Malaysian Grand Prix 2008 Awards
Raikkonen Eases To A Needed Win While Massa Disappoints again
Every race has its highlights. Some drivers shine while others confound us with what they try to achieve. Here are some of the winners and losers of the 2008 Malaysian GP
Driver of the day
Kimi Raikkonen started from the front row, made sure to pass Felipe Massa during the pit stops and then ran away with the race. He easily won in the end by almost 20 seconds even after slowing down during the last 25 odd laps. A more crushing win he could not have had and a satisfying 10 points puts him right back in the hunt to repeat his championship year of 2007
Team of the day
Ferrari qualified on the front row of the grid and easily kept first and second for most of the race until Massa spun out 26 laps from the end. McLaren however made sure to get both cars home and made sure Ferrari did not catch up in the championship. But better than both of them BMW got 11 points for second and sixth and got closer to the front running McLaren team. A great season long battle seems to be on the cards.
Charger of the day
Even though Anthony Davidson in the Super Aguri started in 21st and finished in 15th position, his gain was more due to retirements form other drivers than anything else. Giancarlo Fisichella started in 17th and finished in 12th though in his Force-India, in front of Rubens Barrichello who impressed in Australia (until his pit stop blunders!)
Honorable mention
Jarno Trulli finished in an impressive fourth for Toyota, something the team has not accomplished since Ralf Schumacher did it at the French Grand Prix in July of 2006! It would be great if the giant car maker from Japan could be on an upswing in fortunes, but if history is anything to go by we won’t see them up this high again anytime soon. None the less an impressive showing from Trulli. “I just hope we can carry on improving the performance of the car, because as I mentioned at the end of winter testing we are looking strong. With Toyota's potential we can bounce back to the 2005 level already this year.” he said.
Disappointment of the day
Nico Rosberg did start from 16th, so not a lot was expected, even if Kimi Raikkonen had an impressive showing from almost the same spot at the Australian Grand Prix. Nico however then had a coming together with Timo Glock on the opening lap and never got back into the race and only finished in 14th.
Doofus of the day
Felipe Massa started form pole and easily led until Kimi Raikkonen passed him during the pit stops. After that he easily ran in second place, with no pressure from behind. Then he threw it all away, a stupid mistake landed him in the kitty litter and a solid eight points for Ferrari went out the door. In a season where every single point is important in the constructors championship, Ferrari can not be pleased with such a rookie mistake from a veteran like Massa.
