You have to love Australia in intermittent rain! Shuts up the people who consider F1 to be boring.
I (honestly) almost cried when Vettel’s brakes went. I’m a big fan of Kubica and like Button, so I can’t complain too much how the race ended, except for that. But if his car fails him from the front in the next race, I might start sending hate mail to the mechanics.
I find so many different aspects to F1 racing that I’m never bored – excepting last season, which was basically over in six races. And yes, Albert Park was a real treat this year. Basically saw a bit of everything that makes F1 what it is, the most expensive circus on earth.
As I wrote before, I feel for Vettel as well. But perhaps you should redirect your hate mail to their suppliers and not the mechanics. After all neither spark plugs nor brake failures have anything to do with the latter.
Eh, I was indulging in hyperbole. I don’t actually hate either the suppliers or the mechanics - this is just part of the sport. (I probably will cry if it does happen again in Malaysia, though.)
Will any of the Red Bull fans here agree with me that Webber probably would have left the circuit if Hamilton’s car hadn’t been in the way? I have to agree with (BBC TV commentator) Martin Brundle that that one was 100% Webber’s fault, even taking into account nationalistic bias on our part.
I wish Brundle was the main commentator for BBC TV, he rarely makes a mistake and is usually right on the ball with his comments, whereas the current lead commentator (Jonathan Ledgard, I believe) seems to miss things that seem obvious to me as a casual fan.
Overall, exciting race as everyone has said - was amazing to watch Hamilton reeling in the Ferraris, but very frustrating that he couldn’t get past. I like Hamilton, but I thought it was distinctly unclassy to blame his team for ruining his race. OK, it’s probably true, but it’s the sort of thing that there is no need to air in public, IMO.
A reminder if needed, that qualies for the Kuala Lumpur GP take place on SAT 16:00, local time – or 4:00 EST.
As in the two prior GPs, Vettel’s RBR is favored for pole position, with the Usual Suspects right behind him – if practices are anything to go by (and I normally don’t think they are), Hammy’s McLaren might be right in the thick of things as well.
As always in Malaysia, weather might just play the biggest role of all. Unpredictable as hell…
Don’t have a DVR hooked-up to my Sky dish, just hope the caffeine will do its job – not fond of watching replays. Live’s the only way to watch F1!
Some great pics of P1 and P2 to set the mood:
2010 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX
Damn! Do I like expensive toys or what? 
Race preview: Uncertainty over Red Bulls and rain
I missed the qualifying session, probably because I was asleep. However, the final order is interesting (to say the least). Given Alonso, Hamilton and Massa were eliminated in Q1, starting at 19th, 20th and 21st respectively, while Button managed to grab 17th,there should be som fireworks in the race.
Also, US F! has ceased operations. (I picked it up form a short BBC report.)
Shame.
Fitting that story was filed on April Fool’s Day.
Wow. What a qualifying session. Sutil and Force India was P1 with just 2:30 left in Q3 and ends up 4th. Talk about down to the wire. It will be fascinating to see Alonso, Massa, Button, and Hamilton try to move through the field, especially if the wet conditions persist.
Just two more hours! I’ll try to get off the Internets so I can watch live instead of DVR like usual.
Not much action up front this time, but at least the race wasn’t rained out. And the McLaren/Ferrari shootout in the middle of the pack was great to watch. Hamilton’s early charge up the field, all the way into P2 (for a minute) was a thing of beauty at times. And how awesome a driver is Alonso for keeping that F10 together and in respectable points-position until the last friggin’ lap?
And for my money, it’s great to see Nico Rosberg doing so well, not just in a better car than the 09 Williams, but over Schumacher. I think being teammates with Schumi has the potential to really make Rosberg a very good driver; by the end of the season I won’t be surprised to see him win. And if Mercedes can keep up their car design, he could be in the Top 5 of possibles for the WDC in 2011 or 2012. He had consistency last year in the Williams, and this year I think he’s getting a chance to show just how good he is.
That was a phenomenal drive, given that he kept losing gears and engine breaking, and running wide on corners. I wonder if his engine would have blown anyway had he not made that last-gap maneuver.
Also, impressive performance by Force India-Mercedes this year.
They’ve been making slow but steady improvements for a long time now. I doubt that they’ll be near the top teams anytime soon, but I don’t think that they’ll be considered one of bottom teams for much longer. I think this will be their “solid mid-pack” breakout year.
I decided to play the Speed Channel Fantasy Racing game and had enough budget to get Sutil as my third driver. I imagine it will be the best money spent the way this season is going. Consistant qualifying and steady race results.
GD Ferrari! You should know better than to sit in the pits while the rain is falling in Malaysia. It’ll only get worse!
I’m going to make an early prediction: Vettel will be World Champion. And a good thing, too. Look for dominance by him the rest of the season. Alonso, Massa and Hamilton will duke it out for second, and Kubica will beat Webber when all is said and done. Rosberg is a wild card. Could be in the top three or four, maybe. Schummy won’t make a big comeback till next year. Or I could be talkin’ out my rear diffuser. 
Brilliant race! Last season I thought rain ruined races and I hated seeing wet conditions. This year I’m loving it! Amazing drives from Button, Hamilton, and Nico… good work by Alonso, Petrov, and Kubica too. The Renault factory cars looked pretty good out there today.
If Vettel is going to take the WDC this year, he better pray that the races in Europe are dry. Button seems to have a sixth sense about conditions and tire choice.
Absolutely fantastic race. Fun to watch from start to finish.
And I’m wondering if the Cheetah will finish the season.
So due to work I was only able to watch up to the first set of pit stops for the top 4. I come home and find that the Red Bulls had taken each other out and are now blaming each other, according to the BBC web site. Any thoughts from those who saw the whole of the race?
Fun start, boring middle, excellent end.
Looked like Vettel’s fault to me: he was the one passing and it seemed to me that he pulled out into Webber’s way.
It was Vettel’s fault, however Webber knew that Hamilton was in Vettel’s ass and soon would be a problem for both.
He could’ve waited for the next lap.
And Button and Hamilton also traded blows.
It was nice to see the race being pushed at the front, instead of Webber waltzing away with it. I was particularly pleased to see Button and Hamilton mix it up after what happened to the Red Bulls. It was fantastic to watch them go wheel-to-wheel through the turns.
Not completely out. Webber did finish third.