thegambirrides

Maybe I had too much ear-wax-spa during the last F1 test at Sepang circuit, which took place at the end of last month that "prevent" me from experiencing yet another heat at yesterday's GP race. Moving from seat to another MYR$1000 - MYR$2000 per-Grand-stand-seat.It really makes me feel like a one-day rich guys on that particular lucky day.














I got every single greatest F1 moment thingy from near-accessing-paddock-club (without pass) incident to snapping a total of 150 over photo and video on my humble 4.1mp olympus micro.(Not so many rite?)

Of course he test sessions are without the attendance of multi nationals die-hard F1 "crowd". Only that, and just that I guess.. opps .. the grid girls, the umbrella girls, girls here and there. Yeah.. I admit. No "girls" on that test session. If not, the number of photo shouldn't be in that range. :)

Enough said, yesterday's race was awesome. Definitely a McLaren day. From the superb performance from Mr world champion, Fernando who eventually become the race winner and his stunning-Briton rookie team mate, Lewis Hamilton who took the silver for being second best. Ferrari newface, Kimi completes the podium, being third.







Pity to P1 Felipe who quickly loose his precious first place to Alonso and just can't get the cut to take over MacLaren young,too fast too furios driver, Lewis who also overtook him. Later, cost him yet another GP pints, by dropping to 5th place. Other points taker includes Nick Heidfeld of BMW and Renault's Heiki who grab his first F1 point at the last point-place.
























"Future World Champ riding with my kapchai"

2007 Malaysian Grand Prix [result by www.formula1.com]
Pos No Driver Team 1 1 Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 2 2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 3 6 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 4 9 Nick Heidfeld BMW 5 5 Felipe Massa Ferrari 6 3 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 7 12 Jarno Trulli Toyota 8 4 Heikki Kovalainen Renault 9 17 Alexander Wurz Williams-Toyota 10 15 Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 11 8 Rubens Barrichello Honda 12 7 Jenson Button Honda 13 22 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 14 19 Scott Speed STR-Ferrari 15 11 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 16 23 Anthony Davidson Super Aguri-Honda 17 18 Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Ferrari 18 10 Robert Kubica BMW Ret 16 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota Ret 14 David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault Ret 21 Christijan Albers Spyker-Ferrari Ret 20 Adrian Sutil Spyker-Ferrari

[www.formula1.com]
McLaren went into the Malaysian Grand Prix in confident frame of mind, but even Fernando Alonso said it was a surprise as he and Lewis Hamilton turned on a crushing demonstration in which they left Ferrari for dead in the opening stages and swept to the team’s first one-two result since Brazil 2005. At the start Alonso sprinted alongside polesitter Felipe Massa and was able to take the lead, but in another brilliant display Hamilton dived inside Raikkonen to snatch third place before going round the outside of Massa in Turn Two to move up to second.

The Englishman then contained the Ferrari challenge, earning his spurs with a faultless drive, as his team leader went for the win. Ferrari suddenly faced an afternoon of trying to salvage something from what was beginning to look like a disaster, for Massa failed on both occasions when he tried to oust Hamilton. Each time he was repassed easily by the British driver, and on the second occasion the Brazilian slid into the gravel on the exit to Turn Four and lost a crucial place to Nick Heidfeld’s BMW Sauber.

As Alonso pulled out a 15.6s lead before stopping for fuel on lap 18, Hamilton built an advantage over Raikkonen, who stopped the same lap as Alonso. Hamilton thus led a Grand Prix for the second time in succession, until refuelling on lap 20.

The story was the same in the second stint, both McLaren and Ferrari still running Bridgestone’s soft tyres. But this time Hamilton had the gap down to less than eight seconds before the stops, as he set the race’s fastest lap. He refuelled first, on lap 38, followed by Alonso on 40 and Raikkonen on 41. Now, however, all three were on the harder tyre, and while that seemed to suit Alonso and really suited Raikkonen, Hamilton was struggling for grip. Alonso’s 21+s lead was never going to be threatened, but lap by lap the Finn was carving chunks out of the Englishman’s second place advantage. Going into the closing laps the race was really coming alive again, but Hamilton kept his head and yet again never put a wheel wrong. Alonso took the flag 17.5s ahead, to score a crucial first victory for McLaren, and Hamilton hung on ahead of Raikkonen by just 0.7s.

Heidfeld’s great day earned BMW Sauber an excellent fourth place in front of an appreciative audience of Petronas representatives, as he held off former team mate Massa all the way to the flag.

Nico Rosberg was headed for an excellent sixth for Williams when his FW29 stopped on the 43rd lap with a suspected Toyota engine failure, promoting a grateful Giancarlo Fisichella who thus salvaged three points for Renault. The final points went to Jarno Trulli after a strong run for Toyota, and Renault rookie Heikki Kovalainen. Alex Wurz was ninth for Williams after an up and down run from 19th on the grid, fending off Mark Webber who challenged him hard on soft tyres in his final stint in the Red Bull RB3. They were the final unlapped runners.

Rubens Barrichello, who started from the pit lane, headed Honda team mate Jenson Button home in 11th and 12th places, chased by Takuma Sato and Scott Speed who battled all the way through, once Sato had survived an early tangle with Speed’s Toro Rosso team mate Vitantonio Liuzzi - who described the Japanese driver’s move as ‘crazy’. It was an eventful afternoon for Liuzzi, who also ran into the rear of Speed at one point, prompting an early stop for a fresh nosecone.

Ralf Schumacher was 16th after a slow puncture stymied his progress, while 17th placed Anthony Davidson had the delayed Liuzzi thirsting after him all through the second half but held off the Toro Rosso to the flag.

Robert Kubica was the final finisher, having run in the top six until his BMW Sauber developed a suspected transmission problem and needed to make a pit stop for attention. It was a miserable afternoon all round for the Pole, who, after briefly making contact with team mate Heidfeld at the start, also suffered a puncture, braking stability problems and a failed radio.

Besides Rosberg, the other non-finishers were the Spykers and David Coulthard in the Red Bull. Adrian Sutil went off on the outside of Turn 4 on the opening lap after a suspected rear suspension failure, making contact with Button’s Honda in the process, and then Christijan Albers’s car lost its engine shortly afterwards after gearbox problems sent its temperature rocketing. The Dutchman made it back to the pits and hopped from the car, just in time for his mechanics to dowse the rear with fire extinguishers. Coulthard’s demise was bizarrely down to his brake pedal rubbing against the steering column.

Bridgestone's new tyre marking system proved a great success, with the white grooves making it easy to spot who was on what compound. Almost everyone ran soft-soft-hard through their three stints, the only exceptions being Trulli, Webber, Coulthard and Button.

A great race thus puts Fernando Alonso into the lead of the world championship, with Kimi Raikkonen second from Lewis Hamilton. Roll on Bahrain.

photo:[eldraco][gromol]