Malaysia – Race: Victorious, Sebastian Vettel equals Jackie Stewart!

It is a track partially wet from a shower that welcomes—and traps—the drivers as soon as they complete their installation lap on the grid. As a result, all drivers on the starting grid will begin on Intermediate tires, with Sebastian Vettel sharing the front row with Felipe Massa and ahead of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. Penalized three spots for impeding another driver in qualifying, Kimi Räikkönen will start in tenth position while Pastor Maldonado had to change his engine before the race. However, the Venezuelan retains his 16th place on the grid since it was one of the eight engine changes permitted by the FIA during the season.

At the lights out, Sebastian Vettel gets the best start, while Fernando Alonso attacks Felipe Massa at the first braking point. However, the Spaniard damages his front wing on Vettel’s RB8 at the second corner and finds himself battling with Mark Webber. The Asturian holds on for the entire first lap and decides to stay on the track, hoping to wait a few laps for conditions to allow for dry-weather tires. It’s a fatal risk for the double world champion, whose wing breaks a few seconds later at the end of the straight. With the wing sliding under the F138, the Spaniard loses control of his car and ends up in the gravel trap: race over.

After 2 laps, Sebastian Vettel has more than a 3-second lead over Mark Webber. Following are Hamilton, Button, Rosberg, Massa, Pérez, Sutil, Hülkenberg, and Ricciardo. After a great wheel-to-wheel battle, Rosberg gains the upper hand over Button for 4th place.

In the 5th lap, Sebastian Vettel stops to fit Medium tires for dry track. Felipe Massa imitates the German. Struggling in the first sector, Sebastian Vettel finds himself getting caught in the heart of the pack with the Pérez, Sutil, and Grosjean. After a brief off-track excursion, Kimi Räikkönen is in eleventh position.

In the last two sectors, the Red Bull driver can make up his time deficit, but his team prefers to hedge their bets by asking Mark Webber to stay on track. However, many drivers decide to switch to dry-weather tires, notably at Force India. Yet, Sutil’s pit stop drags on due to a stubborn wheel, which also ruins Paul di Resta’s race, as he’s lined up right behind his teammate’s VJM06.

Another comical incident in the pits occurred a few laps later with Lewis Hamilton’s stop… at McLaren, causing an amused reaction from his partner, Nicole Scherzinger. Rosberg didn’t make any mistakes while at Toro Rosso, they released Vergne’s STR7 right in front of Charles Pic’s Caterham, leading to a collision that could not be avoided: the incident would be investigated by the stewards after the race. In the meantime, the French driver had to change his front wing. Mark Webber was the last to go through the pits to switch to Hard tires.

On the 10th lap, Mark Webber leads Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button, Nico Hülkenberg, Felipe Massa, Sergio Pérez, Romain Grosjean, and Kimi Räikkönen. However, the fifth place of the 2009 world champion is being targeted by Nico Hülkenberg, while Sergio Pérez’s position is being challenged by Romain Grosjean. The Frenchman easily overtakes the McLaren thanks to DRS, while the two Force India drivers battle each other for the gain of the 14th place.

In the lead of the race, the Mercedes drivers are the fastest men on the track, noticeably quicker than their counterparts from Red Bull, while in tenth position, Kimi Räikkönen is stuck behind Sergio Pérez’s MP4-28. Behind them, Pastor Maldonado makes a mistake and damages his front wing, which he hastily goes to change by rushing into the pit lane.

On the 16th lap, Kimi Räikkönen finally finds an opening on Sergio Pérez and sets off in pursuit of Romain Grosjean. Ahead, the top four drivers take turns setting the fastest lap of the race, but it is indeed the Finn from Lotus who records the best lap time.

On the 20th lap, Mark Webber is the first of the leaders to stop for a second time to switch to Medium tires. The Australian returns to the race in fifth position, behind Jenson Button, relinquishing the lead to his teammate, Sebastian Vettel.

In the battle for 6th place, Felipe Massa and Romain Grosjean simultaneously pit on the following lap: Hard tires for the Brazilian, Mediums for the Frenchman. At Force India, it’s Paul di Resta who falls victim to a disastrous pit stop this time, with the mechanics failing to fit the left front wheel on the Scotsman’s car. Hamilton, Button, Hülkenberg, and Räikkönen also come in for unanimously fitting the Medium tires. The Sauber driver briefly joins the fray between Felipe Massa and Romain Grosjean.

Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg stop at the 23rd lap, with Hard tires on the RB8 and Mediums on the F1 W04. Both men rejoin the race behind their teammates, in second and fourth positions respectively.

In the pits, after Di Resta, it’s Sutil’s turn to encounter a problem that seems endemic at Force India, as the mechanics again struggle to fit the front left wheel on the car. Moments later, Paul di Resta returns dejected to the pits to retire. The same fate awaits Adrian Sutil a few laps later: the extended pit stops at Force India were likely fatal for both cars.

