Malaysian Grand Prix: Ferrari Is Back!

The 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix certainly exceeded all expectations and delivered a thrilling race as Sebastian Vettel returned to the top of the podium for the first time since the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2013. This time in a Ferrari, Vettel seemed very emotional and made references to his hero, Michael Schumacher, who made history for the same team.

We could see glimpses of a Ferrari revival during Qualifying already, with Sebastian qualifying on the front row, but it seemed as though it will be another pole-to-flag race for Lewis Hamilton who seemed to be untouchable. It didn’t work out that way and things started going wrong for Mercedes on lap 24 when Hamilton reported losing grip and had to pit for another set of tyres and Vettel took the lead.

The four-time World Champion kept the lead until he pitted on lap 37. He rejoined in front of Rosberg and regained the lead a lap later when Hamilton also came in for his final stop. Things at the front pretty much stayed the same until the end of the race, but we saw some good driving further back with the 17-year-old rookie, Max Verstappen, pulling off some very daring overtaking moves as well as Valteri Bottas who also had a great drive to finish in fifth. Kimi Raikonnen had a quiet race after a puncture forced him into the pits on lap four, but he still managed to finish fourth, which just confirmed the true pace of the Ferrari.

The McLaren team’s woes continued with both cars retiring. Alonso stopped on lap 23 in his first race of the season and Button followed on lap 40. Max Verstappen became the youngest points scorer in the history of Formula One as he finished in seventh ahead of teammate Carlos Sainx in eigth.

This result will certainly excite all Formula One fans who thought that Mercedes were going to run away with it again this season after dominating proceeding in Australia, but the words on everyone’s lips after the race: “Ferrari are back!”. The result sees Lewis Hamilton retaining the lead in the Driver Standings with 43 point, only slightly ahead of Vettel who moves into second with 40 points ahead of Rosberg who is on 33. Will we see another upset in China on the 12^th of April? We’re certainly looking forward to a very exciting season ahead.

Race Results: