Sebastien Vettel looked like one of the most relieved men in all of the F1 paddock at the conclusion of the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix. Finally the little German had something to smile about after he led home a Red Bull one-two from team-mate Mark Webber and Mercedes' Nico Rosberg. The Mclarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button finished in the points albeit further down in sixth and seventh after a serious qualifying gaffe which compromised their race.
This could have been a third consecutive win for Vettel. After leading for most of the races in Bahrain and Australia, the German fell foul to Red Bull's poor relibility. In Malaysia such gremlins decided not to bother him and after an impressive start from third to first by the first corner including overtaking pole sitter and team mate Webber, Vettel took supreme control of the race and never looked behind.
The monsoon storms that threatened the race never showed which left the race dry and the question regarding F1's new regulations could be answered after the bore of Bahrain and the rain aided Australian race. This dry race provided action, overtaking, retirements and general entertainment. There was a certain relief at seeing the sight of overtaking in the dry. Lewis Hamilton made his way throughout the field after a qualifying mess up at Mclaren left the Briton at the back of the field. The Sepang circuit with its wide sweeping corners encouraged overtaking and it didnt disappoint.
Sebastien Vettel's win in Malaysia is ominous for the rest of the Formula One championship hopefuls. The Red Bull star has been the best and most consistant driver this season. His poles in Bahrain and Australia and third here in Malaysia suggest the Red Bull is incredibly quick over the one lap qualifying and his race pace is just as quick. If this win is a stepping stone for Red Bull's season, then Ferrari, Mclaren and Mercedes will have to watch out. This Red Bull RB5 looks the deal and if they can sort out its relibility, then Vettel could continue to dominate.
The Malaysian race saw the retirment of two World Champions in Fernando Alonso who, after a race of troubled downshifting, suffered an engine failure halfway through the race. The Spaniard, like Mclaren, found himself cought out in the Saturday rain and at the back of the grid, had a tough race and once again found himself behind team mate Massa who now leads the championship and is two points ahead of Alonso. Michael Schumacher's return to the sport has still yet to get quite off the ground. The German retired twenty laps in thanks to wheel nut coming loose in the mid section of the track. With only 9 points from a maximum 75 so far, Schumacher will need to produce something soon enough as team mate Rosberg seems to be far more comfortable in the Mercedes car.
Towards the back of the grid a special mention for Richard Branson's Virgin team after three races finally got to the chequered flag thanks to a finish from Lucas Di Grassi. After a tough winter testing dogged by relibility troubles and more recently controversy surrounding the legality of their fuel tank, the team finally made it to the flag.
The season opening fly-away Grands Prix continue apace. Next stop is Shanghai in China. Last years Grand Prix in China saw a record low attendance with viewer interest in the country dropping by the year. A switch towards the start of the season last year was made to encourage more viewers but was a fail in the eyes of the race's organisers. Will this year see the same sights as last year like an empty 80,000 seater stand which seemed an absolute disgrace. The Shanghai circuit has produced some interesting races these last few years. Sebastien Vettel won there last year and the way things are going, it could be the exact same situation in two weeks time.
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