2008 Malaysian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Kimi Räikkönen restored Ferrari’s momentum with a convincing victory at Sepang. Robert Kubica secured second and Heikki Kovalainen third, while Felipe Massa’s spin and a slow stop for Lewis Hamilton reshaped the early championship contest.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Felipe Massa	Ferrari
Pole time	1:35.748
Fastest lap	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber
Fastest-lap time	1:35.366 on lap 55
First	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari
Second	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber
Third	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
21 March 2008	Practice 1	10:00
21 March 2008	Practice 2	14:00
22 March 2008	Practice 3	11:00
22 March 2008	Qualifying	14:00
23 March 2008	Race	15:00

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton arrived at round 2 leading the 2008 F1 World Championship on 10 points, with Nick Heidfeld on 8. McLaren headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 14 points.

Race entries

The 11 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Free Practice

Felipe Massa led FP1 by more than a second, but Ferrari’s morning was not entirely smooth: Kimi Räikkönen stopped after running out of fuel. David Coulthard suffered a suspension failure over a kerb, prompting scrutiny of Red Bull Racing’s car, while Mark Webber also encountered trouble. Several spins underlined the challenge of the opening running.

David Coulthard missed FP2 as Red Bull Racing dealt with the aftermath of his accident. Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap to interrupt Ferrari’s early dominance, while Sebastien Bourdais stopped on circuit with apparent transmission trouble. Ferrari recovered useful running with Kimi Räikkönen, and the leading teams continued comparing the two tyre compounds.

Nick Heidfeld topped final practice, repeating BMW Sauber’s strong Saturday showing from Melbourne. Lewis Hamilton visited the gravel, while Red Bull Racing continued under observation following the FIA’s suspension inspection. The team was allowed to compete, and both cars completed competitive running ahead of qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2008 Malaysian Grand Prix FP1, 21 March 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:35.392	20
2	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.067s	8
3	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+1.164s	21
4	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.186s	23
5	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+1.234s	17
6	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.630s	18
7	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+1.642s	28
8	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.826s	9
9	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.890s	17
10	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+2.148s	24
11	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+2.257s	17
12	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+2.257s	18
13	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+2.384s	20
14	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+2.390s	27
15	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+2.827s	26
16	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+2.840s	7
17	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+3.315s	12
18	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+3.406s	25
19	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+3.654s	21
20	18	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+4.786s	11
21	19	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	+4.959s	14
22	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+5.877s	5

Free Practice 2 Classification

2008 Malaysian Grand Prix FP2, 21 March 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:35.055	32
2	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.151s	33
3	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.373s	36
4	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+0.982s	40
5	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+1.419s	35
6	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.438s	38
7	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+1.457s	30
8	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.616s	33
9	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.701s	37
10	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.783s	34
11	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+1.824s	38
12	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.853s	36
13	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+2.051s	35
14	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+2.273s	23
15	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+2.276s	42
16	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+2.291s	37
17	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+2.457s	35
18	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.559s	35
19	18	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+3.966s	27
20	19	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	+4.306s	30
21	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	No time	1

Free Practice 3 Classification

2008 Malaysian Grand Prix FP3, 22 March 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:35.019	18
2	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.243s	17
3	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.369s	17
4	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.370s	20
5	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.418s	16
6	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+0.634s	17
7	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	+0.749s	15
8	16	Jenson Button	Honda	+0.762s	19
9	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+0.808s	16
10	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	+0.892s	21
11	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.908s	13
12	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	+1.049s	14
13	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	+1.164s	14
14	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	+1.210s	21
15	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.471s	7
16	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	+1.510s	16
17	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.599s	19
18	14	Sebastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	+1.649s	15
19	18	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+1.889s	14
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+1.920s	21
21	19	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	+2.121s	12
22	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+2.684s	6

Qualifying

Felipe Massa secured pole ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, putting Ferrari in control of the front row. Heikki Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton initially occupied the second row, but both received five-place penalties for impeding rivals while travelling slowly on their in-laps.

Those penalties promoted Jarno Trulli and Robert Kubica behind the Ferraris and made McLaren’s race substantially harder. The incident highlighted the danger of drivers conserving fuel after their final attempts while others were still completing quick laps.

Qualifying Classification

2008 Malaysian Grand Prix Qualifying, 22 March 2008

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:35.347	1:34.412	1:35.748	17
2	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:35.645	1:34.188	1:36.230	13
3	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	1:35.227	1:34.759	1:36.613	12
4	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:35.392	1:34.627	1:36.709	18
5	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:35.205	1:34.825	1:36.711	18
6	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:35.794	1:34.811	1:36.727	13
7	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:35.729	1:34.648	1:36.753	13
8	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:35.440	1:34.967	1:37.009	18
9	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:35.983	1:35.140	1:38.450	18
10	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:35.891	1:35.000	1:39.656	20
11	16	Jenson Button	Honda	1:35.847	1:35.208	—	15
12	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	1:36.058	1:35.408	—	12
13	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	1:36.074	1:35.562	—	12
14	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:36.198	1:35.622	—	15
15	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	1:36.111	1:35.648	—	15
16	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:35.843	1:35.670	—	13
17	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	1:36.240	—	—	9
18	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	1:36.388	—	—	9
19	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	1:36.677	—	—	8
20	18	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	1:37.087	—	—	9
21	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:37.101	—	—	10
22	19	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	1:37.481	—	—	9

Heikki Kovalainen received a five-place grid penalty for obstructing Fernando Alonso in Q3.

