With clouds rolling in, the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix was about to have a wet start.
Last race winner, Kimi Raikkonen, was given a 3-place grid penalty for impeding Nico Rosberg during a rain-hit qualifying meaning he would start in 10th place. The start was an interesting one with pole sitter Vettel pulling away in his Red Bull. The Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa started strongly as well but while challenging for the lead, Alonso’s front wing brushed the rear tyre of Vettel’s Red Bull going around a corner and suffered slight damage. Alonso, however, continued onward, past the pit entry and onto the main straight, where a move by Mark Webber saw Alonso hit his rear tyre and lose the Ferrari’s front wing entirely. Alonso went straight into the gravel trap and that was the end of his race.
With the rain moving away from the track, lap 6 saw Vettel and Massa coming in for slick tyres. Two laps later, Hamilton and Webber came in as well. Lewis Hamilton accidentally stopped at the McLaren pit garage instead of his new Mercedes garage in what was an unusual occurrence. The race lead was in Webber’s hands for the most part. The front runners then began coming into the pits for their second round of stops, with Vettel coming in on lap 23, much earlier than Hamilton, who pitted on lap 31, going from third to fifth but his exit saw him gain track position. Button was now leading the race in his McLaren but then had to pit. A loose front right wheel saw him stop in the pit lane and need to be pushed in. He resumed out of contention.
With 20 laps to go, Hamilton was advised to save fuel and retain position. His team-mate Nico Rosberg was catching him up at an alarmingly quick rate. 10 laps to go and Webber came in for his final pit stop, which saw him exit just ahead of Sebastian Vettel who was on the attack and thus began a multi-corner battle which showcased the talents of both Red Bull drivers. No contact was made, but the tight racing brought on a message on the radio. Vettel was ahead, Webber in second. A relatively slow Lewis Hamilton was focussed on bringing his Mercedes home with his team-mate almost up his rear wing right behind him. The Mercedes radios came to life as well with Rosberg saying he could catch up with Webber but needed Hamilton to move. Ross Brawn was intent on a 3-4 finish and dismissed that option. Nico was not happy. Meanwhile, Massa was on a charge in his Ferrari and got past the Lotuses of Kimi Raikkonen and then Romain Grosjean. The Lotus cars were fast in a straight line and good on their tyres, but they were visibly a handful through the corners. In the end, Sebastian Vettel took the chequered flag for Red Bull with his team-mate Mark Webber completing the first Red Bull Racing 1-2 of the season. Lewis Hamilton was third, with Nico Rosberg behind him in fourth. Felipe Massa came in fifth for Ferrari followed by the Lotus Renaults of Grosjean and Raikkonen. Hulkenberg took home Sauber’s first points in eighth with McLaren’s Sergio Perez in ninth and Joen-Eric Vergne bringing home his Toro Rosso in tenth, claiming the final point and the first for his team. In the end, it was one of the most somber podium celebrations as a result of the team rows in the final few laps.
Sebastian Vettel now leads the driver’s standings with 40 pts, Kimi Raikkonen is in second with 31 pts with Mark Webber in third with 26 pts. Red Bull lead the constructor’s championship with 66 pts while Lotus and Ferrari are neck-and-neck with 40 pts each.
