2013 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysian Grand

Maranello, 25 March – Five points just don’t explain it. The difference from the 35 points collected in 2012 to the 40 we have this year is much more, especially in terms of the overall competitive performance of the team and its combination of car and drivers. Last year the haul was largely the fruits of the extraordinary talent of Fernando Alonso, who knew what to do to come away with fifth place in Melbourne before romping away to a sumptuous victory in Sepang – even though he had a car that was clearly worse than many of his opponents. The F2012 certainly proved it was far from competitive in qualifying, with just one appearance in Q3 – the ninth place in Malaysia – to show for four attempts. The performance of the F138 is very different, with an average grid position of 3.5 so far due to one front row, two second rows and one third row – very different from the 12.25 average a year ago.This year’s 40 points have been shared almost equally between the two drivers. It’s true that Fernando (18 points) paid a heavy price for his zero from yesterday and he has as many as 17 points less than 2012. But this deficit has been more than made up for by Felipe Massa, who has brought home 22 points whereas he was yet to get off the mark last year. The Brazilian has now taken his run of consecutive points finishes to 12 races, maintaining in this year’s two grands prix the constant improvement that characterised his second half of last year.

A united team, two strong and determined drivers, a competitive car: there is still a lot of work to do to get ahead of all the opposition but all the ingredients are there for a fight to the finish for both titles. That is the first verdict of 2013.

The F138 confirms it is competitive at Sepang too
Maranello, 25 March – Ten points was certainly not a haul that matched expectations and, above all, potential. Of course yesterday’s result was a cold shower – even if it’s hard to picture such a thing in the Malaysian heat – for Scuderia Ferrari after Saturday’s excellent qualifying. But it’s also clear that a detailed analysis of how the weekend went reveals plenty of positives, especially from a technical point of view. The competitive performance of the F138, which was already shown during the previous weekend in Melbourne, was confirmed on a circuit that is much more meaningful than the unusual characteristics of Albert Park.
It’s true that, especially over a single dry lap, there is still ground to catch up – particularly compared to Red Bull but also to Mercedes – but it was in race pace that the Scarlet cars showed their strength. That could also be seen yesterday afternoon when Felipe Massa put on his dry tyres. By then the Brazilian had already faced difficulties with the intermediate tyres, by contrast with the previous afternoon’s qualifying when the performance on wet tyres had allowed the two Ferraris to defeat all their opponents with the exception of Vettel.
To understand how good the Brazilian’s pace was you just need to take a look at the lap times. On the ninth lap, once the series of pit stops for cars to swap from intermediates to slicks was over, the gap from Felipe to race leader Mark Webber was 22”627: the final gap to winner Sebastian Vettel was just three seconds more (25”648). That means for 47 laps Felipe’s pace was at the same level as the winners, and no one can say that anyone was backing off at the front! The second fastest lap time of all – set by the Brazilian when the track was completely dry – was another confirmation of the car’s performance. So it is easy to understand the bitterness felt by Fernando Alonso who, at the end of the race, declared that he could have won it. It’s true that it’s always easier to speak out with the benefit of hindsight: that also applies to all the criticisms directed at the team’s choice. But in a moment like that it was up to the pit wall to decide in a few seconds – based both on telemetry and the feel of the driver – to leave Fernando on track, even with a damaged front wing. There was a clear desire not to let the chance to stay in the fight for important points slip away thanks to the slightest of touches – a ‘kiss’, as Stefano Domenicali described it after the race. The wrong choice, a gamble that wasn’t worth taking? Yes, but it was inspired by the knowledge that the team has a competitive car at the start of the season for the first time in years. That’s a lesson to bear in mind for the immediate future because certain errors must not be repeated – but it mustn’t cancel out how many good things came out of this weekend at Sepang.

Stefano Domenicali: “Clearly today’s result leaves a somewhat bitter taste in the mouth given the start positions we had secured in qualifying. As soon as Fernando collided with Vettel it was clear that his race would involve fighting his way up the order. At that time, we felt the front wing could hold out and on a track that was progressively drying out, we risked leaving him out. With hindsight, it did not work out, trying to avoid doing two stops in the space of just four laps. As for Felipe, the gap that grew during the opening laps compromised his chances to fight with the leading group of four towards the end. Given the competitive performance level of our rivals, now the important thing is to turn the page: we must put this Sunday behind us and calmly analyse the positive and negative aspects, as we immediately turn our attention to the next race in China.”

Fernando Alonso: “Today, unfortunately, we were very unlucky. After making a good start, I touched with Vettel at the second corner: it was a surprise to find him there, almost stopped and I don’t know what speed he was doing. Despite the fact the car was damaged, it didn’t seem to be too bad and, together with the team, we decided to keep going, because if we’d stopped immediately and then again on lap 3 or 4 to fit dry tyres, we would have dropped too far back and definitely lost the chance to finish up the front. It’s easy to criticise this decision, but at the time it seemed like the right one. It was certainly a shame, because here we could have fought with the Red Bulls, but circumstances didn’t help and apart from the wisdom of the decisions we took, bad luck really played its part, when you think how many off-track excursions there were in Australia without any consequence and even here when the cars first went out on track. Now we are already focusing on the coming races in China and Bahrain, where we hope to do better than last year, so that we arrive in Europe with as many points as possible”.

Felipe Massa: “Today’s race was really complicated, because starting with a new set of intermediates on a track that was very damp at some points and completely dry at others, prevented me from having a good pace and I lost ground to many other drivers on the first lap. Maybe bringing forward the first stop to fit dry tyres was a slightly risky choice, because the track was still damp and this cost me time. Then on the dry track, the car improved, the tyre degradation wasn’t excessive and I managed to settle into a good pace, but at that point, any hope of finishing on the podium had vanished. I can’t say I’m satisfied with this result, but given all the difficulties I had at the start of the race, I am happy to bring home a good points haul”.

Pat Fry: “For both drivers, the initial part of the race affected the final outcome, which is a real shame because the start was very promising. The contact between Alonso and Vettel at the second corner was an unfortunate episode: we knew the front wing was damaged but the car still seemed to be competitive and we decided to run the risk of staying out. We definitely could have played safe and called him in, but that way we would have ended up behind everyone on rain tyres and would have lost even more ground with the next stop to fit dry tyres. With hindsight, we can say the risk wasn’t worthwhile. In the wet, Felipe struggled a bit to find the right balance and that compromised his chances of fighting for a podium position. Once it was dry, his lap times improved: he definitely drove a good race which enabled him to pick up useful points”.

Race
	Pos.	Time	Gap	Laps	FL	Lap
MASSA	5°	1:39.22.329	+ 25.648	56	1.39.805	50
Pit-stop	1st stop		lap  6		Medium
	2nd stop		lap 20		Hard
	3rd stop		lap  33		Medium
	4th stop		lap  47		Medium (used)
ALONSO	R	2:05.239	–	1	–	–
Weather: air 28/29°C, track 33/38 °C. Sunny

Sepang, 24 March – Felipe Massa fought back strongly after slipping down the order from his front row start position, to bring home valuable points for fifth place. Fernando Alonso’s 200th Grand Prix is not one he will care to remember, as it lasted only just over a lap, before ending in the gravel. Sebastian Vettel headed home a Red Bull Racing one-two ahead of Mark Webber. Completing the podium was Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes.

Inevitably here in Sepang, the rain appeared minutes before the cars were due to leave the shelter of the garages, so the Intermediate and Extreme rain tyres were prepared, as the rain intensified. It was heavy in parts and several cars went off the track on their way to the grid, which resembled a strange Garden Party as all the teams erected temporary tents over their cars. With 15 minutes to the start, the rain began to ease, turning to a light drizzle, as team strategists faced the traditional Malaysian puzzle.

Along with the other 20 drivers, Felipe and Fernando opted to start on the Intermediates. It seemed the best choice as the cars threw up plumes of spray on the parade lap. As the lights went out, Vettel led from pole, Fernando got ahead of Felipe, but Webber in the other Red Bull nearly passed the Spanish Ferrari driver, as Felipe dropped to fifth behind Hamilton in the Mercedes, ahead of Nico Rosberg.

Trouble struck on lap 2: Fernando had fought hard to get ahead of Vettel, but the two men touched and this had caused damage to the nose on the Spaniard’s F138. On the pit wall, the thinking was to leave him out for a lap or two longer to deal with the damage, in order to change the front wing at the same time as the switch to slicks, which was imminent. But the part failed, consigning Alonso to the gravel trap on the outside of Turn 1. He signalled for the marshals to push him back on track but in vain. Meanwhile, Button in the McLaren had moved up to fourth ahead of Rosberg, with Felipe, having had a difficult opening lap, now sixth. The top three was made up of Vettel, Webber and Hamilton, but Rosberg had managed to get back in front of Button for fourth. With four laps gone, Felipe was 2 seconds behind Button.

Lap 5 and Vettel was the first to pit for slicks, followed by Felipe, who thus dropped to eighth. The track seemed very wet in sector 1. On lap 6, Sutil, Ricciardo Raikkonen, Di Resta, Maldonaldo, Van De Garde, Bianchi, Bottas all came in for slicks. Lap 7 and it was Webber, Hamilton, Button, Hulkenberg, Vergne, Perez, Pic. Hamilton made the classic “new team” mistake and at first stopped in the McLaren pit, instead of Mercedes! With the field now all on slicks, the order on lap 9 was Webber, Vettel, Hamilton, Rosberg, Button, Hulkenberg, Felipe in seventh, 4 seconds down on the German Sauber driver and 22.6 behind the race leader. Behind the Brazilian, Perez, Grosjean and Raikkonen completed the top ten, all of whom were on the Medium tyre. The order hardly changed, with the most exciting battle at this point being Raikkonen’s attack in the Lotus on Perez’s McLaren for ninth spot.

The second pit stops started on lap 19, with Webber and Ricciardo. Felipe was closer to Hulkenberg in the Sauber, but eighth placed Grosjean in the Lotus was closing on the Ferrari. In fact these two came in together on lap 20 for new tyres – the Brazilian was now on the Hard Pirellis – and left pit lane in the same order. Di Resta also pitted the Force India at this time. Hamilton and Button both came in on lap 21, as did Hulkenberg and Raikkonen. Felipe was in a battle for seventh, behind Sutil in the Force India and ahead of Grosjean and Hulkenberg. Lap 22, Vettel and Rosberg, lying first and second came down pit lane, followed by Perez from sixth. Sutil had a very long stop and Felipe was sixth, 9.2 behind Button. At the front, Webber was coming under attack from his second placed team-mate, with the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Rosberg still behind the Red Bulls fighting among themselves. Button was fifth, 8.9 ahead of Felipe.

On lap 30 of 56, Hamilton was the first to three-stop, coming from fourth, followed in by race leader Webber and third placed Rosberg. Felipe was still sixth, with Hamilton five seconds ahead of him. Vettel pitted from the lead on lap 32, coming out fourth, just centimetres in front of Rosberg. Felipe made his third stop next time round, while Button now found himself temporarily leading, but on fresher tyres, Webber was able to pass him on lap 34, as Hulkenberg and Raikkonen came out of pit lane wheel to wheel after their third stops. Button then brought the McLaren into the pits but stopped the car in the middle of the pit lane with a loose wheel and had to be pushed back to the garage.

With 20 laps to go, Felipe had fought his way up to a lonely fifth, a long way off fourth placed Rosberg and around 7 ahead of Grosjean. While Webber had a 3.6 cushion over Hamilton, the Mercedes man had Vettel and Rosberg breathing down his neck. It became a Red Bull one-two at the front, as the reigning world champion got past Hamilton on lap 38. The English Mercedes driver was the first to four stop on lap 41, followed next time by Vettel and then Rosberg. Webber made his stop on 43 and just managed to get out ahead of his team-mate with the two Red Bulls running wheel to wheel for a while. Felipe was still posting good lap times and was now 6.5 behind the battling Mercedes. Hard to believe Vettel and Webber were team-mates as they fought tooth and nail for the lead, the German eventually getting ahead on lap 46. Felipe made his fourth and final pit stop on lap 48 which dropped him to eighth, right behind the Perez-Raikkonen battle and it didn’t take long for the Brazilian to dispense with the McLaren and the Lotus to get back up to sixth. On fresh rubber he was flying and with two laps to go he made his final move, passing Grosjean for fifth. Nico Rosberg finished between the Ferrari man and the podium trio.

This result means that after two races, Scuderia Ferrari is third in the Constructors’ classification, although equal on 40 points with second placed Lotus, while Red Bull now leads. Felipe and Fernando are fifth and sixth respectively in the Drivers’ points table.

Sepang, 24 March – Felipe Massa came home fifth for Scuderia Ferrari in the Malaysian Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso had to retire on the second lap.

The race got underway with the field on Intermediates, before stopping not long after for dry tyres. Massa ran a four stop strategy, making up no less than three places in the closing stages. Alonso’s race was decidedly short. After a good start took him up to second place, the Spaniard made slight contact but with heavy consequences with the back of Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull. It damaged the front wing and after going through a few more corners, the wing gave way, sending Fernando into the gravel and into retirement.

Sepang, 23 March – The Scuderia Ferrari team members have now been on the road for over a fortnight as they tackle the Australian and Malaysian races. So, a longing for home was the theme behind giving Fernando Alonso a small but heartfelt tribute in celebration of his 200th Formula 1 Grand Prix and that theme was an Asturian dinner.

It was therefore a rather unusual Saturday evening, spent surrounded by the whole team. The familiar home cooking smells from the kitchen, even in the middle of Malaysia, meant Alonso could put all the pre-race pressures behind him, in the company of his fellow team members.

Sepang, 23 March –Qualifying was affected by rain arriving at the mid-point, complicating matters for everyone, but come the end, Scuderia Ferrari had got Felipe Massa into second place and Fernando Alonso into third.It was dry and very hot for the start of Q1 when both Ferrari men did just one run using the P Zero Orange hard tyres. A single run was also the strategy for Q2, this time using the Mediums. After 8 minutes of this part of qualifying, light rain began to fall, so that no one went out for the final moments. Tyre choice was now problematic for the final part.

As Q3 began the ten cars went out on Intermediates, the drivers testing the conditions during the ten minute session. Massa and Alonso did two runs each, the last one on new Intermediates.
It was very close in the final stages, with each successive car going quicker at the flag, so that Fernando was briefly on pole, before being overtaken by Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull, fastest at the end and Felipe. It was a good team effort for Scuderia Ferrari, following on from the positive showing in Melbourne and the first and second rows look promising for tomorrow.

 

Malaysian GP – Waiting for the qualifying verdict

Posted: 23.03.2013
Source: Ferrari

Sepang, 22 March – Scuderia Ferrari’s Technical Director, Pat Fry, was one of the participants in the traditional Friday FIA press conference. The Englishman was first asked for a comment about the team’s performance in Melbourne, especially in terms of race strategy, one of the key topics following on from the Australian Grand Prix. “I think our people were pleased with the race pace of the car. It was quite obvious that Kimi was going to be two-stopping. I think you could see him two seconds back from the group. I don’t think we could have followed suit and competed on a two-stop which is why we went for the aggressive three-stop, which got us through the traffic. With that and the 60km/h pit lane limit, it’s always that balance between two-stop and three-stop. We weren’t brave enough to make the two-stop work. Kimi was, so good luck to them, or well done to them. We just need to keep on working on the pace of it. It’s nice being second but you always want to win don’t you.”From Melbourne to Sepang, Fry was asked about his expectations considering two major unknowns, the weather and tyre degradation. “I think our race pace will be good here, similar to Melbourne,” maintained Fry. “In terms of tyre degradation, I’m not sure yet, We need to go and look at the numbers. Obviously, today’s running was a little bit mixed up. When everyone was doing their long runs this afternoon, there was rain in turns six and seven. Hopefully we will be able to get the degradation under control as well. As for strategy, I’m not sure how close we are to a three to four changeover or a two to three changeover.”

Fry was also asked to comment on the good form shown by Felipe Massa, who has again been very quick in these two first sessions at Sepang. “He’s got a good attitude and he’s driving very well, very sensibly, not overdriving the car. If you look at last year, the first half was a bit of a struggle, the second half was a lot better and he’s continued that form into this year. That’s obviously good for us in the Constructors’.

Sepang, 22 March – Red Bull took the top slot in the first practice session of the second round of the Formula 1 World Championship, just a few days after the season opener in Melbourne. Australia’s Mark Webber lapped in 1.36.935, to finish ahead of Kimi Raikkonen (1.37.003) in the Lotus and the other Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel (1.37.104.) As usual, the Malaysian track was a furnace, with air and track temperatures reaching 33 and 42 degrees respectively. Fernando Alonso was fourth in a time of 1.37.319, while in the other Ferrari, Felipe Massa was seventh in 1.37.771. Both men had a programme aimed at finding the right balance on the car and tuning the set-up to suit the orange-banded Hard Pirelli P Zero tyres. The other compound in use here, aimed at being best suited to the extreme heat and the abrasive nature of the track, is the white-banded Medium, which was already used in Australia.

Sepang, 21 March – The Formula 1 specialist media are still interested in what they see as Felipe Massa’s “miraculous” upturn in form which dates back to the mid-point of last season and which, in Melbourne last weekend, delivered a strong fourth place for the Brazilian. Naturally, the man himself sees things in far more simple terms. “The car is for sure much better and we have already showed throughout the Australian weekend, practice, qualifying and the race, that it is more competitive than last year,” began Felipe, when facing the media in the Sepang paddock this afternoon. “The car is ten times better and I feel happy and more comfortable than I did at this time last year, when I struggled to understand the car. This year I can be much more consistent and the car is easier to drive, which is pretty good for the team and also for me.”Even if the Scuderia tops the points in the Constructors’ classification, Felipe is too experienced a competitor to be lulled into a false sense of security. “Remember, in qualifying we were one second slower, but track conditions were not consistent, so it is hard to judge where we really are,” he cautioned. “In the race our pace was excellent, maybe the best, when our tyres were in good shape. Our level of tyre degradation was higher than Kimi’s, but it was reasonable when compared to the other cars and that is definitely positive. It is something we need to work on to get better in both qualifying and the race. However, overall, Australia went well for us and we need to make sure we progress race by race now. The situation could be completely different at this track and we need to wait and see. Maybe we will have a clearer picture of what is really the gap between us and the others in qualifying, either negative or positive. It is also true we had a good race pace when compared to the Red Bull, after it had been quicker than us on Saturday. This will be an important weekend to understand as much as possible about the car and the tyres.”This is also a significant weekend for Massa’s team-mate, as Fernando Alonso will be lining up on the grid on Sunday to take part in his two hundredth Grand Prix. Felipe had this to say on the subject. “It is definitely an important number: 200 Grands Prix is possibly over the halfway point in a career isn’t it! It’s a nice occasion. He has driven so many great races and won two championship titles and so this is definitely a special moment, so congratulations to him for that.”

The pace of life in Formula 1 is relentless and just a couple of days after packing away the two F138 cars and all the equipment required to run them, Scuderia Ferrari is already hard at work at the Sepang circuit on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, preparing for the second round of the World Championship, the Malaysian Grand Prix. A positive, if hot and sticky atmosphere reigns in the garage, because thanks to a second placed Melbourne podium for Fernando Alonso and a fourth place for team-mate Felipe Massa, the team heads the first published Constructors’ classification of 2013. In fact, the two Ferrari men made the journey from Melbourne to Malaysia together on Tuesday and are now acclimatising to the torrid climate that will characterise this second round of the World Championship, with some physical training. “The first Grand Prix weekend of the season in Australia was a positive one for us as we had previously stated that our objective was to finish on the podium and that target was achieved,” confirms Team Principal Stefano Domenicali. However, there is no room for complacency as nothing in terms of a pit lane hierarchy is set in stone. “We have witnessed a weekend that was very unusual, with qualifying on Saturday and Sunday delivering a snapshot of the order that proved to be completely different come Sunday evening after the race,” adds Domenicali. “But, it was important to see both our drivers deliver strong performances, as it provides a great basis on which we can build a competitive season and I’m pleased for both of them. Seeing Ferrari heading the Constructors’ Championship is a great reward for the people who have been working so hard, both here at the track and back home in Maranello. But it’s only the first step in a very long season and now is the time to analyse and evaluate all the data from Melbourne in order to be immediately ready for this coming weekend in Malaysia.”The Melbourne circuit is unique in many ways and Domenicali is well aware that this coming weekend will throw up a sharp contrast in terms of the challenges that await the teams. “Sepang is a very different track and our plan is to make the most of the package that we have,” maintains our Team Principal. “We need to wait and see how our car will behave in what is a totally different environment: the track will make different demands on the cars to the ones we experienced in Australia, with a change in track surface and the unique weather conditions, very hot and humid, will also impact on everyone’s performance this weekend. We know what is required here and we will need the usual compromise in terms of downforce levels to deal with both the tighter section and the two long fast straights.”The 5.543 kilometre track can be characterised as medium to high speed, while the track surface itself is very abrasive. It puts the tyres under a lot of strain, which is why Pirelli has selected the Medium and Hard compounds for this weekend. In the cold of Melbourne, the teams saw signs of cold weather graining, whereas in the heat of Sepang, heat-induced degradation will be the order of the day, while the high speed turns generate high lateral loads on the tyres too. As Domenicali mentioned, the aero set-up has to be a compromise to deal with a mix of slow and fast sections, and when it comes to the mechanical set up, the Sepang kerbs are low and forgiving, so a stiff and low car is called for. Cooling, if not a problem, is at least a consideration, although with two long straights, the brakes get given a chance to cool down. Physically, the conditions are demanding and that goes for the crew in the garage as much as for the drivers. And let’s not forget the tropical downpours, which have frequently added some unexpected spice to this race.In the ever-changing world of Formula 1, past history counts for little, but nevertheless, the Scuderia can take heart from its Malaysian track record. To date there have been fourteen Grands Prix at Sepang and the Prancing Horse has won six of them, more than any other team, dating back to Eddie Irvine’s victory in the maiden event in 1999, and going through to Fernando Alonso’s win last year. On that occasion, the Spaniard started from eighth on the grid, the lowest position that has ever ended in victory here. It was his third Sepang win, the first two coming with other teams in 2005 and 2007. Whatever happens on Sunday, this will be a special weekend for the man from Oviedo, as it marks his two hundredth appearance on the grid of a Formula 1 Grand Prix.

 

Kuala Lumpur, 19 March – This weekend in Malaysia, Fernando Alonso will celebrate taking part in his 200th Formula 1 Grand Prix. This will put the Spaniard fourteenth on the all-time official list, behind Jean Alesi and Alain Prost, both on 202.And what better place to celebrate this important milestone than the Sepang Circuit which holds great memories for Fernando and where he has had so many successes: in eleven races, the Ferrari man has won three times, finished four times on the podium, seven times in the top ten and secured two pole positions. His last win here was in fact in a Ferrari, at the wheel of the F2012 last year. It was a race that saw Alonso climb up the order from eighth place, thanks to a winning strategy from the Scuderia, combined with his skill in the wet.After starting the season in fine style in Melbourne, Scuderia Ferrari will be back on track this Sunday for the start of the fifteenth Malaysian Grand Prix. The torrid heat and high humidity are always the main features of this weekend, affecting the cars, drivers and crew more than at any other venue. There are no particular updates from a technical point of view, as the team will try and adapt the F138 as well as possible to the Malaysian track, which is very different to the one in Albert Park. It will be particularly important to find the right compromise between aerodynamic downforce and top speed, given that the first and third sectors both feature a long straight, where the Ferraris will be able to count on a good top speed.Malaysia will also provide an interesting test bed for the Pirelli tyres, with the Hard and Medium compounds being used, as the teams continue to work on understanding their behaviour. Temperatures will be much higher than in Australia and it will be important to push the tyres to their limits in Friday free practice to work out the best strategy for the race. Other unknowns? As usual, the weather will play its part. Constant changes and sudden storms have always been a feature at this venue. Maybe this year it will call a ceasefire…