Sepang, Malaysia - Ferrari's Fernando Alonso claimed his first victory in eight months in thrilling style at the rain-interrupted Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday.
Alonso
survived a lengthy rain suspension, a rash of spins and mishaps and a
strong challenge from Sauber's Sergio Perez to finish ahead of the
Mexican driver, with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton third.
Spain's
Alonso, a two-time world champion, was no one's pre-race favourite in
the clunky F2012, but he emerged from the chaos caused by torrential
rains at the head of the pack and doggedly clung on for victory.
Perez
pushed hard for his first win and looked set to steal victory from
Alonso until he overshot a turn on lap 50. However, he still managed his
maiden trip to the podium.
RACING FOR SURVIVAL
Red
Bull's Mark Webber was fourth with former world champion Kimi Raikkonen
fifth for Lotus. German great Michael Schumacher, who started third on
the grid, spun early in the race but finished 10th.
But there
were no points for McLaren's Jenson Button, who won last week's
season-opener, after he collided with India's Narain Karthikeyan and
dropped to the back of the pack, finally coming in 14th.
Red
Bull's reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel also endured a torrid
day, including a spectacular rear tyre blow-out, as he finished 11th.
After
days of mostly dry weather, black clouds rolled over Sepang and the
rain fell, right on cue, as the Malaysian anthem was played.
TORRENTIAL RAIN INTERVENES
Pole-sitter Hamilton, who was passed by Button at the front of the grid in Australia last
week, survived a furious challenge from his team-mate at the start and
he emerged from the first corner with his lead intact.
But as the
cars kicked up plumes of spray, it was only a matter of time before
they started spinning and the first casualty was wet-weather maestro
Schumacher, who dropped down the field.
The rain immediately
turned torrential and Ferrari's Felipe Massa was the first in for
wet-weather tyres, followed immediately by the other drivers in a
chaotic few minutes in the pit lane.
Lotus's young Frenchman
Romain Grosjean spun into the gravel and out of the race, Mercedes' Nico
Rosberg went off-course and Button radioed that the last sector was
"like a lake" before the safety car came out on lap seven.
And as
the rain came down in buckets, the race was suspended shortly
afterwards, evoking memories of Button's storm-shortened victory in
2009.
SMASHING DRIVING
But less than an hour later
they were back out and once the safety car withdrew for lap 14, it was
the signal for some frenzied action as drivers dived into the pits for
intermediate tyres on the drying track.
Button smashed his front
wing in a collision with HRT's Karthikeyan and needed his third pit
stop, pushing him way down to 21st. On lap 18 Alonso led followed by
Perez, Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel and Raikkonen, although Vettel and
Raikkonen both nipped past Rosberg on laps 23 and 24 to leave the German
world champion behind Hamilton in third spot.
Alonso was driving
his unloved Ferrari to the limit, but his big lead was whittled down to
just a couple of seconds by Perez before both joined the rush to pit
for slick tyres around lap 40.
When they resumed Alonso was seven
seconds in front but Perez was soon back on the Spaniard's tail,
setting up a gripping dogfight in the closing laps - distracted only by a
nasty puncture for Vettel, who slipped back.
But when Perez went
off-course with six laps to go, Alonso was able to claim his first win
since the 2011 British Grand Prix - and conclude a remarkable weekend
for the Ferrari camp.
Results from the Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday:
1 Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari 2 hours 44 minutes 51.812 seconds
2 Sergio Perez (Mexico) Sauber +2.263
3 Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren +14.591
4 Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull +17.688
5 Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Lotus-Renault +29.456
6 Bruno Senna (Brazil) Williams-Renault +37.667
7 Paul di Resta (Britain) Force India +44.412
8 Jean-Eric Vergne (France) Toro Rosso +46.985
9 Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) Force India +47.892
10 Michael Schumacher (Germany) Mercedes +49.996
11 Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Red Bull +1min15.527
12 Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Toro Rosso +1min16.828
13 Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes +1min18.593
14 Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren +1min19.719
15 Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari +1min37.319
16 Vitaly Petrov (Russia) Caterham F1 +1 lap
17 Timo Glock (Germany) Marussia-Cosworth +1 lap
18 Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) Caterham F1 +1 lap
19 Charles Pic (France) Marussia-Cosworth +2 laps
20 Narain Karthikeyan (India) HRT-Cosworth +2 laps
21 Pedro de la Rosa (Spain) HRT-Cosworth +2 laps
22 Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Williams-Renault +2 laps
Drivers’ and Constructors’ points after the 2012 Malaysian F1 GP
at the Sepang International Circuit
Drivers
1 Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari - 35
2 Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren - 30
3 Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren - 25
4 Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull - 24
5 Sergio Perez (Mexico) Sauber - 22
6 Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Red Bull - 18
7 Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Renault - 16
8 Bruno Senna (Brazil) Williams - 8
9 Kamui Kobayashi (Japan) Sauber 8
10 Paul Di Resta (Britain) Force India - 7
11 Jean-Eric Vergne (France) Toro Rosso - 4
12 Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) Toro Rosso - 2
13 Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) Force India 2
14 Michael Schumacher (Germany) Mercedes - 1
15 Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes - 0
16 Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Williams - 0
17 Timo Glock (Germany) Marussia - 0
18 Charles Pic (France) Marussia - 0
19 Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari - 0
20 Vitaly Petrov (Russia) Team Lotus - 0
21 Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) Team Lotus - 0
22 Narain Karthikeyan (India) HRT - 0
23 Pedro de la Rosa (Spain) HRT - 0
Constructors
1 McLaren - 55
2 Red Bull - 42
3 Ferrari - 35
4 Sauber - 30
5 Lotus - 16
6 Force India - 9
7 Williams - 8
8 Toro Rosso - 6
9 Mercedes - 1
10. Marussia - 0
11 HRT - 0
12 Caterham - 0
- Wheels24