PAUL WEAVER at Sepang
Red Bull enjoyed their 13th one-two finish at the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang with Sebastian Vettel edging ahead of a very competitive Mark Webber for his 27th Formula One victory, matching Jackie Stewart. But there was clearly tension between the two drivers at the end of the race, in which Vettel said at one stage: "Mark is too slow, get him out of the way."
There followed an epic battle between the two drivers, finally won by Vettel after a frustrated looking Webber had been told to turn his engine down.
But when Webber was still leading, and both drivers were told to hold their positions, Vettel continued to fight for the lead. "I apologise for that," said Vettel. He later added: "I f**ked up. I'm the black sheep."
Webber did not congratulate Vettel at the end of the race and did not put his arm round his team-mate when the post-race pictures were taken.
There was also an epic battle between the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg with the British driver taking the podium. But, like Vettel, he was the beneficiary of team orders.
Hamilton's race was almost ruined as early as the eighth lap when he came into his old McLaren box as he looked for fresh rubber. Very old habits die hard.
Then, in the closing stages, when he was fighting off the fourth-placed Rosberg, the German complained: "I'm so much faster, let me get past." But team boss Ross Brawn replied: "Negative." And then Brawn told Rosberg: "Drop back, leave a gap. I want to bring both these cars home."
But while it was a tricky afternoon for the Red Bull and Mercedes team-mates it was a disaster for Fernando Alonso, who went out of race on the second lap.
It was also a desperately disappointing day for Jenson Button. McLaren have had awful problems with their new car this season but things had looked slightly better here and Button was running fifth when he stopped in the pitlane with a loose front right wheel following a stop, a throwback to last season's problems. His team raced down the pitlane to push Button's car back into the garage to tighten the bolt before releasing him again.
Vettel made a good start from pole but so did – as usual – the Ferraris. Alonso streaked past his team-mate Massa but then, on turn two, he went into the back of Vettel and damaged his front wing. He didn't pit and when the wing became lodged beneath the car on lap two he could no longer steer the car and was out of the race.
Hamilton also made a good start from fourth, and he needed to to hold of his sprightly former team-mate Button, who had moved up from seventh.
Force India's dreadful afternoon started to go all wrong on the seventh lap when they double parked in the pitlane, with Paul di Resta stuck behind Adrian Sutil. And then trouble with the left rear gun held up both cars. Then, on lap 21, Di Resta came in again and there were problems changing the front left tyre. By lap 24 he was out of the race, and he looked a sullen figure as he climbed out of the car.
Five laps later Sutil parked up to make it the team's first double retirement since Japan in 2010.
Guardian Service
