2008 Malaysian Grand Prix

The 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix, formally known as the 2008 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix, was the second round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia, on 23 March 2008.'2. Malaysia 2008', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)'Malaysia 2008: Unstoppable Kimi sends out warning.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 23/03/2008), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/61607/1/malaysia-2008-unstoppable-kimi-sends-out-warning, (Accessed 23/02/2020) The race would see Kimi Räikkönen secure his first victory of the season, overcoming teammate Felipe Massa as the Brazilian span out.
Qualifying had seen the s steal the show, with Massa claiming pole position ahead of teammate Räikkönen. They were trailed by the two of Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen, although they were both handed five-place grid penalties for blocking other drivers during Q3.
Massa would defend his lead aggressively at the start, sweeping across to the inside of the circuit to prevent Räikkönen from lunging inside into the first corner. The rest of the field hence charged in behind the two scarlet cars, with Hamilton managing to leap up to fifth from eighth, taking advantage of an outside line through turn one.
Timo Glock and Nico Rosberg also made their mark on the race early on, with Rosberg taking his compatriot out with an ambitious lunge into turn four. That, other than a race ending spin for Sébastien Bourdais, was the only major drama of the opening lap, with Massa opening out a small lead over Räikkönen.
The early laps saw Massa and Räikkönen escape up the road from Robert Kubica, with the Polish racer also able to build a gap over fourth placed Mark Webber. The Australian racer duly came under pressure from Hamilton as the first round of stops loomed, as behind Fernando Alonso and Nick Heidfeld made ground after their qualifying issues caused by the two McLarens.
Webber was the first member of the leading groups to stop, sweeping his into the pits at the end of lap sixteen. Massa and Räikkönen followed him in on the next two laps, while Hamilton stayed out until lap nineteen, setting a succession of quick laps, only for an issue with the front right wheel costing him twelve seconds in the pits.
Kubica was the last of the leaders to stop on lap 21, handing the lead over to Räikkönen who had jumped Massa courtesy of a quick in-lap and a shorter fuel stop than his teammate. The Finn duly built a four second lead over the Brazilian to establish himself in the lead, with Massa pushing hard to reduce the gap.
That, ultimately, proved to be Massa's downfall, for a spin on lap 31 saw the #2 Ferrari beach itself in the gravel and hence drop out of the race. That left Kubica in second behind Räikkönen, Heikki Kovalainen in third on a one-stop, and Jarno Trulli up in fourth ahead of the Webber/Hamilton fight.
The second round of stops saw little change to the order out front, with Räikkönen maintaining a healthy lead over Kubica, while Kovalainen remained a distant third. Hamilton, meanwhile, would finally overcome Webber to secure fifth and go charging off after Trulli, although time was fast running out for the Brit to catch the #11 .
Out front, meanwhile, Räikkönen would cruise through the final stint to secure victory, leading Kubica across the line by almost twenty seconds. Kovalainen was next ahead of Trulli, who fended off Hamilton's last lap challenge, while Heidfeld jumped Webber in the final stint and grabbed fastest lap. The Australian racer was hence relegated to seventh ahead of Alonso, with seventeen drivers making it to the chequered flag, almost three times the number that had in Australia a week earlier.
Heidfeld's maiden fastest lap meant he set a new record for most starts before setting fastest lap at 134, beating Thierry Boutsen's record of 114.
==Background==
Victory at the opening race of the season left Lewis Hamilton at the head of the field, the Brit establishing a two point advantage. Nick Heidfeld and Nico Rosberg were next ahead of Fernando Alonso and Heikki Kovalainen, while Kimi Räikkönen had opened his title defence with a single point. That left the Finn in eighth behind maiden scorers Kazuki Nakajima and Sébastien Bourdais.
