Briatore - 'Diffuser gang' one step ahead

Renault boss Flavio Briatore insists his team has not given up hope of getting itself back in the hunt for the world title - despite its shaky start to the season.

Former world champion Fernando Alonso said at the weekend that his team needed to up its game if it was to make the R29 a race winner – having failed to shine in the first two races of the campaign.

And Briatore has issued a rallying call – believing that his team's form has more to do with the diffuser controversy overshadowing the sport rather than his team not producing a good car.

"Like everybody else, excluding three teams, everybody is having a tough time," Briatore told . "Malaysia was tough as well, especially with the weather, and our downforce is very poor. And this is very clear.

"But we do not give up, absolutely. We have the hearing {of the FIA's Court of Appeal] on April 14 and we need to see what happens as well.

"This weekend it was so clear what happened. It is not normal. In this moment, Kazuki Nakajima is a fantastic driver, but these people did not make such a big improvement from last year.

"In Malaysia it was very clear what the diffuser has done, and I think [Jenson] Button in qualifying was one second clear. It is very clear there is a lot of downforce and a lot of ground effect."

Briatore's belief that F1's 'diffuser gang' of Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams are in a different league has been backed by BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen.

Nick Heidfeld's second place in Malaysia was the first time a car that did not feature a double diffuser had been on the podium this season.

When asked by AUTOSPORT if he said that that result would increase efforts ahead of the April 14 hearing, Theissen said: "You cannot take the race result for that, but you have to look at qualifying.

"If you take out Sebastian Vettel, who was on a very low fuel load, or if you adjust the fuel load of Sebastian and Robert, they were almost equal and the two best standard diffuser cars. That definitely tells you that it has to be sorted out."

Interview with Sefano Domenicali

Q. Could you clarify whether Kimi Raikkonen's KERS had a problem in the race?

Stefano Domenicali: Yes. After the flooded track, we had a potential problem on the insulation of the system. So because of safety reasons we decided not to continue racing.

Q. So even if the race had restarted, Kimi would have been out?

SD: Yes.

Q. How do you judge the weekend? Yesterday Felipe had a problem, while today Kimi had some big difficulties?

SD: Well, of course it is not a positive weekend. It is the second one in a row and it is not good, for sure. Anyway, what we have to do is react immediately. The people have to take their own responsibility for things, and this is important in the moment where either from the performance point of view, and the management point of view, things are not going well. This is for sure not acceptable, and I am not accepting that.

So what we have to do now on one side is to work very hard to try to anticipate as much as we can, all of the development on the car. Then on the other side, on the track, we want to make sure that people with certain responsibilities are taking the right decisions in the right way, because of course this is something that we cannot accept for the future.

Q. Who took the decision to put Kimi onto wet tyres?

SD: Well, you know, I don't want to say that. It is something that we have discussed internally. Respecting your question, of course. I can tell you the reason why was we had information that a big downpour was coming. We felt some drops of rain at that stage, so because of this that is why we took that decision.

Q. Wasn't it too much of a gamble though?

SD: For sure, retrospectively, yes. If after 30 seconds it would have been totally wet then it would have been different. Unfortunately it came six minutes later, so it was a different situation.

Q. Have you spoken to your President (Luca di Montezemolo) today?

SD: Yes, every day.

Q. And what did he say today?

SD: He is totally happy! What do you think that he would say? For sure he is not happy. This is normal for his position. I am not happy too. The only thing is that we need to make sure we do our job in the right way, and that is it.

Q. How quickly can you turn this situation around?

SD: We have to consider two things. On the performance point of view, we have to make sure that we are able to bring back in China something straight away. That should be the case already for Shanghai, something.

We know, from what we have seen, that it is on the aero side where we have to make a difference. So, it is just an aerodynamic development that is really needed. We need to have more downforce. This is the most critical point of the car that we have seen now.

So, this is the most important thing that we have to do at home. We have to work day and night, to try to anticipate all that we can to improve the performance of the car. Then the other thing on the performance - we need to see why on one side, our car for example on Friday, with lots of fuel, was very, very competitive on the soft tyres the more we were running. And yet with other tyres, it is very difficult.

So, there is a car that is very, very sensitive to the different fuel loads and to the typology of the tyres.

From the management point of view, of course we have to do an improvement – because it is something that we cannot accept any more for the future.

Q. Some team bosses are talking about a two-tier championship now – with the 'diffuser gang' and the non diffuser gang. Do you agree with that view?

SD: Well, that is pretty clear. It is pretty clear, but on that respect we have to wait and see what will be the decision on the 14th. And then we will see.

For sure, you will see that the potential of that development, if you started as we know which happened very early last year for those cars, is enormous. I am expecting that even in the case that it is considered okay, we, and all the other teams who start working on that diffuser, we will not find immediately that kind of performance. It is just a matter of time that you need to work with certain pieces in the wind tunnel.

Q. So are you saying that you do not have a double decker diffuser ready to go in China?

SD: No. I can confirm that is not going to happen.

Q. What is the mood like in the team, especially from the drivers?

SD: The team is not happy. How can we be happy about these two grands prix? We cannot be. But this is sport, this is our life. We need to react immediately. There is no reason to cry on our shoulders. We need to react and work. One thing that I think the team has learned in these two weekends, is that we were very strong in the past, even in difficult moments, and we need to be strong now.

We know our car is not the top number one, so this is the reason why all the people need to understand this difficult situation and we need to react. That is the only medicine that we need to understand.

Q. Is there any understanding as to why the car is quick on a Friday, we saw a similar thing in Australia, and then it fades as the weekend goes on?

SD: Yeah, this is a point we need to understand. Our car is very sensitive to some changes, and we need to understand why. It is not clear yet, and this is a big problem on the performance side.

Q. And what about Michael Schumacher's role? Should all these mistakes happen with a seven-time world champion on board?

SD: I was expecting that question, but I do not want to give an answer because I did not also answer who decided what here. So I don't want to. This is something we will discuss internally, it is not something that we will discuss outside.

Domonicali - Unacceptable error

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali says the Italian squad's errors in the last race in Malaysia are unacceptable and that the situation must be rectified immediately.

Ferrari has endured its worst start to a season since 1992, when the team also failed to score points in the first two races of the season.

The Sepang weekend was filled with costly errors, like Felipe Massa missing the cut to go into Q2 on Saturday because of a misjudgement, or an early gamble to change Kimi Raikkonen's tyres in the race.

Domenicali admitted the situation is unacceptable and says everyone at the team has to accept responsibility for their errors.

"Well, of course it is not a positive weekend," Domenicali told reporters. "It is the second one in a row and it is not good, for sure. Anyway, what we have to do is react immediately.

"The people have to take their own responsibility for things, and this is important in the moment where either from the performance point of view, and the management point of view, things are not going well. This is for sure not acceptable, and I am not accepting that.

"So what we have to do now on one side is to work very hard to try to anticipate as much as we can, all of the development on the car. Then on the other side, on the track, we want to make sure that people with certain responsibilities are taking the right decisions in the right way, because of course this is something that we cannot accept for the future."

The Italian made it clear, however, that the team must not only avoid more errors, but also work hard to make sure the F60 car is competitive enough to fight in front.

"We have to consider two things. On the performance point of view, we have to make sure that we are able to bring back in China something straight away. That should be the case already for Shanghai," he added.

"We know, from what we have seen, that it is on the aero side where we have to make a difference. So, it is just an aerodynamic development that is really needed. We need to have more downforce. This is the most critical point of the car that we have seen now.

"So, this is the most important thing that we have to do at home. We have to work day and night, to try to anticipate all that we can to improve the performance of the car.

"Then the other thing on the performance - we need to see why on one side, our car for example on Friday, with lots of fuel, was very, very competitive on the soft tyres the more we were running. And yet with other tyres, it is very difficult.

"So, there is a car that is very, very sensitive to the different fuel loads and to the typology of the tyres.

"From the management point of view, of course we have to do an improvement – because it is something that we cannot accept any more for the future."

Theissen happy with Heidfeld performances

BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen believes the performance of his driver Nick Heidfeld was key to his team taking its first podium of the year in the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Heidfeld made the most of a one-stop strategy to come through the field and grab a surprise second spot.

And Theissen reckons that most of the praise for the result should be aimed squarely at Heidfeld.

"It was an unlucky loss of a podium finish in Melbourne, and the lucky win of a podium finish here," Theissen said about his team's start to the year. "I think for Nick it worked out perfectly.

"We expected wet weather conditions so we sent him out on a high fuel load and he was just able to stay out until the rain came. It meant he could do it on one pit stop, which was a very good strategy.

"Then in the wet, I have to say Nick did a fantastic job. He had been on his wet tyres for very long already when it really poured down, and the car was undriveable.

"We were ready all the time to service him, but he decided lap after lap to stay out, and he finally managed it until the red flag. That was the key then to P2 - and it tells a lot not just about Nick's experience but also his driving capabilities in the wet. That was really very good."

Theissen has also expressed regret about Heidfeld's teammate Robert Kubica failing to score a point once again.

"Robert definitely had an unlucky start and could have won Melbourne," said Theissen. "He would definitely have been P2, and here he was caught out by a technical problem.

"So for him it has been a very disappointing start to the season, and I hope we can see better results for him in the coming races. For Nick it was okay. Coming home with second place is definitely more than he could expect after the two qualifyings."

Inside Paddock Stories

After the exhaustion of Australia, the Formula 1 fraternity arrived in Malaysia looking a bit more refreshed and relaxed after a few days of down time.

The paddock split into two camps - those who wanted to stay put in Australia following the race and those who wanted an early acclimatisation to Malaysia.

And after the sophistication of downtown Melbourne, there are always a few eye opening situations from the very different Malaysia.

Perhaps the biggest shock of the weekend (beyond lightning striking one of the grandstands in the race and briefly cutting the television signals) was for the poor press officer who found a snake in the ladies toilet of the media centre.

By the end of the weekend, however, most of the paddock's focus was on getting out of Malaysia and getting back home after a fortnight on the road.

The track emptied swiftly and by Sunday evening there were more F1 people walking around Kuala Lumpur airport than there were left at the rainy Sepang.

And if you were lucky enough, you could have ended up having a quick kickabout with Sebastian Vettel, who let off some of his athletic exuberance with a football as he awaited his plane back home to Switzerland.

Just like it is for Spa-Francorchamps, a rain coat is an absolutely essential item for any of the F1 paddock who come to Sepang.

The tropical clouds that swell up quickly over the forests surrounding Kuala Lumpur can transform a glorious sunny day into a typhoon type downpour in a matter of minutes. You only needed to see the chaos of Sunday's race to know that.

Leave the protection of a roof over your head to take a trip across the paddock at the wrong time without a jacket, and you can find yourself soaked to the skin.

And so it was that Williams co-owner Patrick Head found himself in a bit of a quandary when he arrived at the track on Thursday afternoon, having spent a few days in Melbourne post-race touring the Great Ocean Road on a motorcycle.

He pulled up in the car park just as the clouds unleashed their worst. Without a jacket or umbrella with him, Head thought it best to simply sit in his car and wait for the storm to pass. So wait he did. And wait. And wait.

"It was absolutely pissing with rain," recouted Head later. "I was sitting in the car so I rang up assistant team manager Paul Singlehurst at the track and said 'I'm quite happy to listen to Malaysian radio for a bit' but if it eases, could he come out with an umbrella. He did eventually, but I was sitting in the car for half an hour!"

In Australia last weekend, Scuderia Toro Rosso caused much amusement when its pre-event press release of a mock Sebastien Buemi diary was taken as fact by a local journalist. Poor Buemi had found himself asked in an official FIA press conference if it was true that his Toblerone bars had been confiscated by Australian customs.

But Toro Rosso went one better in Malaysia last weekend when an April Fools it sent out was also believed to be true by far too many people who should have known better.

In a press release issued by the team on the morning of April 1, the team announced that it was to use its Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) for the Malaysian Grand Prix. Indeed, the first paragraph looked like a genuine news story about KERS being used to power a cooling-aid for the drivers.

It was so good in fact that it suckered a few people in. It was only if you read Toro Rosso's story further that you realised what they were up to.

"We are indebted to Professor Hugh Masterby-Jerrkin of Imperial College, London for his department's assistance in moving this project forward so quickly," commented Wayne Kerr, Toro Rosso's Head of KERS.

"While the team was racing in Melbourne, we came directly to Kuala Lumpur to evaluate the system in real conditions and for this we were given invaluable help by the Thermal Energy faculty of the Kuala Lumpur Polytechnic, particularly the head of department, Doctor Ku Lin 'Ng Phaan."

The names should have acted as enough of a warning, but Toro Rosso's press office could not quite believe it when some publications printed stories briefly.

And their jaws dropped to the ground when Malaysia's local newspaper the New Straits Times, ran a big story under the headline: "Toro Rosso get 'invaluable' help from a local polytechnic."

Worse was to come later when senior management from Toro Rosso's clothing supplier Puma started asking questions about why it had not been consulted about modifications being made to the drivers' race suits!

The heat in Malaysia can be the most oppressive of the season - great if you are sunning yourself by the side of a swimming pool but not so great if you are trying to work in the paddock, or even drive a racing car.

Red Bull Racing wanted to provide some insight into just how hot it could be – so they got an unlucky volunteer from the team to jog along the start/finish straight in full race gear during one of the hottest parts of the day to see what effect it would have on the body.

Decked out in underwear, boots, gloves, a helmet and fireproof overalls, he completed the jog – seeing his heart rate jump from 75bpm at rest to 175bpm. His core body temperature rose from 35.8 degrees centigrade to 37.1 degrees centigrade.

Temperatures in the cockpit of the cars can be much higher, of course, so you would often see drivers demand a fan in their face, or cool air piped into the cars.

Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel had an alternative solution. "I've got a bag with dry ice in it, which I put next to my balls," he said. "At least they stay nice and cool!"

Malaysian GP Race - Press Conference

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q. Jenson, this could become a habit.

JB: Finishing behind the safety car you mean. Wow, what a race. We had everything in that race. It was very enjoyable. It was not the easiest start for me and I had a big snap of oversteer, pretty much at every corner on the first lap from the grid. I really struggled with the rear end. But then I closed up to Jarno and Nico and knew I was going longer and when they pitted I could put in a couple of quick laps. It got me in front and it was looking like it was going to be fine until I looked up and saw the clouds come over and it started raining. Unusual for Sepang it just started spitting and we went for the full wets thinking it is going to chuck it down.

But it didn't to start with. A few other people made the correct choice but we had a 16-18 second lead at that point. So I carried on and it started chewing itself up, so I pitted for inters as this guy (Timo) was flying. I came out just behind him but my inter was obviously new and his was very old and I was able to get past him on the wetter part of the circuit just before he pitted.

I got one good lap on the inter but then it started chucking it down, so I came in for the full went but then it was the safety car. It was a tough race and it was tough keeping it on the circuit. We were driving around it as if it was walking pace and you are still scared that you are going to chuck it off because you could not see the circuit to start with. It was not like it was rivers, it was a lake.

Q. You were worried about going off the grid anyway because you were on the dirty side of the grid?

JB: Yeah, it was true. Timo also suffered from the grid. I didn't get a bad start. The start was reasonable but the right hand side just shot past and the KERS cars came up, so I lost time there and turn one was messy really. I got a massive snap of oversteer at the exit and I couldn't get back from there.

Q. And you have never driven on the wets before?

JB: No, and the balance was definitely not right on the full wet. The circuit was reasonably dry, so it was difficult to get a balance. But I had massive oversteer on the first couple of laps and then the front started graining. There is a lot of work we need to do to sort our pace and balance out on the wet tyres but as I said it is just nice to get to the end of the race and we ended up on the top because, I think, of a good strategy and also looking at what other people were doing on the different types of tyres and we ended up on top. Congratulations to all the guys who work on the car but also the engineers and the strategy guys who got us here really.

Q. As I was saying just now Nick, you're eighth second place, but I'm sure you're happy with it today.

NH: Yes, exactly, I'm more than happy with that position. I started tenth and I couldn't have wished for more, basically.

Q. Amazing that you had one pit stop whereas these guys had three or four.

NH: It started to rain and as Jenson said, it was clear that it would rain heavily, so we went on the extra wets and as it was pretty dry still, I tried to preserve my tyres, especially the rear tyres and therefore at the beginning there were a couple of cars quicker than me. I was even overtaken by one guy, some people were driving away from me, but I knew that they would kill their tyres and if it would start drizzling or raining a bit more, I would then have the tyre and I would be able to stay out.

After that, the team told me all the time ‘OK, heavy rain expected in the next two minutes' but it just didn't happen, didn't happen, didn't happen. Just when they called me in, it started to rain heavily and just 300 metres before the pit entry I said ‘no, no, I will stay out, now it starts raining.' That was the right call, a bit lucky, obviously, but stopping once they told me to.

Q. And you got away with a spin right at the end as well, a very slow spin...

NH: Yes, it was. The safety car was out already, I had contact with the pits, they told me that I should observe the safety car's speed which we have on the dash and not go quicker than that. And I was laughing, telling them that I would be happy if I could go that quick. There was already a car which had spun there, so I thought ‘OK, I will go as slow as possible' but it was aquaplaning not only on the tyres but also on the plank. I spun and I was happy that I didn't go into the gravel. I don't think it would have mattered in the end anyway, because the result was taken from a lap earlier but that shows that it was the right thing to stop the race because it was just undriveable.

Q. Timo, that was an extraordinary race. You were basically part of the group bottled up behind Alonso before your first stop.

TG: Yeah, it was a bit disappointing at the start, I have to say. I went from third to eighth after the start, I think. I couldn't believe that Kimi passed me on the outside in turn one and Fernando on the inside, so I thought again that the KERS cars were in front of me. I struggled behind Mark Webber especially to get close enough to really go for it.

One time I tried it and damaged the front wing a bit and that was it really, so I had to stay behind. In the middle of the race I saw the rain was coming, the rain was coming but it took so long that I thought OK, when it takes so long then I go for intermediates because everybody else was already on heavy wets and I saw they struggled really and destroyed them, so I said ‘we go for inters and take the risk'.

I was driving around, driving around, overtaking cars, overtaking cars, and found that my tyres were going off as well, but my engineer told me ‘you're still the quickest on the track, you're still the quickest.' I think it was worse in turns seven and eight and that was the direction that the rain was coming from. It came to the point where I had to pit because my tyres were going off completely and I said ‘OK, I have to come in.'

It was just at that moment that Jenson overtook me again. Then we stayed on heavy wets and tried to follow the safety car and that was difficult, I was swimming around. I couldn't believe it because Jenson was sometimes going quite quickly and I was just swimming around. This morning we were joking around that hopefully everybody knows how to swim in those weather conditions, and I have to say that in the end it was like this, it was just unbelievable and impossible for me to drive at the end. I think it was the right call to stop the race.

Q. Sorry about the second place…

TG: Yeah, it was a bit tricky. My engineer told me ‘you're P2, P2'. Then I came up here and now I'm P3.

JB: You're behind me.

NH: I'm fine with second.

Felipe Massa - Wake up call for Ferrari

Felipe Massa says his Ferrari team must find solutions to its problems quickly in order to get its championship challenge back on track.

The Italian squad has now failed to score in two consecutive grands prix after another poor race at the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Last year's runner-up finished ninth in today's race, while team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was down in 14th.

Massa, who retired from the Australian Grand Prix last weekend, says Ferrari must react quickly if the team is not to lose all chances in the championship.

"We need to start from zero," said Massa after the Sepang race. "We need to get together to understand point by point what is going wrong. And, try to improve everything. That is the idea.

"I think we need to get together and we need to improve. We were not great before and stupid now. For sure the car is not strong enough. We need to work on that, and we did some mistakes on the strategy and this kind of thing.

"We need to get together and understand the problem, but as I said, we were not great in the past and stupid now. That is my point of view."

He added: "It is always a problem when you don't score points. So, for sure in this kind of race our aim is to score points, but it was not possible. Anyway, it is a bad result."

The Brazilian, who endured a similar start to the season last year, admitted the task will not be easy, as he feels the 2009 car is not as strong as last year's.

"For sure, last year we had a better car," he added. "It will be better to improve the situation and get in the fight again. This time we had a difficult car, so it will be a little bit more difficult. If something changes between this race and next race, then maybe we will have a chance."

Massa also said the FIA's ruling on the diffuser used by Brawn GP, Toyota and Williams will be crucial in deciding the outcome of the championship.

"You can see - no? I think everybody can see," Massa said. "The guys who have the diffuser have a lot more downforce. So it is completely difficult to fight with them.

"If we get a championship that is the same for everybody at the next race, then for sure it will be more competitive. But if we don't, then it will take quite a bit of time to have the diffuser on our car, so it will be very difficult."

Bridgestone - Race Review

Bridgestone Potenza intermediate and wet tyres made their first race appearance of the season as severe rain fell on the Sepang circuit after a dry race start with everyone on the soft compound dry tyre, causing the Malaysian Grand Prix to be stopped after 31 laps, with Jenson Button awarded the win.

Black clouds provided a backdrop to the start of the race, but it was Bridgestone’s black rubber which provided the crucial performance variable. Once the rain started, the water levels on track changed lap by lap making it very difficult for competitors to choose whether the dry slick, intermediate or wet tyre should be used, and the best tyre for the conditions changed frequently.

As the race was stopped before three-quarter distance, only half points will be awarded. Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) took second and Timo Glock (Panasonic Toyota Racing) finished third.

Hirohide Hamashima, Tyre Development Director
“This was a very interesting race, even before the rain started. Everyone started on the soft tyre.
The soft gave good consistent performance in the conditions we saw today and there would have been good strategy options had the weather remained dry Starting on the soft was a sensible move as the soft has a lower working range than the hard, so when the rain started it delivered better performance than the hard would have done, before the wet tyres became necessary.”

“Choosing the correct tyre at the correct time is absolutely crucial and we saw many illustrations of how beneficial it is to make the right choice. Once the rain started there was a window where the intermediate tyre was the best one to use, as shown by Timo Glock who was up to ten seconds faster than the other cars. Some drivers used the wet tyre too early, and suffered in the too dry conditions. However, once the rain became harder the wet tyre was the correct tyre for conditions. Unfortunately, the rain then became so hard that it was too wet for Formula One cars.”

Ruberns Barrichello agreed with race suspension

Brazilian driver Rubens Barrichello has backed the decision to not restart the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The Sepang race was suspended on lap 32 of the scheduled 56 after torrential rain made it impossible for drivers to stay on track, even behind the safety car.

After several minutes, the stewards decided to suspend the race and award half points.

The race had started at 5pm local time, instead of 2pm, to boost TV audiences in Europe, a decision that had been criticised by some drivers because they felt it could get too dark.

Barrichello admitted the light, and not the rain, had made things very hard.

"That's the unfortunate thing of starting the race at five o'clock, basically," Barrichello told the BBC. "But, it was definitely the right thing (to stop the race) because visibility now, not from the rain but from the sky, wasn't going to be easy."

The Brawn GP driver finished in fifth position, although he was left ruing some slow pitstops.

"Let's put it this way: It was a great race, with a bit confused calls from the pitlane and dodgy pitstops," the Brazilian added.

"The thing to say is that the car was great to race and I was racy and everything and we lost a little too much during the pitstops, which we have to review. But, another win to Jenson and the car is going great, so pretty good."

Bourdais hopes for the race to restart

Sebastien Bourdais was left lamenting the Malaysian Grand Prix was not restarted, as he felt he could have scored some points.

The Toro Rosso driver, who finished in 10th position after the race was stopped on lap 32, believes his pace in the wet was strong enough to allow him to climb up the field.

"Round about lap 18, we were running low on fuel so we were hoping for rain before the end of the first stint," said Bourdais. "It didn't come quite in time and we gambled on extreme wets as heavy rain was expected, but instead it was more like drizzle, so we changed again to intermediates.

"Then the rain really came and I had to come in again for extremes and after that, the race was stopped. It was a shame, as it seemed we were pretty competitive in these very changeable conditions.

"I would have liked to restart, as it might have been an opportunity to pick up points, even if only half-points."

Team-mate Sebastien Buemi retired from the race after he spun off in the tricky conditions.

The Swiss driver also felt he could have collected points today.

"We were really going well and I think I was around P7 or 8 and the plan was to come in on the following lap, but then I went off at Turn 5," he said. "The extreme tyres were completely gone, like driving on slicks and I slowed down, but obviously not enough for the amount of water, so I spun, went into the gravel and stalled.

"We were competitive in terms of speed at some stages, running in the top six laptimes, even though I was running last, having had to come in to change the nose.

"I think one of the Force India cars pushed me wide at the exit of the last corner and I ran over something that broke the front wing. I am disappointed as the spin at the end was my mistake and it is on days like this that we should have picked up some points."

Rosberg lament the wrong tyre choices

Nico Rosberg was disappointed with his result at the Malaysian Grand Prix, the Williams driver lamenting the wrong tyre choices.

Rosberg made a sensational start from fourth position to lead by the first corner, and then stayed on top until he was overtaken by Jenson Button in the pits.

The Williams driver, however, dropped down the order when it began to rain and in the end had to settle for eighth position after making the wrong decisions when choosing the tyres.

"The race started off really well for us," Rosberg told the BBC. "A fantastic start. I think I did well, and the team also gave me a good car for the start and from then on it felt very nice.

"I was able to push, and pull away a little bit every lap so I was really in a comfortable second after the pitstops to Jenson, who was just generally quicker, so it was going really well.

"And then the weather came down and I think we didn't get the choices quite right along the way. I'm not even sure what happened. Seventh (eighth) in the end, it's quite disappointing actually but still, again some points, that's the least."

Rosberg admitted the track conditions were too bad to continue driving, but said perhaps the race could have been restarted later on.

"I'm not sure, I don't really know the condition on the track," he said. "It could have been alright but I agree and say it is better this way because really before it was just unreal.

"I was aquaplaning with full wets going 30 km/h. I could not keep the car on the road, it was ridiculous."

Button - "Crazy race"

Briton Jenson Button celebrated his second consecutive victory of the season after what he called a "crazy" Malaysian Grand Prix.

The event was abandoned after 32 of the scheduled 56 laps as the weather conditions made it impossible for drivers to stay on track, even behind the safety car.

When the race was stopped, Button had already made four pitstops and, despite that, the Brawn GP driver emerged on top to give his team a dream start to the year.

"What a crazy race," said Button, who had won the Australian Grand Prix behind the safety car.

"My start was pretty bad. I don't think I'd got enough heat in the tyres and had a lot of oversteer. But I went back to fourth, got up to third, eventually got back up to the front, and I was pretty happy with that, our pace was pretty good.

"Choosing the tyres was very difficult, because normally here when it rains it pours, but it didn't to start with. We went for the full wet tyre and it destroyed itself, and then I saw Timo (Glock) flying up behind us with the inter, so we put the intermediates on.

"Just as he came by I saw his tyres were bald and it was raining out the back, so he was struggling quite a lot and had to pit.

"I got one lap in on the inter at a reasonable pace and was able to get in and put the wet tyre on and get back in front."

Half points were awarded for the race, leaving Button on top of the standings with 15, five ahead of team-mate Rubens Barrichello, fifth today.

Interview with Felipe Massa

Felipe Massa says his Ferrari team must find solutions to its problems quickly in order to get its championship challenge back on track.

The Italian squad has now failed to score in two consecutive grands prix after another poor race at the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Q. Was it a good decision to not restart the race?

Felipe Massa: Well I think when the decisions come for the safety of the drivers, it is always good. We had a very difficult situation on the track, so when the decision is done because of safety we cannot be against it. I think it was a good decision.

Q. What were the last few laps like before the red flag?

FM: It was a nightmare. We could not stay on the track. At one stage I was going slower than the safety car, I could not go quicker. So it was impossible. I was fighting on the radio - asking for the safety car but it was not possible. And afterwards I was fighting to ask for the red flag. And then it came a little bit after. It was impossible to keep the car on the track. There were so many people going off.

Q. Your team changed Kimi Raikkonen onto wet tyres very early, before the rain. Did you have the same option?

FM: It was a mistake for sure. They bet on the rain and the rain did not come straight away. It came just a bit later. Then when I came into the pits, and I put the rain tyres, expecting as well the big rain, the rain stayed the same so it was raining very little. And the people on the intermediate were just flying.

I said, listen, if we stay three more laps like that it is enough already to use one stop – so maybe it would be better to stop and put on the intermediates. Otherwise we would be completely behind these guys. I put on the intermediates and then came the big rain. I needed to stop again and put on the rain tyres, so it was very difficult.

Q. Melbourne had a late start and here had a late start. In Australia there was a problem with the sun, and here we had a problem with the rain. What are your comments about this?

FM: You should either do the race in the night or do the race in the day. You cannot try to go in the middle. That is clear. I said before, and I think many people said it before [that there would be a problem], and now there is a clear message.

Q. Will you discuss this at GPDA level?

FM: We can, but I think maybe it is not the GPDA who need to change things – that is another meeting!

Q. Ferrari made two mistakes in two days. Do you think there is a problem?

FM: Yeah, for sure it is a problem. It is always a problem when you don't score points. So, for sure in this kind of race our aim is to score points, but it was not possible. Anyway, it is a bad result.

Q. Your team has had a terrible start. What do you do now to improve things for China?

FM: We need to start from zero. We need to get together to understand point by point what is going wrong. And, try to improve everything. That is the idea.

Q. Did KERS work well today?

FM: I did a great start. I passed from 16th to 12th straight away, so it helped me.

Q. Do you think something needs to be changed at Ferrari?

FM: No, I think we need to get together and we need to improve. We were not great before and stupid now. For sure the car is not strong enough. We need to work on that, and we did some mistakes on the strategy and this kind of thing. We need to get together and understand the problem, but as I said, we were not great in the past and stupid now. That is my point of view.

Q. It is the same situation for you as last year – zero points after two races. But how must hope do you have for the championship this time?

FM: For sure, last year we had a better car. It will be better to improve the situation and get in the fight again. This time we had a difficult car, so it will be a little bit more difficult. If something changes between this race and next race, then maybe we will have a chance.

Q. How vital for your championship is that diffuser ruling?

FM: You can see – no? I think everybody can see. The guys who have the diffuser have a lot more downforce. So it is completely difficult to fight with them. If we get a championship that is the same for everybody at the next race, then for sure it will be more competitive. But if we don't, then it will take quite a bit of time to have the diffuser on our car, so it will be very difficult.

Hamilton - The worst conditions ever

Lewis Hamilton said the conditions at the Malaysian Grand Prix were the most dangerous he had ever raced in.

The Sepang race had to be stopped after 32 laps when the torrential rain made it impossible for drivers to keep their cars under control.

The drivers even struggled to keep up with the safety car and the stewards eventually decided to red-flag the race.

"When the rain came down, it was impossible to drive. I was aquaplaning everywhere - these were the most dangerous conditions I've ever raced in," said Hamilton, who went on to finish in seventh.

"All I could do was try and keep the car on the track. It was the correct decision to stop the race because it was just too dangerous for everyone. I love it when it rains, but this was just too much."

McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen's day ended after less than a lap, the Finn losing control of his car right after the start.

"My start was okay," said Kovalainen. "I was taking it quite carefully and was trying to slot in behind Lewis, then I just lost the rear and spun out. It was my mistake. Game over."

Webber - Start time make no different

Mark Webber believes there is no way that the Malaysian Grand Prix's early abandonment could have been avoided, and does not think the change of start time had any impact.

The Sepang race was halted after 31 laps when a massive downpour hit the circuit. Earlier in the week some drivers had expressed concern that the decision to move the start back to 5pm local time for the benefit of European television audiences could cause problems with visibility and make the event more vulnerable to bad weather, but Webber believes the timeslot made no difference.

"I'm not so sure you can blame the time of day for today's conditions, as the weather was bad at 3pm too," he said. "It seems it was just one of those days. It's been the mistiest and coolest day I've ever seen in Malaysia for race day."

He also supported the decision to stop the race early.

"The guys made the best call to stop the race when they did," Webber said. "It would have been nice to have had some more laps to give us a crack at getting on the podium - but that's how it is, so I've got mixed emotions. It's dark now, so it was the right call not to make a restart."

However Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was left ruing the time of the red flag, as he reckoned Webber was on for a podium rather than his eventual sixth place.

"If he would have completed that lap, we believe he would have been third in the running order," said Horner.

Sebastian Vettel spun out during the rain shower in the second Red Bull, and was frustrated that he had to retire with a stalled car.

"I was approaching Turn 7 and there was suddenly lots of water, but I was being very cautious," he said. "I lost the car due to aquaplaning and there was nothing I could do. There was too much water and my tyres were not made for those conditions.

"A spin wouldn't have been much of a problem, but the anti-stall didn't work. Without that, I would just have spun, lost some time and that would have been it.

"In the past drivers had three pedals, a throttle, a brake and a clutch and when you were spinning you knew exactly what to do. It's not in our hands anymore, so it's a shame that we have to retire for this stupid reason."

Glock delighted with podium finish

Timo Glock was delighted with his performance at the Malaysian Grand Prix after scoring his second podium finish in Formula 1.

Toyota driver Glock finished in third position in the shortened race after deciding to pit for intermediates rather than full wets when the rain began to fall at Sepang.

While the rest of the field was struggling on extremes, Glock lapped up to 10 seconds quicker than his rivals and soon moved up the order, even taking the lead from Jenson Button.

In the end, Glock was overtaken by the Briton and, despite being second when the race was stopped, he had to settle for third due to the countback results.

"It was a tricky race, I have to say, but at the end one of the best races I could ever do," said Glock.

"I struggled a bit at the start, I don't know why we lost so many places. Fernando and Kimi were in front of me in the first corner and I didn't know where they'd come from. I think I was only P8 after the first lap.

"In the traffic it was really difficult. After five or six laps I already saw the clouds were coming and I kept asking 'when is the rain coming?'. They said it should come in the next couple of the minutes.

"Then I thought when it takes so long and we were so close to the first pitstop, I thought I'd take the risk and go to inters because I saw a Ferrari on heavy wets very early and knew they would be destroyed.

"So I said 'come on, go for inters and take the risk', and in the end it paid off."

The Toyota driver admitted he wasn't even sure about his position when the race was suspended.

"In the last two laps with the safety car it was so confusing because my engineer told me when I made the pitstop that I was leading the race, so I thought I wouldn't push because I wanted to save the tyres.

"Then I saw Jenson come out in front of me so I was P2, then I jumped out of the car and everyone said I was P2, and then when I came up here they said I was P3. Hopefully I will now stay in P3, that's what I'm hoping for."

Malaysian twilight race under review

Sunday's rain-shortened Grand Prix may have been the first and the last 'twilight' race in Malaysia.

The country's new Prime Minister, and also the boss of the Sepang circuit, said an earlier start time for next year and beyond might be negotiated, given the atrocious weather and the fading light in 2009.

"In the future, we may allocate a different time, perhaps earlier," PM Najib Razak told reporters at Sepang.

"There are also suggestions to do a night race but we need to look at the cost," he said.

Like in Australia a week ago, Malaysia adopted the 'twilight' concept for this season, installing a 5pm start to better serve the bulk European television audience.

But it has been the talk of the paddock this weekend that late afternoon near Kuala Lumpur often coincides with torrential rain, while sunset is also quite early in the evening in this region.

"I had a talk with Bernie just now and we will review it," Sepang track boss Mokhzani Mahathir said after the Malaysian Grand Prix was abandoned on Sunday due to the rain and fading light.

"As to exactly what time we will start next year, we are not sure but we will review the timing for next year's race," he admitted.

Ferrari - Malaysian GP - Race

It has been a tough start to the season for the Ferrari team. With both drivers failing to finish the Australian Grand Prix last weekend, the Italian team had hoped to secure a good haul of points this weekend in Malaysia.

As it was, Felipe Massa finished the shortened race in ninth position following his tactical error in qualification yesterday while Kimi Raikkonen, or rather the team, opted for wet tyres on a dry circuit and dropped out of the points before pulling off with a KERS failure.

Felipe Massa
“It was a chaotic race and it’s easy in these conditions to take decisions, which later in hindsight, turn out to be wrong.
When we fitted the rain tyres, we expected heavy rain to come soon and unfortunately it was just a light shower. Therefore, I came back in to fit intermediates and immediately after that, the downpour arrived. It’s a shame, as I could have managed to get into the points. We definitely need to analyse our mistakes and understand how they can be avoided, but I don’t think it needs a revolution which the always emotional onlookers demand: it would be wrong because it’s not a case of us suddenly becoming stupid. It’s the playing field that has changed. We must be aware of that and tackle the situation with a different approach.”

Kimi Raikkonen
“We were in a good position at the time of the first pit stop and then we made a mistake, fitting the rain tyres when the rain had yet to fall. And that was where my race was pretty much over. When the race was halted, the conditions were very difficult. There was so much water on the track and I was struggling to drive the car even in second gear. Clearly we cannot be happy with our start to the season: in Melbourne, I was the one to make a mistake and today it was the team, the result being we find ourselves without any points.”

Stefano Domenicali
“We are very disappointed because once again today, we leave a circuit empty handed. With hindsight, it’s clear that we took some wrong decisions, especially in Kimi’s case at his first pit stop: the information we had at the time was that the storm was due to hit in a very short time, when in fact it took a few more minutes for the rain to come. Felipe was very unlucky: another forty seconds or so and he could have stayed on track with the extreme wet tyres, finishing in a good position at the end of the race. Clearly we have to extricate ourselves from this situation, without panicking, but with every one of us taking on our responsibilities: we have to dig deep and react, starting immediately. We have to change our mentality and accept that we are in a different situation to the past and that therefore we have to tackle it with a different approach, both on track and in Maranello.”

Luca Baldisserri
“Another disastrous race, and we can’t make any excuses for it. Once again today we tried to second guess what might happen and every time the opposite of what we expected happened and so the race was turned into a continual struggle to make up for that and in the end we finished empty handed. In the dry, our race pace was not really exceptional, but it did reflect what was our true potential today. Now we must try to turn things around and get out of this situation in a hurry.”

Brawn GP - Malaysian GP - Race

Brawn GP's Jenson Button continued his perfect start to the season as he took his second successive Grand Prix victory today when the Malaysian Grand Prix was stopped after 31 laps following a torrential downpour. Team-mate Rubens Barrichello also had a strong race to bring his Brawn-Mercedes car home in fifth position.

Button had a good start from pole but was unable to prevent the cars on the other side of the grid overtaking down into the first corner and was running third by the end of lap one. He took full advantage of his heavier fuel load to put in some quick laps when the cars ahead pitted and took the lead on emerging from his first pit stop on lap 19. Barrichello had a good start from eighth on the grid, battling through to make up six places and to be running in second position by his first stop on lap 20.

The race became increasingly hectic as rain threatened and the field dived into the pits. Button and Barrichello pitted on lap 22 for wet tyres but the downpour was less than expected and they came back in for intermediates on lap 28 for Barrichello and lap 29 for Button.

When the rain did arrive, it was so torrential that the wet weather tyres which the drivers fitted on lap 31 were not enough to allow the race to safely continue. After a lengthy delay on the grid, the race was declared over and half-points awarded.

After two rounds, Brawn GP lead the Constructors' Championship with 25 points and Button leads the Drivers' Championship with 15 points with Barrichello in second position with 10 points.

Jenson Button
"What a crazy race! It was really exciting out there and I'm delighted that we came out on top today. I didn't have the best of starts and was surprised at the lack of grip on my side of the grid. I went in deep at turn one and got a big snap of oversteer which dropped me to fourth but I was able to get past Alonso at the end of lap one and overtake Trulli and Rosberg at the first pit stops. I was happy with the car and our pace was good but the weather really threw the race wide open. Choosing the tyres was difficult but we made the right calls at the right time, particularly when it started raining so hard and so quickly. I have to say a massive thank you to my engineer Andrew Shovlin who was on the podium with me today and the whole team for their work on the strategy and in the pits. Last weekend we said that we had a fairytale start to the season and I am so proud that has continued here."

Rubens Barrichello
"It was a great race today and I was really happy with how the car was performing in the dry in the first stint of the race. After a good start, I felt that I had the pace to catch up with the front-runners and score some good points. Unfortunately once the conditions started to deteriorate, we lost a little too much time on my side of the garage with the pit stops which cost me a few places. However the important thing is that the car is going great and we have proved that it is competitive at different types of track. Congratulations to Jenson and the team for maintaining our fantastic start to the season and I look forward to continuing the challenge in Shanghai."

Ross Brawn
"A fantastic team performance today and a thoroughly deserved second victory of the season for Jenson and the team. It was an eventful race to say the least and I am pleased with how quickly we were able to react to the changing conditions to maintain the lead that Jenson had achieved in the first stint of the race. However it was not perfect as we could have had both cars in the top three if we had been a little bolder in bringing the drivers in for their third stops for intermediate tyres. We are delighted to have had such a successful start to the season with two pole positions and two victories in the opening races. You can't ask for more than that and it is a credit to the talent, attitude and dedication of our team that we have been able to achieve such results."

BMW Sauber - Malaysian GP - Race

In a dramatic Malaysian Grand Prix, BMW Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld finished second. After the race was started in dry conditions, heavy rain forced the race director to red flag it early.

Robert Kubica, was unlucky and had to stop on lap two due to an engine problem. Because, as required by the regulations, the drivers were not able to complete 75 percent of the race distance they will only receive half the points.

Nick Heidfeld
"I’m obviously very happy to be second after starting from tenth. It was a really extreme and challenging race today. I had a good start but also quite a heavy car, which meant racing was not easy for me."

"When it was obvious it would rain soon I pitted seven laps earlier than planned, and we decided to go on full rain tyres. They wore down quickly because the heavy rain didn’t come. The team kept telling me 'stay out, heavy rain expected', but the tyres felt almost like slicks."

"For those laps intermediates would have been much quicker, but who could know that. When it finally poured down it was the right decision to stop the race. It was absolutely impossible to drive. I spun behind the safety car, not only because of aquaplaning with the tyres but also with the underfloor. I’m happy for our team that we can now bring home at least one proper result from the first two races of the season."

