MOTOR SPORT/Formula One Championship/Malaysian Grand Prix: Two weeks ago, Giancarlo Fisichella staked a claim for Renault as Formula One's form team with a chillingly efficient lights-to-flag victory in Melbourne. Cool though the drive to his second career win was, the similarly chilly weather in Melbourne had many questioning the team's right to the sport's high ground.in Sepang, Malaysia
After team-mate Fernando Alonso's thrilling win at yesterday's Malaysian Grand Prix any prospective claim-jumpers will need to mount a potent attack, especially in light of a limp performance by Ferrari, for whom Michael Schumacher stumbled home in seventh and Rubens Barrichello exited the race six laps from the finish.
It may be too early to talk about a Ferrari crisis, especially in light of the fact the champions are likely, in Bahrain in a fortnight's time, to debut a new car reportedly a second quicker a lap than the current one, but the Scuderia's dismal performance in Kuala Lumpur yesterday has at least raised eyebrows enough to suggest 2005 might just be the season jaded fans have craved.
Yesterday, Schumacher slumped to 13th on the starting grid in the morning's final qualifying session and in the race was easily outpaced by rivals.
Sauber's Felipe Massa exerted pressure throughout and Red Bull Racing's supposed yesterday man, David Coulthard, trampled all over Schumacher with a deft passing move that left Schumacher to settle for seventh.
Ferrari's problems yesterday stemmed from a too-conservative approach to tyres, the Italian outfit opting for the most durable compound available from Bridgestone. Afterwards, though, Schumacher refused to point the finger at the Japanese manufacturer, saying: "I don't want to blame Bridgestone or anyone. We've been winning together and now we're losing together, it's as simple as that."
While Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn said on Friday the new F2005 was at least a second quicker, insiders are reported to be less enthusiastic about the car's potential and Schumacher himself sounded a note of heavy caution. "We don't think we have a very good car compared with the others," he said of the current car. "We do know that and we are working on it."
Alonso took the front spot on the grid yesterday with a dazzling performance after team-mate Fisichella had been beaten by a similarly daring single lap from Toyota's Jarno Trulli. In the race though, Trulli's Toyota was no match for Alonso's Renault.Alonso held his lead at the start, opened a healthy gap to Trulli and thereafter drove fast and smart to the chequered flag.
Renault couldn't hold onto the remaining podium position. Williams's Nick Heidfeld profited from an improved aerodynamic package and a calamitous tussle between his team-mate Mark Webber and Fischella. A clever move around the outside of the final corner looked to have netted Webber third position but Fisichella defended deep into the braking area and, attempting to hold the inside, lost control under braking and slid over the nose of the Williams, ruling both out of the race and leaving Heidfeld to clean up the six points.
Juan Pablo Montoya justified McLaren's pre-race confidence with fourth and a five-point haul while Ralf Schumacher netted four points for Toyota.
Bahrain will reveal much. Whether the F2005 is as fast as Ferrari believe or Schumacher's dark forecasts about his prospects of victory are not lined with a silver lining. Also whether Williams's aerodynamic improvements have put them back among the contenders and whether McLaren's slow move towards competitiveness will gather pace.
Seems we might have a championship on our hands.
(Race distance: 56 laps, 310.408 kms):
1. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault one hour 31 minutes 33.736 seconds
(average speed 203.407kph)
2. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Toyota 1:31:58.063
3. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Williams 1:32:05.924
4. Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) McLaren 1:32:15.367
5. Ralf Schumacher (Germany) Toyota 1:32:25.590
6. David Coulthard (Britain) Red Bull 1:32:46.279
7. Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari 1:32:53.724
8. Christian Klien (Austria) Red Bull 1:32:54.571
9. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) McLaren 1:32:55.316
10. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Sauber one lap behind 11. Narain Karthikeyan (India) Jordan two laps 12. Tiago Monteiro (Portugal) Jordan three laps 13. Christijan Albers (Netherlands) Minardi four laps.
Not classified - Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari 49 laps completed, Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Renault 36 laps, Mark Webber (Australia) Williams 36 laps, Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) Sauber 26 laps, Jenson Button (Britain) BAR two laps, Anthony Davidson (Japan) BAR two laps, Patrick Friesacher (Austria) Minardi two laps,
Fastest lap: Raikkonen: 1:35.483, 208.987 kph (lap 23).
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers: 1. Alonso 16 points, 2. Fisichella 10, 3. Trulli, Barrichello, Coulthard 8, 7. Heidfeld 6, 8. R Schumacher, Webber 4, 10. Klien 3, 11. M Schumacher 2, 12. Raikkonen 1.
Constructors: 1. Renault 26 points, 2. Toyota 12, 3. Red Bull 11, 4. Ferrari 10, 5. Williams 10, 6. McLaren 9.