Lewis Hamilton received a five-place grid penalty for obstructing Nick Heidfeld in Q3.

Kazuki Nakajima incurred a ten-place grid penalty for colliding with Robert Kubica in the Australian Grand Prix.

What happened in the 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix?

Felipe Massa defended the lead from Kimi Räikkönen at the start, while Lewis Hamilton recovered positions and settled behind Mark Webber. Ferrari quickly pulled away. Kimi Räikkönen stayed out one lap longer than Felipe Massa at the first stops and emerged ahead, while a problem removing Lewis Hamilton’s right-front wheel cost the McLaren driver valuable time.

Felipe Massa then spun into the gravel and retired, ending Ferrari’s hopes of a one-two. Kimi Räikkönen was left with a comfortable advantage over Robert Kubica. Lewis Hamilton remained trapped behind Mark Webber for much of the middle stint before finally moving ahead through the second stops.

Kimi Räikkönen won by almost 20 seconds, with Robert Kubica taking second and Heikki Kovalainen completing the podium. Jarno Trulli resisted Lewis Hamilton’s late approach to finish fourth, while Nick Heidfeld recorded his and BMW Sauber’s first fastest lap. After the disappointment of Melbourne, Ferrari had demonstrated the speed expected of the reigning champions.

After the race, Lewis Hamilton headed the drivers’ standings with 14 points, followed by Kimi Räikkönen on 11. McLaren led the constructors’ table on 24, with BMW Sauber on 19.

2008 Malaysian Grand Prix race results

The 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix was held on 23 March 2008, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	56	1:31:18.555	10
2	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	56	+19.570	8
3	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	56	+38.450	6
4	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	56	+45.832	5
5	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	56	+46.548	4
6	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	56	+49.833	3
7	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	56	+1:08.130	2
8	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	56	+1:10.041	1
9	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	56	+1:16.220	0
10	16	Jenson Button	Honda	56	+1:26.214	0
11	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	56	+1:32.202	0
12	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	55	+1 Lap	0
13	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	55	+1 Lap	0
14	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	55	+1 Lap	0
15	19	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	55	+1 Lap	0
16	18	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	54	+2 Laps	0
17	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	54	+2 Laps	0
Ret	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	39	Hydraulics	0
Ret	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	30	Spun off	0
Ret	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	5	Hydraulics	0
Ret	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1	Collision	0
Ret	14	Sébastien Bourdais	Toro Rosso	0	Spun off	0

2008 Malaysian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	55	1:35.366	209.244
2	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	37	1:35.405	209.158
3	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	53	1:35.462	209.033
4	16	Jenson Button	Honda	56	1:35.715	208.481
5	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	15	1:35.914	208.048
6	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	39	1:35.921	208.033
7	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren	19	1:35.922	208.031
8	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	53	1:36.068	207.715
9	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	55	1:36.206	207.417
10	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	40	1:36.288	207.240
11	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	55	1:36.693	206.372
12	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	53	1:36.696	206.366
13	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams	55	1:36.782	206.182
14	15	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	37	1:36.870	205.995
15	6	Nelson Piquet	Renault	52	1:36.956	205.812
16	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India	52	1:36.962	205.800
17	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams	19	1:37.711	204.222
18	19	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	55	1:38.171	203.265
19	18	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	53	1:38.504	202.578
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India	3	1:40.330	198.891

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2008 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix.

2008 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	14
2	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	11
3	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	11
4	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	McLaren	10
5	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	8
6	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	6
7	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Renault	6
8	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	5
9	Kazuki Nakajima	Japanese	Williams	3
10	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	2
11	Sébastien Bourdais	French	Toro Rosso	2
12	David Coulthard	British	Red Bull Racing	0
13	Jenson Button	British	Honda	0
14	Nelson Piquet	Brazilian	Renault	0
15	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Force India	0
16	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Honda	0
17	Anthony Davidson	British	Super Aguri	0
18	Takuma Sato	Japanese	Super Aguri	0
–	Timo Glock	German	Toyota	0
–	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	0
–	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	0
–	Sebastian Vettel	German	Toro Rosso	0

2008 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	McLaren	24
2	BMW Sauber	19
3	Ferrari	11
4	Williams	9
5	Renault	6
6	Toyota	5
7	Red Bull Racing	2
8	Toro Rosso	2
9	Honda	0
10	Force India	0
11	Super Aguri	0

2008 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2008 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	16 March
2	2008 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	23 March
3	2008 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	6 April
4	2008 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	27 April
5	2008 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	11 May
6	2008 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	25 May
7	2008 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	8 June
8	2008 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	22 June
9	2008 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	6 July
10	2008 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	20 July
11	2008 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	3 August
12	2008 European Grand Prix	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	24 August
13	2008 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	7 September
14	2008 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	14 September
15	2008 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	28 September
16	2008 Japanese Grand Prix	Fuji Speedway, Oyama	12 October
17	2008 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	19 October
18	2008 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	2 November