Formula 1 News

Sebastian Vettel wins again in Malaysia 

Another podium finish for Renault with Nick Heidfeld

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel took his second consecutive win in the 2011 season at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

McLaren’s Jenson Button finished second, ahead of Lotus Renault GP’s Nick Heidfeld and Red Bull’s Mark Webber.

Fifth place for Felipe Massa, sixth for Fernando Alonso, seventh for Lewis Hamilton, eighth for Kamui Kobayashi, ninth for Michael Schumacher and tenth for Force India’s Paul Di Resta.

UPDATE: Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were handed 20-second penalties after the Malaysian Grand Prix. The Briton was penalised for making more than one move to defend his position when fighting with Alonso, while the Spaniard for making the actual contact with the McLaren driver. Hamilton drops to eighth, while Alonso keeps sixth.

2011 Malaysian Grand Prix, lap by lap highlights:

The second race of the 2011 season is about to start in Malaysia’s Sepang International circuit.

Reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel starts from pole position for the second time in the season after beating by just a tenth McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton during Saturday’s qualifying session. Mark Webber starts from the third spot of the grid in the other RB7 ahead of Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Nick Heidfeld, Felipe Massa, Vitaly Petrov and Nico Rosberg.

Both Hispania’s cars will race today for the first time in the 2011 season after qualifying within the 107 percent of Q1′s fastest time.

Formation lap: the grid clears ahead of the formation lap. No rain expected for the first 30 minutes of the race.

Race start: Off we go at Sepang! Into turn 1, Vettel, Heidfeld, Hamilton. Webber down to ninth. Massa P6, Alonso P7.

Lap 2/56: Vettel P1, Heidfeld P2, Hamilton P3, Button P4, Petrov P5. Dark clouds have surrounded the circuit.

Lap 3/56: DRS has been enabled. Maldonado and Perez made contact at Turn 1.

Lap 4/56: Sutil pits. Looks like Barrichello has suffered a puncture. The Brazilian made it to the pits.

Lap 5/56: Massa overtakes Petrov for P5. Petrov locks up at Turn 14 and runs wide. Alonso gets past him.

Lap 7/56: Tight battle between Webber and Kobayashi for P9.

Lap 8/56: Vettel P1, Heidfeld P2, Hamilton P3, Button P4, Massa P5, Alonso P6.

Lap 9/56: Hamilton pressuring Heidfeld for P2. Maldonado pits from P20. Meanwhile, Kovalainen has made it up to P16 while Trulli P17.

Lap 11/56: Webber pits from P10. Maldonado pits and retires.

Lap 12/56: Di Resta pits.

Lap 13/56: Hamilton pits from P3 and rejoins in P10. Hamilton reporting rain in some parts of the circuit.

Lap 14/56: Vettel, Button, Heidfeld and Massa pit. Trulli pits in the Lotus.

Lap 15/56: Alonso and Schumacher pit.

Lap 16/56: Petrov pits. Buemi pits. Rosberg and Kovalainen pit. Karthikeyan has stopped.

Lap 17/56: Alonso overtakes Button for P4. Alguersuari and Sutil pit. Alonso overtakes Kobayashi for P3. Buemi being investigated by the race stewards for speeding in the pitlane.

Lap 18/56: Kobayashi, Perez and Glock pit. D’Ambrosio and Liuzzi pit.

Lap 19/56: Race control: 10 second stop and go for Buemi, for speeding in the pitlane. Barrichello pits from the last place.

Lap 20/56: Vettel still in the lead ahead of Hamilton, Alonso, Button, Heidfeld, Webber, Massa, Petrov and Di Resta.

Lap 21/56: Buemi takes his 10 second stop and go penalty. Replays show Petrov loosing a piece of the bodywork.

Lap 22/56: Massa overtakes Webber for P6.

Lap 23/56: Webber has pitted from P7. Schumacher takes P10 from Kobayashi.

Lap 24/56: Button pits from P4 and rejoins in P7. Third pit stop for Barrichello, and he retires.

Lap 25/56: Hamilton pits from P2. Di Resta pits. Perez retires.

Lap 26/56: Vettel pits from the lead. He rejoins in P4. Hamilton overtakes Petrov for P5.

Lap 27/56: Alonso pits. Heidfeld pits. Vettel overtakes Massa.

Lap 28/56: Massa pits. Petrov pits. Retired drivers so far: Perez, Barrichello, Karthikeyan and Maldonado.

Lap 29/56: Schumacher pits from P10.

Lap 30/56: Rosberg pits.

Lap 31/56: Vettel is being told over the team radio to not use KERS anymore.

Lap 32/56: Trulli pits.

Lap 33/56: Webber has pitted from P5. Alguersuari, Sutil and Buemi pit.

Lap 34/56: Fastest lap for Vettel: 1:41.539. Trulli having problems with the clutch.

Lap 35/56: Trulli retires. Sutil passes Alguersuari for P14.

Lap 36/56: Kovalainen and Glock pit. Alonso closing on Button.

Lap 37/56: Fastest lap for Webber: 1:41.423. Kobayashi and D’Ambrosio pit.

Lap 38/56: Pit stop for Hamilton. Di Resta pits.

Lap 39/56: Button and Massa pit. Button rejoins ahead of Hamilton.

Lap 40/56: Heidfeld pits. Liuzzi pits.

Lap 41/56: Fastest lap for Button: 1:41.388.

Lap 42/56: Alonso, Vettel and Rosberg pit. Alonso rejoins in fifth.

Lap 43/56: Pit stop for Schumacher. Webber pits for the fourth time.

Lap 44/56: Massa overtakes Petrov for P7.

Lap 45/56: Petrov pits while Alonso battles with Hamilton for P3. D’Ambrosio retires.

Lap 46/56: Alonso’s DRS is not working. Alonso attempts to pass Hamilton but touches his front wing against Hamilton’s rear tyre.

Lap 47/56: Alonso pits for a new front wing. He rejoins in seventh.

Lap 48/56: Webber now pressuring Massa for P5.

Lap 50/56: Webber passes Massa and takes P5.

Lap 51/56: Liuzzi pits and retires.

Lap 52/56: Heidfeld makes it past Hamilton for P3.

Lap 53/56: Replays show Hamilton running wide and being passed by Webber. Hamilton pits. Webber now tailing Heidfeld for P3.

Lap 54/56: Petrov is out. His steering column came off!

Lap 55/56: Heidfeld being pressured by Webber.

Last lap: Seabstian Vettel takes his second win in the season ahead of Jenson Button, Nick Heidfeld, Mark Webber, Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Kamui Kobayashi, Michael Schumacher and Paul Di Resta.

2011 Malaysian Grand Prix, Revised Race results: