Magnificent McLaren's Malaysian Mission
Competition can bring out both the best and the worst qualities in people. Fortunately for McLaren it is the former and not the latter as Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button look set to duel it out for the No.1 spot.
It’s been a strange few years for McLaren. In 2009 they had a disaster, well off the pace and nowhere near either the driver or constructor’s trophies. This year they look like a team possessed. Both drivers drove outstandingly in a thrilling Australian Grand Prix and everyone concerned hopes it will be more of the same when they head over to the Sepang International Circuit for the Malaysian Grand Prix. God help us all if we have another Bahrain.
Button took the top podium place last weekend, but it was Hamilton who drove the best race, and didn’t he just let everyone know about it? The illegal wheel-spin-loving former champion was quoted as saying: "The strategy was not right, I drove my heart out and I deserved better."
"I probably had one of the drives of my life, but unfortunately due to the strategy I was put further back and then I got taken out by Mark Webber. I am happy with the job that I did.”
Petulant child springs to mind. No doubt if the strategy had got Hamilton the win he’d have claimed it was down to him as well. Hamilton would do well to watch his tongue which frequently gets him in to trouble; you win and lose as a team, the mark of a true champion. You got none of this with Nigel Mansell, just raw commitment and a finely groomed moustache.
It’s Button who has shocked everyone and come out all guns blazing. Quite frankly I think most people thought he would lose interest having claimed a title and fulfilled his lifetime ambition. Many thought it would be back to the casinos and clubs for the playboy driver, yet he drove a great race in Australia and he is very much in contention to defend his title.
The Malaysian Grand Prix has been a staple in the F1 calendar since 1999, a bizarre-looking track from above, looks like someone made a really boring track so just inserted a giant hairpin bang in the middle to try and spice it up. The said hairpin would be turn 15, which is either side of two long straights leading up to the starting grid. Other than turn 15 and perhaps the ominous first corner and the sharp fourth, the Malaysian track is pretty straightforward, with plenty of straights which will hopefully lead to some overtaking.
So far in practise it has been the McLaren boys setting the pace, Hamilton notching up a 1min 34.175sec lap to lead the pack.
Somewhat worryingly for Red Bull, their cars having been blowing up and falling apart all over the place. Really they should have had two wins so far. Sebastian Vettel has shown how it’s done in both races so far this season, only to have his car disintegrate around him.
Elsewhere the Ferraris look sharp, both Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso have looked quick and they will be fancying their chances, it could become an interesting battle between them and McLaren as the season continues.
Lord only knows what’s happening at Mercedes. It seemed they had had the ultimate set up at the start of the season, an all-German team built around Michael Schumacher and his mentor Ross Brawn. Yet the seven-time champion has been out driven even by teammate Nico Rosberg. You would be a fool to rule Schumacher out of all proceedings, it’s obviously going to take a few races for him to find his driving feet once more and this could be the one where he pulls it all back together, either that or we will have to wait until it rains.
So two races in and we have had one sleep-inducing horror show and one high-speed, action-packed thriller. Makes absolutely no sense really, hopefully Bahrain will turn just to be a blip because things are starting to shape up very nicely indeed.
You’d be hard pushed to see past a McLaren or Ferrari victory on Sunday, if Red Bull can gaffer tape their cars together long enough for them to last the race they could be up there and if it starts bucketing down Schumacher might be back in with a shout.
Barring that expect to see a brash young Hamilton claiming all the glory. And they say there is no “I” in team.
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