2011 Malaysian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Sebastian Vettel made it two wins from two in Malaysia, while Jenson Button and Nick Heidfeld completed the podium. Penalties after a close Hamilton–Alonso battle altered the finishing order behind the leading group.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Pole time	1:34.870
Fastest lap	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing
Fastest-lap time	1:40.571 on lap 46
First	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing
Second	Jenson Button	McLaren
Third	Nick Heidfeld	Renault

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
8 April 2011	Practice 1	10:00 – 11:30
8 April 2011	Practice 2	14:00 – 15:30
9 April 2011	Practice 3	13:00 – 14:00
9 April 2011	Qualifying	16:00
10 April 2011	Race	16:00

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

Championship background

Sebastian Vettel arrived at round 2 leading the 2011 F1 World Championship on 25 points, with Lewis Hamilton on 18. Red Bull Racing headed the constructors’ standings with 35 points.

Race entries

The 12 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Malaysian Grand Prix. Daniel Ricciardo, Davide Valsecchi, Nico Hulkenberg also took part in practice.

Free Practice

Mark Webber led a humid, dry FP1 while Sebastian Vettel concentrated on developing Red Bull’s KERS rather than chasing a headline time. Mechanical failures disrupted the lower order: Jérôme d’Ambrosio suffered a suspension problem, and both Renaults encountered trouble eventually traced to faulty suspension uprights, severely limiting their running.

Jenson Button closed to within a fraction of Mark Webber in FP2, while Renault spent much of the session investigating its morning problems. Pastor Maldonado damaged his Williams against the pit-entry wall. Hispania gained encouragement from its new front wing, with Vitantonio Liuzzi comfortably demonstrating the pace needed to clear the qualifying cut-off.

Lewis Hamilton led a relatively quiet FP3 as McLaren sharpened its challenge to Red Bull. Paul di Resta had several spins, but the bigger loss of preparation fell to Vitantonio Liuzzi. A mechanical problem kept the Hispania in the garage until the final quarter-hour, restricting his last opportunity to work before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2011 Malaysian Grand Prix FP1, 8 April 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:37.651	22
2	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+1.665s	16
3	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+2.140s	29
4	15	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	+2.726s	23
5	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+2.792s	31
6	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+2.802s	22
7	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	+2.874s	6
8	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+2.930s	21
9	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+2.950s	23
10	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+2.995s	29
11	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+3.083s	21
12	18	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	+3.097s	23
13	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+3.119s	24
14	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+3.221s	27
15	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+3.276s	16
16	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+3.969s	21
17	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+3.976s	18
18	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+3.991s	24
19	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+4.503s	18
20	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+4.889s	20
21	20	Davide Valsecchi	Team Lotus	+6.403s	18
22	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+7.577s	20
23	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+8.616s	10
24	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+10.281s	4

Free Practice 2 Classification

2011 Malaysian Grand Prix FP2, 8 April 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:36.876	24
2	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.005s	30
3	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.134s	23
4	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.214s	30
5	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+1.212s	26
6	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.213s	31
7	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.689s	25
8	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	+1.694s	16
9	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+1.707s	27
10	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+1.970s	31
11	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+2.092s	25
12	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+2.311s	30
13	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+2.391s	17
14	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+2.522s	29
15	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+2.727s	34
16	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+2.749s	31
17	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.933s	28
18	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+3.239s	31
19	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+3.990s	24
20	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+5.014s	19
21	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+6.321s	15
22	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+7.115s	14
23	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+8.010s	4

Free Practice 3 Classification

2011 Malaysian Grand Prix FP3, 9 April 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:36.340	11
2	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+0.290s	16
3	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	+0.422s	14
4	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	+0.775s	17
5	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	+0.835s	14
6	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	+0.944s	11
7	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	+0.957s	17
8	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+1.422s	12
9	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	+1.719s	18
10	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	+1.960s	20
11	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	+1.967s	20
12	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	+2.108s	17
13	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	+2.124s	16
14	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	+2.257s	15
15	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	+2.325s	14
16	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	+2.341s	16
17	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	+2.376s	14
18	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	+2.524s	13
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	+2.920s	19
20	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	+3.359s	15
21	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	+4.875s	17
22	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	+5.074s	18
23	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	+6.807s	6
24	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	+7.043s	11

Qualifying

Sebastian Vettel headed qualifying for Red Bull Racing, with Lewis Hamilton second and Mark Webber third.