Leading the race, Sebastian Vettel gets within DRS range of Mark Webber. However, the German is unable to overtake his teammate and is warned by his race engineer that he must manage his tires in the corners by not staying too close to the Australian. The German’s response on the radio: « He’s too slow. Get him out of my way. »

Vettel and “Hungry Heidi” indeed have cause for concern with the increasingly threatening presence of Lewis Hamilton behind him. But, in the 31st lap, the Brit makes his third stop to switch to Medium tires: in fact, the Mercedes driver nearly collides with Vettel’s Red Bull as he enters the pits.

In the next round, it’s Mark Webber who enters the pits to switch to Hard tires, immediately followed by Nico Rosberg. Sebastian Vettel thus inherits the lead of the race. The reigning triple world champion soon stops to switch to Hard tires as well. The German comes out behind Lewis Hamilton and just ahead of Nico Rosberg. Jenson Button temporarily takes the lead of the race, which doesn’t seem to displease him: « Not too bad! »

On the 35th lap, the McLaren driver holds off Mark Webber, who is forced to brake too late at turn #1. In the pits, another wheel-to-wheel battle occurs between Nico Hülkenberg and Kimi Räikkönen. The Sauber driver emerges ahead of the Lotus and valiantly withstands the Finnish driver’s attacks.

On the 36th lap, Jenson Button stops at the pits. Released hastily, Jenson Button stops a few dozen meters further due to the improperly tightened front-right wheel. Mark Webber then leads the race ahead of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Felipe Massa, Romain Grosjean, Sergio Pérez, Nico Hülkenberg, Kimi Räikkönen, and Esteban Gutiérrez.

Three laps later, Sebastian Vettel takes advantage of the DRS to reclaim second place from Lewis Hamilton while Kimi Räikkönen becomes frustrated with Nico Hülkenberg’s rather aggressive defense, which involved contact with the Lotus driver. On the 41st lap, the recent Australian Grand Prix winner finally finds a way past the Sauber driver to gain 8th place.

On the 42nd lap, Lewis Hamilton makes a fourth and probably final pit stop to switch to Medium tires. The 2008 world champion comes out in 4th position ahead of Felipe Massa. Once bitten, twice shy, Sebastian Vettel stops on the next lap to fit Medium tires, immediately followed by Nico Rosberg. No change in hierarchy at the front of the race, awaiting Mark Webber’s stop, while his teammate is already gaining ground. Aware of the risk, the Australian dives into the pit lane to put on Hard tires. The two men come out wheel to wheel at the start of turn 1. The battle is intense: « Attention, Sebastian! Attention! » the German hears on his radio.

The battle between the Red Bull drivers eclipses that of the Mercedes drivers: if Rosberg takes the lead on the back straight, Lewis Hamilton regains his position on the main straight. A repeat on the following lap while upfront, tensions rise between Vettel and Webber. The German squeezes between the pit wall and his teammate’s car, leaving his team stunned on the radio. However, the German only takes the lead a few corners later after an intense fight with his teammate.

If Adrian Newey seems irritated on the pit wall, Ross Brawn doesn’t appear any calmer at Mercedes as Hamilton and Rosberg continue to battle it out with heavy use of DRS. These rivalries make Pastor Maldonado’s retirement after going off track entirely anecdotal.

At the 48th lap, Kimi Räikkönen overtakes Sergio Pérez at the hairpin. While the Mexican tries to resist the Finn, he is overtaken on the outside, in the first corner, by Felipe Massa. The Brazilian, who has just changed tires, takes the sixth position from the Lotus driver thanks to the DRS, at the end of the 49th lap.

At Mercedes, Nico Rosberg grows impatient behind Lewis Hamilton who seems to be saving his tires and fuel: « I can go faster, let me pass. » Immediate response from Ross Brawn: « Negative! Negative! We are asking Lewis to maintain this pace. »

With four laps to go, Sebastian Vettel has a 3.8-second lead over his teammate, Mark Webber. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg follow at a distance while the battle for 5th place between Romain Grosjean and Felipe Massa becomes more defined. In seventh, Kimi Räikkönen leads Pérez, Hülkenberg, and Vergne. As in Australia, Daniel Ricciardo retires a few laps before the finish, allowing the back-of-the-grid drivers to gain a position, starting with Jules Bianchi.

On lap 53, Felipe Massa overtakes Romain Grosjean in the DRS zone. At Mercedes, while Nico Rosberg complains again about Lewis Hamilton’s slowness, Ross Brawn intervenes once more: « I want to bring these cars home. Please, maintain the gap. »

As Sebastian Vettel begins his final lap, Sergio Pérez makes one last pit stop to switch to the hardest tires, while Jenson Button, with his race ruined by a previous stop, decides to throw in the towel. Jules Bianchi thus inherits 13th place.

Under the checkered flag, Sebastian Vettel secures a twenty-seventh victory, allowing him to equal Jackie Stewart’s number of wins in Formula 1. The German crosses the line with dramatic wheel turns, but there is no outpouring of emotion on the Red Bull pit wall. At Mercedes, the atmosphere is not much better. Lewis Hamilton stays for several seconds nodding his head before emerging for a hug with Nico Rosberg. The German, congratulated on his race by Ross Brawn, couldn’t hide his frustration on the radio: « Remember this race well! » A race that is indeed likely to leave marks at Red Bull as well as Mercedes.

2013 Malaysian Grand Prix Standings: