F1: A look back at Round 2, the Malaysian GP

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GP MALESIA F1/2015  - 28/03/2015 © FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO X FERRARI MEDIA
GP MALESIA F1/2015 – 28/03/2015
© FOTO STUDIO COLOMBO X FERRARI MEDIA

 

 

 

 

 

 

We take a look back at Round 2 of the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship, the Malaysian GP where Sebesiten Vettel took a sensational victory

Sebastian Vettel scored his and Ferrari’s first win since 2013 on Sunday, as a superb strategic drive for his new team helped him defeat pre-race favourites Mercedes in the 2015 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix.

Behind the fleet German – who poignantly lapped both Red Bulls four laps from home – polesitter Lewis Hamilton maintained his championship lead but struggled with his Mercedes’ balance on his way to a frustrated second place, 8.5s in arrears and 3.7s ahead of team mate Nico Rosberg.

>Hamilton had led away but things went awry for Mercedes when Marcus Ericsson spun his Sauber at Turn 1 on the fourth lap, bringing out the safety car. Hamilton and Rosberg both immediately pitted for Pirelli’s hard tyre, but crucially Ferrari kept Vettel out on the mediums on which all of the top 10 qualifiers had started.

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As Mercedes thus locked themselves early into a three-stop race, Vettel was able to make use of his Ferrari’s lower tyre degradation to control things and get by with only two stops. Mercedes were thus left on their back foot.

Roberto Merhi was the final finisher for Marussia, three laps down, after team mate Will Stevens was unable to start as his car could not be repaired after his fuel system problems on Saturday.

Jenson Button’s McLaren suffered power loss just when – to his surprise – he found himself catching cars in front, while Fernando Alonso’s sister car also experienced a technical problem. Ericsson could not restart after his spin, so was the race’s first retirement.

Vettel’s victory – the first for Ferrari since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, and the German’s first since Brazil in the same year – allowed him to close to within three points of Hamilton in the drivers’ standings. After two rounds Hamilton has 43 points to Vettel’s 40 and Rosberg’s 33.

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