Robert Kubica
"When I started on the formation lap, my engine produced strange noises and there was very little power. I started the race, which under the circumstances was not easy, and continued to drive. I asked my team what I should do, but before I got an answer the car caught fire and I stopped."

Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director
"The race was as chaotic as we expected based on the weather forecast. For Robert, the race was already over at the start because his engine didn’t respond to the throttle. According to an early analysis the reason was a leakage in the pneumatic system."

"Because of the weather forecast we put Nick on a heave fuel load. This enabled him to stay out until the rain started. He switched to rain tyres at the right moment and was able to finish the race. In extremely difficult conditions he managed to achieve the best possible result. Compliments go to Nick and the whole crew, who worked without any mistakes."

"This was not a race for poor nerves! For Robert, the GP was over at the start. That’s a shame, because he was in a strong position. Nick started on a heavy fuel load. The strategy to leave him out for a long time paid off. This was brave, but in the end it worked out. In very difficult conditions he managed to keep the car on the track and to capture a podium finish. Compliments are due to the whole team who worked perfectly in chaotic conditions."

Toyota - Malaysian GP - Race

Toyota claimed its second consecutive podium finish during an incredible rain-affected Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit.

Timo Glock scored the second podium finish of his career while Jarno Trulli, who had been fighting for the lead throughout, also took strong points as reward for a battling race in difficult conditions.

An exciting start saw Trulli's fighting spirit as he reclaimed second place while Glock, on the outside at the first corner, dropped to eighth.

Trulli pushed hard to keep first place within sight, while Glock was caught in a tight battle for the top six. Having started on the option tyre, both drivers continued with that compound at their first pit stops, with Trulli briefly leading.

But then, on lap 20, the rain came and both were forced to pit on lap 22 with track conditions extremely difficult. Trulli was given wet tyres while Glock took intermediates.

As the fastest man on track, Glock made up a host of positions as Trulli valiantly fought for the podium. Heavy rain and changing track conditions made strategy extremely difficult.

Trulli made a further two trips to the pits first for intermediate then wet tyres while Glock switched to wets as the rain increased. Conditions were so bad the race was red flagged and after waiting to see if conditions improved, the race was declared and half points awarded.

Timo Glock
"It is fantastic to be back on the podium and I am really happy for the whole team. It was a really tricky race. I started third and was eighth at the end of the first lap.
I struggled a bit behind the guys in front of me in dry conditions but I made the right call on the intermediate tyres; I said let's just take the risk and go for it. It was a long time before the rain really came down and I was not sure what everyone else was doing. They were struggling on the wets but I was really quick and I made up a lot of positions. When the rain came down I had to go to heavy wets because my tyres were destroyed. I was going well on them and it was unlucky that they declared the results based on the order at the penultimate lap because I could have had second. When the red flags came out I was second but I'm still happy with the result."

Jarno Trulli
"I am happy for the team. I feel a bit unlucky this weekend - I missed pole position by a tenth and it could have been an even better result for me. It was a good race and it was certainly eventful. I was pushing at the front and fighting with Rosberg for the lead. Actually I was struggling a bit with traction but it was very close. Then the rain came and the team chose to go with heavy wets, which was the more conventional strategy. I was the quickest car on the heavy wets but that was not enough because the tyres went after two laps. Timo was on the intermediates at that stage and that worked out better for him. I was a bit unlucky but strategy is always easier in hindsight and I don't want to blame anyone. It is a pity to just miss out on the podium but it is another very good result for the entire team."

Tadashi Yamashina, Team Principal
"I am very proud of the team's efforts today because it is fantastic to get another podium and it shows how competitive we are this season. It was an extremely challenging race for the team but everyone did their best and was professional even in those difficult conditions. It is disappointing for the fans that the race could not continue as scheduled due to the weather but there was nothing that could be done. We have shown again today that we are really fighting at the front this season and I am obviously hoping we can continue this very good performance in the Chinese Grand Prix as well."

Renault - Malaysian GP - Race

It was a disappointing afternoon for the Renault team as both Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet ended a very wet Malaysian Grand Prix outside the points. A heavy rain storm at the mid-way point saw the safety car deployed before the race was eventually red-flagged on lap 32 and was not restarted.

Fernando Alonso
“We made a good start from P9 to P3 and after that we had to defend our position because we were slow. This part of the race was interesting and it was difficult to decide what tyre to take when we made our stop because we didn’t know how heavy the rain would be. We stay optimistic for the next race in Shanghai and we remain determined to continue fighting for the championship.”

Nelson Piquet
“Just before the red flag it was impossible to drive; really difficult to hold the car. We tried to call the right decision at the right time and there is nothing more we could have done in these conditions. The balance of the car was good, but the grip on the track was quite low, although we had a good start to the race. We have learnt a lot again this weekend and I now need to get ready for the next race.”

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
“I suppose in many ways the heavy rain is no surprise to anyone who knows the area, but it brought some interesting elements to the race. In the early part of the race the value of the KERS system certainly showed, but as in Australia we still need to find performance from the car in other areas.”

Remi Taffin, Head of Engine Operations
“Today we are disappointed. The race was challenging and we tried our best to adapt, but the weather was so difficult to predict. We knew it was going to rain, but we didn’t think it would be so heavy. However, I didn’t expect the race to be stopped. We now have to work hard, but I feel we have taken a step forward since Melbourne, as shown by our strong start to the race.”

Williams Toyota - Malaysian GP - Race

The Williams Toyota team enjoyed a field-leading advantage for the early part of this evening’s Malaysian Grand Prix, after Nico Rosberg took the race lead from the start and was pulling away from the field until his first stop on lap 15.

Soon after threatening lightening and stiffening winds took longer to materialise into fully wet track conditions and precipitated a flurry of pitstops throughout the field as teams tried to anticipate the need for intermediate or full wet tyres in the variable conditions.

The stops shuffled the order until the deluge of rain that had been anticipated, finally arrived and the race was red-flagged shortly after on lap 31.

Rosberg was classified in P8 and Kazuki Nakajima in P12, but without the race reaching three quarter distance, only half points were awarded.

Nico Rosberg
"I took the lead off the start and it is a while since Williams have been out the front on pure performance and I have to thank the engineers for that. The car was going really well and I showed my ability to consistently push on each lap and open the gap to those behind me. And then the rain came and unfortunately the situation just didn’t go our way.
But we got something out of the day and our car is right up there, so we will be looking to get the points we deserve next time out."

Kazuki Nakajima
"I had wheelspin of the line and I dropped quite a few positions to the KERS cars around me, and I ended up behind Piquet and I struggled to get past. This affected my plan as I dropped quite a lot of time behind him and then of course the weather came along and it was impossible to make a totally correct decision with the changing conditions. It was the right thing ultimately to red flag the race and it was no surprise that we didn’t restart."

Sam Michael, Technical Director
"It was a great start from Nico and he continued a good performance in the dry in the first stint. When the weather came, we made the same tyre choices as the cars around us, including the Brawns and Trulli, but they gained more from their stops than us."

