All of six F1 world champions have opened their points score, when the first two races are over. Five of them already got points in Australia and the sixth, seven times champion Michael Schumacher, got a point in Malaysia for P10 spot.
Mercedes, which started this season with high hopes, got it's first point by Schumacher. From third place started 43-year-old German veteran's race was ruined by Kimi Räikkönen's team mate Romain Grosjean.
- It was a shame to end up just to one point, when I finally started from so good position. I was run over after the start, the car spun, and in reality my day was spoiled by that, Schumacher thought sulky.
The series is lead by 2006 champion Fernando Alonso before 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton and 2009 champion Jenson Button.
2011 champion Sebastian Vettel has only two points more than 2007 champion Räikkönen.
Räikkönen beat Vettel on Saturday's qualification and was charging his mate hard in the race until he passed when Red Bull's rear tyre exploded because of Hispania's Narain Karthikeyan.
- I'm not at all surprised of Kimi's speed. We have seen that he has a car which has been fast everywhere. We knew before the qualification, that Lotus is one of those with whom we'll have tough competition, Vettel reassured after loosing qualification.
Vettel has been training hard to beat Räikkönen finally in badminton. When the two friends had a match, after two years break, against each other in a gym at Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur, Räikkönen was still better.
- Sebastian has developed in that game. But he still does not beat me, Räikkönen hinted.
Four cars are quite close to each other
In championship Vettel has now two points more than Räikkönen. The last season's Red Bull domination has disappeared together with it's superior blown diffuser.
At the moment there are at least four cars very close to each other in qualification speed. In long Sepang track, McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Lotus ended up inside little over two tenths of a second. This promises very exciting coming races - and possibly a number of different winners.
- I do not yet know how competitive our car really is. Hopefully in China we will just have a normal weekend, so that the qualification as well as the race will take place on dry track - and without penalties, first corner crashes or some other stupid blunders.
- Well, at least with this car it was easy to follow Red Bull. It was nice to race. If the visibility just had been better. Now, I could not quite drive on the limits.
- We will get new parts to China and we have to figure out something to those other curves there, to get more grip, Räikkönen explained.
From Malaysia Räikkönen flew for the first time in his life to Beirut, where there is waiting Lotus Cars' public relations job.
Source: Turun Sanomat
Courtesy: reppo
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