Sebastian Vettel extended his run of victories with a fourth consecutive win at the Malaysian Grand Prix, demonstrating once again the strength of the Red Bull team over the opening rounds of the season.
Despite Vettel’s dominance, Red Bull’s rivals closed the gap at times and Jenson Button finished just three seconds behind in a tightly contested chase. The race delivered close battles, strategic gambles and a few dramatic incidents that reshaped the order throughout the afternoon.
Vettel kept the lead through the opening laps but had to defend carefully against an eager Lewis Hamilton. That defensive work allowed Nick Heidfeld — who rocketed away from sixth on the grid — to sweep into second place ahead of the two McLarens. Heidfeld’s Renault showed impressive early pace and race craft to capitalise on the situation.
Vitaly Petrov, driving the other Renault, also enjoyed a strong launch off the line. However he came under pressure from Felipe Massa and, after the Ferrari used DRS to make a move at turn one, Petrov ran wide not long after. That off allowed Fernando Alonso to pick up sixth place.
Bad start for Webber
Mark Webber suffered a poor getaway when his Kinetic Energy Recovery System failed at the start, causing him to tumble down the order. He eventually found himself embroiled in a scrap with Kamui Kobayashi for tenth. After numerous overtakes and re-passes, Webber opted for a different approach and pitted early on lap ten to try and gain a strategic advantage.
Teams ahead responded quickly to his strategy, neutralising any potential benefit and enabling McLaren to close the gap on Heidfeld. Massa endured a slow pit stop that dropped him further back, while Alonso extended a stint and emerged close behind Button, seizing the chance to overtake the McLaren at the first corner after the stop sequence.
Most of the leading runners started the race on the soft compound tyres for their initial stints, but Hamilton switched to hard tyres for his third stint. The harder rubber blunted his pace, forcing McLaren to call him in for a fourth stop on lap 37 with 19 laps remaining, as they tried to manage tyre life and performance.
Alonso and Hamilton collide
Hamilton’s afternoon began to unravel after a slow pit stop relegated him behind Button. He struggled to make his second set of tyres last, whereas team mate Button maintained stronger pace after his stops. Alonso closed in quickly and, despite a failure of his adjustable rear wing which left him without DRS advantage, he launched a forceful attack on Hamilton. Approaching turn four, Alonso clipped Hamilton’s right-rear tyre with his front wing, breaking his own front wing and forcing him into the pits for another stop.
Hamilton’s car initially appeared undamaged but he continued to contend with tyre degradation. On lap 51 Heidfeld used DRS to flow past Hamilton, and shortly afterwards Hamilton ran off track. With only a handful of laps left he returned to the pits for a final tyre change to switch to more durable hard rubber in a bid to finish the race without further issues.
Button pressed hard in pursuit of Vettel, but despite intermittent KERS performance on the Red Bull, Vettel managed the gap effectively and took the win. Webber, having also taken a late stop for fresher tyres, recovered well to overtake Massa and claim fourth place. Alonso’s recovery drive moved him back up to seventh by the chequered flag.
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Petrov crashes out
After Hamilton’s stop he rejoined behind Petrov, but the Russian driver’s race ended bizarrely when he ran wide, launched into the air and landed heavily. The impact broke the mounting on his steering column and left him stranded as he attempted to reattach the wheel. The dramatic incident brought an unexpected end to his promising run.
In eighth place was the only driver to complete a two-stop strategy: Kamui Kobayashi in the Sauber. His team mate Sergio Perez was forced to retire after striking debris that had fallen from another car, underscoring the sometimes unpredictable dangers on today’s circuits.
Michael Schumacher and Paul di Resta completed the points positions, with di Resta finishing ten seconds ahead of his teammate in a solid points haul for the team.
Despite forecasts and widespread anticipation, rain played only a minor role in the event, limited to a brief shower around the first round of pit stops. The race remained lively and offered plenty of on-track action even without significant wet weather. In the end the reigning world champion prevailed, adding another commanding win to his tally.
Update: Hamilton and Alonso handed penalties following Malaysian Grand Prix
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2011 Malaysian Grand Prix
- Hamilton says Sepang driving “didn’t put anyone in danger”
- Domenicali praises Massa’s “return to form” in Malaysia
- 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix: complete race weekend review
- Who was the best driver of the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend?
- Red Bull stay ahead but KERS is still a weakness
- Ferrari on form in race after poor qualifying
- Hamilton called for his extra tyre stop at McLaren
- Renault recover from Friday drama for podium
- Schumacher scores for struggling Mercedes
- Two more retirements “not acceptable” at Williams
Browse all 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix articles