Sebastian Vettel edged Lewis Hamilton for pole, with Mark Webber and Jenson Button behind them. Q1 was interrupted when bodywork detached from Sébastien Buemi‘s Toro Rosso, although he was able to continue.

Qualifying Classification

2011 Malaysian Grand Prix Qualifying, 9 April 2011

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	1:37.468	1:35.934	1:34.870	12
2	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:36.861	1:35.852	1:34.974	19
3	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:37.924	1:36.080	1:35.179	17
4	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:37.033	1:35.569	1:35.200	15
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:36.897	1:36.320	1:35.802	14
6	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	1:37.224	1:36.811	1:36.124	9
7	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:36.744	1:36.557	1:36.251	13
8	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	1:37.210	1:36.642	1:36.324	9
9	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:37.316	1:36.388	1:36.809	17
10	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	1:36.994	1:36.691	1:36.820	13
11	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1:36.904	1:37.035	—	12
12	18	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	1:37.693	1:37.160	—	13
13	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	1:37.677	1:37.347	—	12
14	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	1:38.045	1:37.370	—	12
15	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	1:38.163	1:37.496	—	15
16	17	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	1:37.759	1:37.528	—	10
17	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	1:37.693	1:37.593	—	9
18	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	1:38.276	—	—	8
19	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	1:38.645	—	—	8
20	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	1:38.791	—	—	8
21	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	1:40.648	—	—	8
22	25	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	1:41.001	—	—	7
23	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	1:41.549	—	—	7
24	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	1:42.574	—	—	7

What happened in the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix?

Vettel led from the start, while Heidfeld surged from sixth to second. Webber lost ground without effective KERS, leaving the McLarens and Alonso to pursue the leading Red Bull.

Button’s tyre management and stops moved him into second. Vettel also encountered KERS difficulties but had sufficient pace and margin to remain in control throughout the race.

Hamilton and Alonso fought closely until the Ferrari touched the McLaren‘s rear, damaging Alonso’s front wing. Both later received twenty-second penalties: Alonso for the collision and Hamilton for changing direction while defending.

Heidfeld finished third ahead of Webber and Massa. Alonso remained sixth after his penalty, while Hamilton dropped to eighth behind Kobayashi. Petrov’s race ended after an excursion launched his Renault over a rise and damaged its steering.

Further down the points places, Kamui Kobayashi, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Paul di Resta completed the scoring positions. Mark Webber set the fastest lap, but no bonus point was awarded under the 2011 rules.

After the race, Sebastian Vettel headed the drivers’ standings with 50 points, followed by Jenson Button on 26. Red Bull Racing led the constructors’ table on 72, with McLaren on 48.

2011 Malaysian Grand Prix race results

The 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix was held on 10 April 2011, with a scheduled start of 16:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	56	1:37:39.832	25
2	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	56	+3.261	18
3	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	56	+25.075	15
4	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	56	+26.384	12
5	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	56	+36.958	10
6	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	56	+57.248	8
7	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	56	+1:06.439	6
8	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	56	+1:09.957	4
9	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	56	+1:24.896	2
10	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	56	+1:31.563	1
11	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	56	+1:41.379	0
12	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	55	+1 Lap	0
13	18	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	55	+1 Lap	0
14	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	55	+1 Lap	0
15	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	55	+1 Lap	0
16	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	54	+2 Laps	0
17	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	52	Accident	0
Ret	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	46	Rear wing	0
Ret	25	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	42	Electrical	0
Ret	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	31	Clutch	0
Ret	17	Sergio Pérez	Sauber	23	Electrical	0
Ret	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	22	Hydraulics	0
Ret	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	14	Mechanical	0
Ret	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	8	Engine	0

Fernando Alonso was penalised 20 seconds post-race for contact while trying to pass Lewis Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton was also penalised 20 seconds post-race, for weaving while being passed by Fernando Alonso.

