Malaysian Grand Prix Facts and Stats

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Kimi Raikkonen matched Stirling Moss’s victory record with his Malaysian Grand Prix win.

Here’s a round-up of the statistics from yesterday’s race – post your findings in the comments below…

Kimi Raikkonen took his 16th career victory from 124 appearances, putting him level with Stirling Moss (16 from 67 appearances). With Fernando Alonso looking unlikely to add to his tally of 19 wins this year, Raikkonen may surpass him as the active driver with the most Grand Prix wins. It was also his second victory at Sepang, the scene of his maiden triumph in 2003 for McLaren.

Together with third-placed Heikki Kovalainen he gave Finland its best ever Grand Prix result with first and third places. Kovalainen said: “in Finland they are talking about the Formula One Finnish championship but let’s see if it carries on like this.” The previous best Finnish podium came at Japan last year where they finished second and third, Kovalainen ahead of Raikkonen.

Robert Kubica scored a career-best second place, one race after starting a career-best second. BMW team-mate Nick Heidfeld set fastest lap for the first time in his 137 Grand Prix presences, which was also BMW’s first fastest lap.

Fourth place was Jarno Trulli’s best finish since the 2006 United States Grand Prix.

Felipe Massa scored his tenth pole position, putting him level with 1970 world champion Jochen Rindt. He has scored all five of his wins from pole, and this was his first DNF from pole.

Mark Webber finally ended his point-less streak in Malaysia, finishing sixth.

Force India achieved their first finish in a race with Giancarlo Fisichella’s 12th.

The top three starters and finishers at Sepang were different to those in Melbourne. This means already more drivers have started from the top three than during the whole of 2007 (when there were five). