F1 Malaysia: Heikki Kovalainen third, Lewis Hamilton fifth

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton finished the Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang Circuit in third and fifth positions respectively. After 56 laps (310.408 kms), Heikki came home 38.4sec behind winner Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) whilst Lewis was fifth, 46.5sec behind. After the second of 18 Grands Prix, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes maintained the lead in the Constructors’ Championship with 24 points ahead of BMW Sauber with 19 points and Ferrari with 11 points. Lewis leads the drivers’ ranking with 14 points ahead of Räikkönen and Heidfeld (tied on 11 points) and Heikki who is fourth with 10 points.

The start: Heikki Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton had qualified third and fourth fastest respectively. However, due to an alleged hindrance of other drivers, they were relegated by five positions each and started the race eighth and ninth of the grid. On the opening lap, Lewis overtook four cars and was fifth, followed by Heikki in seventh place.

The race: Lewis got stuck with less than a second behind Mark Webber (Red Bull Renault) whilst Heikki was behind Jarno Trulli (Toyota).

Lap 16: Webber came in for his first stop and Lewis was fourth.

Lap 17: Heikki moved up to fifth place when Trulli pitted.

Lap 19: Lewis came into the pits for his first stop. Due to a problem with the wheel nut locking mechanism at the right front wheel the stop took 19.9sec and Lewis dropped to 11th place.

Lap 20: Heikki made his first pit stop (10.2sec) and resumed in seventh place.

Lap 24: After the first round of pitstops, Heikki was fourth with 32.9sec behind leader Räikkönen whilst Lewis drove in seventh position.

Lap 29: Lewis followed Webber with less than a second whilst he was followed closely by Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber).

Lap 31: Felipe Massa (Ferrari) retired from second place; Heikki was now third and Lewis sixth.

Lap 39: Following Webber’s second stop Lewis moved up to fifth place.

Lap 40: Trulli pitted and Lewis was fourth behind Heikki.

Lap 44: Lewis came in for his second stop (8.9sec) and resumed ahead of Heidfeld.

Lap 45: Heikki completed his final stop in 7.2sec. He was now third, followed by Lewis in fifth place.

Lap 56: Heikki finished third. Lewis who reduced the gap behind Trulli significantly came home fifth.

Comments

Heikki Kovalainen

“I am pretty happy with my third place today, considering yesterday’s penalty, and it was probably the best possible result for us in these circumstances. Our strategy worked really well and it meant that I was able to be in clean air for most of the race. The team really did a fantastic job and I am happy to reward them with my first podium for the team. I did have a small issue with graining during my first stint; however, I was able to stay out until lap 20, which helped me to overtake Jarno Trulli during my first pit stop. After my second stop I was able to play it safe and secure my third place, as it was not possible at this stage to go one better.”

Lewis Hamilton

“I got a really good start and was pretty happy as we jumped five positions from ninth to fifth. I was pushing Mark for a very long time, but being behind someone, no matter how quick you are, it is really difficult to get past. We were in a good position for a shot at third place at least, but then I had the problem in my first pit stop which lost me a lot of time. So I did the best job I could. However we take away the fact that the car ran very reliably in these extreme conditions, and I was able to push Jarno right until the last second. I have to say that both Mark and Jarno drove really well today, and it was great to fight them out on track today.”

Ron Dennis

“Two very strong performances from both Heikki and Lewis following an eventful weekend, which despite the problems yielded sufficient points to keep us ahead in both Championships. Heikki had a great race dealing well with the traffic and achieving a well deserved first podium position with the team. Lewis’s race was hampered when a wheel nut locking mechanism failed during his first stop, costing him valuable time at a critical part in his race. The true pace of our cars was masked today by the inherent understeer that comes when driving in traffic. We now look forward to the Bahrain Grand Prix in two weeks’ time.”

Norbert Haug

“Heikki and Lewis did a good job following yesterday’s relegation to eighth and ninth on the grid and after the wheel nut problem during Lewis’s first pitstop. With third and fifth place we scored 10 valuable points. Heikki made the best out of his strategy and achieved his first podium for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – well done for him and the team. Today, Lewis obviously had two handicaps starting ninth and losing more than 10 seconds in the pits. But still we finished in the points with both cars in both races of the season so far. We all will now continue to work hard to further improve our performance.”

Mercedes

Malaysian Grand Prix – Race, Sunday – 23.03.08

Weather: Overcast but dry, 30°C Air, 39-45°C Track

Sepang (MAL). In the humid heat of Sepang the BMW Sauber F1 Team scored 11 championship points – the best result for the young crew so far. Robert Kubica finished second after a strong performance at the PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix. Nick Heidfeld was sixth, having lost ground right after the start. For the statistic books there were eight laps in the lead for Kubica, and Heidfeld set the first fastest lap of the race for the team and himself. After two of 18 races the BMW Sauber F1 Team is second in the Constructors’ Championship with 19 points.

Robert Kubica: 2^nd

BMW Sauber F1.08-03 / BMW P86/8

Fastest Lap: 1.35.921 min on lap 39 (6^th fastest)

“It’s a fantastic day for the team, for Petronas and for me - the second consecutive podium. After Monza 2006 I finally managed to get another podium myself. I want to thank everybody in the team who worked very hard over the last two months to improve the car. I didn’t have a good start because of too much wheel spin, and was fighting with Nick and Jarno Trulli. I took the dirty inside line and almost lost the car, but somehow I managed to get through the corner and overtake them. From this moment on I drove at my own pace. The Ferraris were too quick, but I was able to increase the gap from the cars following me. After the second pit stop I reduced the revs to save the engine and took it easy. I didn’t feel very well all weekend and it was very hot in the car, so the last ten laps were pretty tough. But it all paid off with a brilliant result.”

Nick Heidfeld: 6^th

BMW Sauber F1.08-04 / BMW P86/8

Fastest Lap: 1.35.366 min on lap 55 (fastest overall)

“I have mixed emotions about today’s race. Of course I’m happy to have clocked up my first fastest race lap in F1, and 11 points are also the best ever result for our team. The pace of the car was really, really good – about the same level as the McLaren. That’s all very positive and makes it even more disappointing that I only finished sixth. My start was very good and then I tried to overtake right on the outside in the first corner. Robert was on the inside, and Jarno Trulli was between us – I just ran out of room. It was a try, but it didn’t work out. I picked up some dirt and lost two more positions on the first lap. At least I got them back when I overtook David Coulthard and Fernando Alonso on lap four. Again our pit crew did a very good job.“

Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Director):

“This was another good performance for our team. Robert was able to establish himself behind the Ferrari right after the start. He drove a very strong race and claimed not only his second podium, but also his best result in F1. Nick had no luck in the first corner and lost some positions. I regard it as a success that he still managed to finish sixth and also clocked up the fastest race lap. Of course we are very pleased with the early days of the season – two podiums in two races, 19 nice points to our account and 11 points in one go is a new record for us. That’s all very positive and a good basis for the next races.“

Willy Rampf (Technical Director):

“The second second place in a row, fastest race lap, thanks to Nick, and eleven points – we are very pleased how this season has started for us. It was another fantastic race for us. Only the Ferrari was faster than Robert today, and I am especially happy for him that all went so well after he had a lot of bad luck in Australia. While Robert was able to gain a place at the start, Nick unfortunately lost a few. Later he managed to come back and executed a very fine overtaking manoeuvre by catching two cars at once. We had no technical problems on either car, the performance was again very strong. Now highly motivated we fly back to Hinwil and Munich and look forward to the coming races .

BMW

F1 Kuala Lumpur / Malaysia (23/03/2008)

RACE RESULTS
POS	DRIVERS	TEAMS	LAPS	BEST TIME	MAX SPEED
1	Raikkonen	Ferrari	56	1'35''405	304
2	Kubica	Bmw Sauber	56	1'35''921	298
3	Kovalainen	Mclaren	56	1'35''922	302
4	Trulli	Toyota	56	0'59''672	300
5	Hamilton	Mclaren	56	0'58''922	309
6	Heidfeld	Bmw Sauber	56	0'59''469	303
7	Webber	Red Bull	56	1'36''696	297
8	Alonso	Renault	56	1'36''288	301
9	Coulthard	Red Bull	56	0'58''812	300