstappen. The majority of the field then pitted for fresh sets of the green-marked tyre. Hamilton failed to improve on his final lap, after backing off on the previous one, but still secured Malaysian Grand Prix pole position.

Rosberg could only move up to third, with Vettel denying Mercedes a front row lock-out. Ricciardo and Kvyat were fourth and fifth for Red Bull Racing, with Verstappen and Massa next up. Massa, Grosjean, Bottas and Ericsson completed the top 10. See the full results here.


The Race
The Malaysian Grand Prix started in typically hot and humid conditions, with Hamilton on pole position and Rosberg in third place, behind Vettel. 

Could the 2014 runner-up move ahead of the Ferrari and take the fight to his team-mate? Strategy was always going to play a huge part in the race, and there was also the threat of rain. Only 19 cars lined up on the grid, with a fuel system issue preventing Manor's Stevens from starting.
© Daimler Mercedes

The revs rose, the lights went out and round two of the 2015 season got underway. Off the line, Hamilton and Rosberg had strong starts, but the German failed to get ahead of Vettel into Turn 1. Kvyat dropped behind Massa, while Ericsson muscled his way past Verstappen at Turn 4.

However, the Swedish driver then lost out to Hulkenberg, who had a strong first few corners for Force India. Maldonado suffered a puncture after contact with Bottas and limped back to the pits. Raikkonen slowed suddenly on the pit straight as he started lap two, also suffering a puncture after contact with Nasr at the final corner. 

There were plenty of battles in the midfield, with Grosjean and Verstappen going wheel-to-wheel. Following three laps of running, Hamilton had a one second lead over Vettel. Nasr pitted for a new front wing, while Raikkonen eventually made it back to the pit lane for a change of tyres. 

Ericsson suffered a spin at Turn 1 and beached his Sauber in the gravel, causing the Safety Car to be deployed on lap four. It prompted several drivers to pit, including Hamilton, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Kvyat and Massa. Ferrari kept Vettel out and the German took over the lead.
© Red Bull Racing

The Safety Car took to the pit lane at the end of lap six, with Vettel getting a strong jump on Hulkenberg and Grosjean. Hamilton swiftly displaced Perez, with the Mexican dropping down the order. However, with the Mercedes duo stuck in a train of cars behind Hulkenberg, Vettel was able to pull out a six second lead by his eighth tour.

Hamilton cleared the Force India driver on lap 11 and quickly pulled away from the chasing pack. It took Rosberg longer to move through the field, passing Hulkenberg into Turn 1 on lap 14. Meanwhile, at the back of the pack, Button and Perez battled closely over 10th place. 

Vettel took to the pit lane for the first time at the end of lap 17, following an impressive opening stint. He emerged in third place, behind Rosberg and well clear of Massa. However, he was on the medium compound tyre and rapidly closed in on the second Mercedes car. 

Rosberg made a mistake into the final corner on lap 21 and fell behind Vettel, as Hamilton reported that his rear tyres were "dropping off". Meanwhile Alonso was told to box and retire the car with a reliability issue. 

Vettel took the lead into the final corner on the 24th lap, with Hamilton diving into the pits at the same time and switching to the medium compound. Kvyat was tipped into a spin after contact with Hulkenberg at Turn 2, while Rosberg pitted and emerged on the prime tyre.
© Lotus F1 Team

Grosjean and Perez collided at Turn 12, with the former being spun at high speed after a brave overtaking attempt around the outside. Hamilton had closed to within 14 seconds of Vettel by lap 37, with both drivers lapping on the medium Pirelli compound.

Ferrari pitted Vettel at the end of the lap, as the German switched to the hard tyre. He returned to the track just ahead of Rosberg. Hamilton took to the pits on the following tour and also switched to the primes, with Rosberg doing the same on lap 41.

Button reported a "loss of power" over team radio and limped back to the pit lane to retire. Despite being on the same tyre, Hamilton couldn't put in the lap times he needed to, with Vettel's lead being 11 seconds with five laps to go. 

The four-time world champion took the chequered flag to score his first F1 victory since the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix, and the 40th of his career. It was a supreme drive by Vettel, with Hamilton 8.5 seconds further back in the runner-up spot.
© Daimler Mercedes

The W06 proved to be harder on its tyres and Mercedes' strategy calls failed to yield another one-two result. Rosberg was third, finishing 3.7 seconds behind his team-mate. Raikkonen completed the top four despite his early puncture, with Bottas moving ahead of Massa late in the race.

The Williams duo finished fifth and sixth, and Verstappen scored the first points of his F1 career with seventh place. Sainz Jr was eighth, with Ricciardo and Kvyat completing the top 10 for Red Bull. 

Grosjean recovered from his spin to finish 11th, with Nasr in 12th and Perez in 13th. Hulkenberg lost out to his team-mate in the closing stages and finished 14th. Merhi made it to the finish for Manor, albeit three laps down. 

Full Malaysian Grand Prix race results can be found here.

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