In the Constructors Championship it had been a very strong opening day for , as they streaked to the top of the table with fourteen points. That meant that they held a five point lead over in second, the only other team with two point scorers in Australia, while completed the early top three. were next on five ahead of , while title defenders had opened their account with a solitary point.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
2 	Felipe Massa 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
3 	Nick Heidfeld 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
4 	Robert Kubica 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
5 	Fernando Alonso 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
7 	Nico Rosberg 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
9 	David Coulthard 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
10 	Mark Webber 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
11 	Jarno Trulli 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
12 	Timo Glock 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR2B 	 	056 2006 2.4 V8 	
15 	Sebastian Vettel 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR2B 	 	056 2006 2.4 V8 	
16 	Jenson Button 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
17 	Rubens Barrichello 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
18 	Takuma Sato 	Super Aguri F1 Team 	 	SA08A 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
19 	Anthony Davidson 	Super Aguri F1 Team 	 	SA08A 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
20 	Adrian Sutil 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
22 	Lewis Hamilton 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
Source:'Malaysia 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie/engages.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Q1===
===Q2===
===Q3===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Q1 	Q1 	 	Q2 	Q2 	 	Q3 	Q3 	Grid
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	Grid
1 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	3 	1:35.347 	 	2 	1:34.412 	 	1 	1:35.748 	1
2 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	6 	1:35.645 	 	1 	1:34.188 	 	2 	1:36.230 	2
3* 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	 	2 	1:35.227 	 	5 	1:34.759 	 	3 	1:36.613 	8
4† 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	4 	1:35.392 	 	3 	1:34.627 	 	4 	1:36.709 	4
5 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	1 	1:35.205 	 	7 	1:34.690 	 	5 	1:46.711 	3
6 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	 	8 	1:35.794 	 	6 	1:34.811 	 	6 	1:36.727 	4
7 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	7 	1:35.729 	 	4 	1:34.648 	 	7 	1:36.753 	5
8 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	 	5 	1:35.440 	 	8 	1:34.967 	 	8 	1:37.009 	6
9 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	12 	1:35.983 	 	10 	1:35.140 	 	9 	1:38.450 	7
10 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	 	11 	1:35.891 	 	9 	1:35.000 	 	10 	1:39.656 	10
11 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	 	10 	1:35.847 	 	11 	1:35.208 	 	 	 	11
12 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	 	13 	1:36.058 	 	12 	1:35.408 	 	 	 	12
13 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	 	14 	1:36.074 	 	13 	1:35.562 	 	 	 	13
14 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	16 	1:36.198 	 	14 	1:35.622 	 	 	 	14
15 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	15 	1:36.111 	 	15 	1:35.648 	 	 	 	15
16 	16 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	9 	1:35.843 	 	16 	1:35.670 	 	 	 	16
17 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	17 	1:36.240 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18‡ 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	 	18 	1:36.388 	 	 	 	 	 	 	22
19 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	 	19 	1:36.677 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
20 	18 	Takuma Sato 	 	 	20 	1:37.087 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
21 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	 	21 	1:37.101 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
22 	19 	Anthony Davidson 	 	 	22 	1:37.481 	 	 	 	 	 	 	21
Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/826/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/826/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/826/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/826/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/826/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/826/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/826/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/826/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/826/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/826/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/826/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/826/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/826/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/826/malaysia/qualifying.html, (Accessed 23/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
** Kovalainen was awarded a five place grid penalty for impeding Alonso during Q3.
*† Hamilton was awarded a five place grid penalty for impeding Heidfeld during Q3.
*‡ Nakajima served a ten place grid penalty for causing a collision with Kubica at the 2008 Australian Grand Prix.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	56 	1:31:18.555 	2 	10
2 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	56 	+19.570s 	4 	8
3 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	56 	+38.450s 	8 	6
4 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	56 	+45.832s 	3 	5
5 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	56 	+46.548s 	9 	4
6 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	56 	+49.833s 	5 	3
7 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	56 	+1:08.130 	6 	2
8 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	56 	+1:10.041 	7 	1
9 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	56 	+1:16.220 	12 	
10 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	56 	+1:26.214 	11 	
11 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	56 	+1:32.202 	13 	
12 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	55 	+1 Lap 	17 	
13 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	55 	+1 Lap 	14 	
14 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	55 	+1 Lap 	16 	
15 	19 	Anthony Davidson 	 	55 	+1 Lap 	21 	
16 	18 	Takuma Sato 	 	54 	+2 Laps 	19 	
17 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	54 	+2 Laps 	22 	
Ret 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	39 	Hydraulics 	15 	
Ret 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	30 	Spin 	1 	
Ret 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	5 	Hydraulics 	20 	
Ret 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	1 	Collision 	10 	
Ret 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	0 	Spin 	18 	
Source:'Malaysia 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)	Source:'Malaysia 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/malaisie/classement.aspx, (Accessed 23/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
==Milestones/Change==
* Tenth pole position for Felipe Massa.
* Sixteenth career victory for Kimi Räikkönen.
* claimed their 202nd win as a constructor and engine supplier.
* Robert Kubica registered the 75th podium finish for a engine.
* Maiden fastest lap for Nick Heidfeld.
** Heidfeld also set a new record for most starts before recording fastest lap - 134.
* recorded their maiden fastest lap as a constructor.
* Last race of Honda chief mechanic Alastair Gibson.
==Standings==
Lewis Hamilton had maintained his early Championship lead at the Malaysian Grand Prix, fifth place moving him onto fourteen points after the opening two rounds. Kimi Räikkönen, meanwhile, had been the big winner both on and off track, leaping up into second with eleven, albeit level on points with Nick Heidfeld. Heikki Kovalainen was just a point further behind in fourth, with Robert Kubica completing the top five.
In the Constructors Championship continued to lead the way, leaving Malaysia on 24 points and with the same five point lead that they had started the weekend with. had retained second, while had leapt into third, but had less than half the points of McLaren after the opening two rounds. and then completed the top five, with eight constructors on the board.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Lewis Hamilton 	14 	
2 	Kimi Räikkönen 	11 	6
3 	Nick Heidfeld 	11 	1
4 	Heikki Kovalainen 	10 	1
5 	Robert Kubica 	8 	4
6 	Nico Rosberg 	6 	3
7 	Fernando Alonso 	6 	3
8 	Jarno Trulli 	5 	1
9 	Kazuki Nakajima 	3 	3
10 	Sébastien Bourdais 	2 	3
11 	Mark Webber 	2 	2
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	24 	
2 	 	19 	1
3 	 	11 	3
4 	 	9 	2
5 	 	6 	1
6 	 	5 	1
7 	 	2 	
8 	 	2 	3
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Malaysian Grand Prix
Category:2008 Grands Prix