Force India Mercedes - Malaysian GP - Race

Torrential rain, biblical lightening storms, a curtailed race and the first half-points finish since the Australian Grand Prix 1991 will be the footnotes for today's Malaysian Grand Prix.

Due to a monsoon-like downpour the race was suspended on lap 31 and then ultimately brought to a premature end just before 19:00hrs due to fading light conditions.

Force India's Adrian Sutil was classified 17th at the finish and Giancarlo Fisichella 18th, however the latter had unfortunately slid wide on the drenched track just one lap before the race was halted.

The race had started under ominously cloudy skies, but conditions were dry until 30 minutes into the event. Banking that the typical heavy rain would be imminent, both pitted for extreme wet tyres. The downpour did not materialise however for a further 30 minutes, and when Fisichella was just returning to the pits to change for another set of wets he aquaplaned off the circuit.

Sutil did however change tyres but was in the pits when the race was concluded.

Adrian Sutil
"When the rain started it was very difficult and just about impossible to drive. We were in second or first gear at 20kph and even then we were sliding around the circuit. It was unbelievable, so it was a good decision to stop the race. It was a bit of a shame that it couldn't be restarted as I think we would have had a good chance in the wet conditions. In the end though it was too dark to restart.
Looking forward to Shanghai, I want to get another weekend with no problems: let's improve our pace and look for some downforce, and carry our momentum forward."

Giancarlo Fisichella
"Unfortunately we made a wrong call to change to extreme wets very early on. We came in too early and I did three or four laps under dry conditions so we destroyed the tyre. Then it was raining and the grip was getting better and better but there was just so much water and the tyres were almost slicks so I could not control the car, it was just aquaplaning. It was not a good race for us, unfortunately we had a wrong strategy but we will see for the next race."

Dr Vijay Mallya, Chairman and Team Principal
"Today in Malaysia we had almost unprecedented conditions and we took a risk with the strategy. Unfortunately the rain we expected - which you can normally bank on coming - didn't come soon enough and Giancarlo was unfortunate enough to be returning to the pits for a new set of extreme tyres when the rain hit hardest. As a team we will learn from this as we move forward to China and Bahrain. We're growing in confidence and potential all the time so we just need a good race to demonstrate it."

McLaren Mercedes - Malaysian GP - Race

Heavily fuelled and starting from 12th on the grid, Lewis Hamilton attacked from the very start, slotting into 10th and staying in touch with many lighter-fuelled cars until making his first pitstop.

Despite lacking the outright downforce of those around him, particularly through the middle sector, Hamilton battled with Sebastian Vettel and Nick Heidfeld, eventually moving up to fifth as those around him pitted for tyres and fuel.

His heavier fuel-load allowed him to remain on-track until lap 22, when the rain started falling, and the team fitted full-wets in anticipation of a typical late-afternoon deluge.

When the predicted rains failed to fall, Lewis struggled to keep temperature in the full-wets and, with the rubber disintegrating, the team opted to switch him to inters (lap 27). He then reverted back to full-wets and was fuelled to the end (lap 30) as the heavens opened.

With the track almost undriveable due to the standing water, the decision was taken to red-flag the race on lap 32, when Hamilton was fifth. With the results declared a lap earlier, Hamilton was finally classified seventh – scoring one point, as the shortened race merited half-points for the top eight.

Heikki Kovalainen's race was again short-lived. Starting 14th, he made a good start to trail Hamilton into the first corner but subsequently lost the rear-end of the car entering Turn Five and spun into the gravel.

Lewis Hamilton
“It was a very tough call because you could only see the clouds, and then some parts of the track were wetter than others so it was hard to commit.”

“When the rain came down, it was impossible to drive. I was aquaplaning everywhere – these were the most dangerous conditions I’ve ever raced in.”

“All I could do was try and keep the car on the track. It was the correct decision to stop the race because it was just too dangerous for everyone. I love it when it rains, but this was just too much.”

Heikki Kovalainen
“My start was okay. I was taking it quite carefully and was trying to slot in behind Lewis, then I just lost the rear and spun out. It was my mistake. Game over.”

Martin Whitmarsh, Team Principal
“The extremely changeable dry-wet conditions made today’s race a very challenging one for all competitors – but, as ever, Lewis’s ability shone brightly in the gathering gloom and the race brought another really impressive performance from him. He kept his head throughout, and the result was a hard-earned point for seventh place."

"That may not sound like a great deal by our usually high standards – but, given where he started, it’s a step in the right direction. Overall, then, in testing conditions the team did a great job – as did Lewis.”

Norbert Haug, Mercedes VP
“A race like a battle. Despite starting from the sixth row on the grid, Lewis was in good shape – and everybody who kept his car on the track in these conditions was a hero today. Congratulations to Jenson Button and Brawn GP on the second consecutive win with Mercedes power; which he both achieved from pole position.”

Red Bull Renault - Malaysian GP - Race

The Malaysian Grand Prix promised a great deal for the Red Bull Renault team as the RB5 proved fast both in wet and dry conditions. However, the heavy rains that hit the 31-lap race saw Mark Webber finish sixth while Sebastian Vettel failed to finish after spinning off in the wet conditions.

Mark Webber
“The guys made the best call to stop the race when they did. It would have been nice to have had some more laps to give us a crack at getting on the podium – but that’s how it is, so I’ve got mixed emotions. It’s dark now (7pm), so it was the right call not to make a re-start. I’m not so sure you can blame the time of day for today’s conditions, as the weather was bad at 3pm too. It seems it was just one of those days. It’s been the mistiest and coolest day I’ve ever seen in Malaysia for race day.”

Sebastian Vettel
“Not so much to tell. I was on the intermediate tyres and they were pretty gone as it wasn’t very wet before the sudden pour down. I was approaching Turn seven and there was suddenly lots of water, but I was being very cautious. I lost the car due to aquaplaning and there was nothing I could do. There was too much water and my tyres were not made for those conditions. A spin wouldn’t have been much of a problem, but the anti-stall didn’t work. Without that, I would just have spun, lost some time and that would have been it. In the past drivers had three pedals, a throttle, a brake and a clutch and when you were spinning you knew exactly what to do. It’s not in our hands anymore, so it’s a shame that we have to retire for this stupid reason.”

Christian Horner, Team Principal
“The rain was always going to come, it was just a question of when. Unfortunately it started with drizzle, followed by heavy rain. We got both drivers onto full wets at the earliest possibility and we then put Sebastian onto intermediates. Just before the heavy rain came, he was the quickest car on the track at the time but unfortunately he spun on his in-lap to get extremes and the anti-stall didn’t catch the engine, so that was the end of his race. Mark made a pit stop for intermediates just before it started to rain heavily and then pitted again for the extremes. If he would have completed that lap, we believe he would have been third in the running order. However, the count back, classifies us 6th.”

Fabrice Lom, Renault Principal Engineer
“What a race! We had a difficult start at the beginning and Mark lost some places, although Sebastian made some. Both cars then had good fights– moving up through the field and overtaking lots of cars. Then the rain came and it was like a lottery. We have to apologise to Sebastian; the anti-stall didn’t catch his engine, so we have to investigate that. Mark did a fantastic job; it’s an unfair result for him, but at least we get the first points of the year.”