Vitaly Petrov crashed his Renault on lap 53 of the race, but was classified as he had completed 90% of the race-winner’s distance.

2011 Malaysian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	46	1:40.571	198.415
2	5	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	49	1:40.717	198.127
3	10	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	49	1:41.054	197.466
4	4	Jenson Button	McLaren	50	1:41.264	197.057
5	3	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	54	1:41.512	196.575
6	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing	33	1:41.539	196.523
7	9	Nick Heidfeld	Renault	47	1:41.547	196.508
8	8	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	45	1:41.778	196.062
9	6	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	41	1:41.999	195.637
10	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	39	1:42.095	195.453
11	7	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	45	1:42.491	194.698
12	18	Sebastien Buemi	Toro Rosso	36	1:42.659	194.379
13	15	Paul di Resta	Force India	48	1:42.883	193.956
14	14	Adrian Sutil	Force India	34	1:42.973	193.786
15	17	Sergio Perez	Sauber	19	1:43.298	193.177
16	20	Heikki Kovalainen	Team Lotus	43	1:43.677	192.470
17	19	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso	37	1:43.744	192.346
18	21	Jarno Trulli	Team Lotus	23	1:45.280	189.540
19	25	Jerome d'Ambrosio	Virgin Racing	41	1:45.346	189.421
20	24	Timo Glock	Virgin Racing	50	1:45.357	189.401
21	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams	10	1:45.516	189.116
22	12	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	5	1:45.689	188.806
23	23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT	42	1:46.521	187.332
24	22	Narain Karthikeyan	HRT	5	1:49.385	182.427

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

2011 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix.

2011 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Sebastian Vettel	German	Red Bull Racing	50
2	Jenson Button	British	McLaren	26
3	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	22
4	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	22
5	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	Ferrari	20
6	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	16
7	Nick Heidfeld	German	Renault	15
8	Vitaly Petrov	Russian	Renault	15
9	Kamui Kobayashi	Japanese	Sauber	6
10	Sébastien Buemi	Swiss	Toro Rosso	4
11	Adrian Sutil	German	Force India	2
12	Michael Schumacher	German	Mercedes	2
13	Paul di Resta	British	Force India	2
14	Jaime Alguersuari	Spanish	Toro Rosso	0
15	Nico Rosberg	German	Mercedes	0
16	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Team Lotus	0
17	Jérôme d'Ambrosio	Belgian	Virgin Racing	0
18	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	Team Lotus	0
19	Timo Glock	German	Virgin Racing	0
–	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Williams	0
–	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	HRT	0
–	Pastor Maldonado	Venezuelan	Williams	0
–	Sergio Pérez	Mexican	Sauber	0
–	Narain Karthikeyan	Indian	HRT	0

2011 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Red Bull Racing	72
2	McLaren	48
3	Ferrari	36
4	Renault	30
5	Sauber	6
6	Toro Rosso	4
7	Force India	4
8	Mercedes	2
9	Team Lotus	0
10	Virgin Racing	0
–	Williams	0
–	HRT	0

2011 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2011 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	27 March
2	2011 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	10 April
3	2011 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	17 April
4	2011 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	8 May
5	2011 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	22 May
6	2011 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	29 May
7	2011 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	12 June
8	2011 European Grand Prix	Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia	26 June
9	2011 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	10 July
10	2011 German Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	24 July
11	2011 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	31 July
12	2011 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	28 August
13	2011 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	11 September
14	2011 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	25 September
15	2011 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	9 October
16	2011 Korean Grand Prix	Korea International Circuit, Yeongam	16 October
17	2011 Indian Grand Prix	Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida	30 October
18	2011 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	13 November
19	2011 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	27 November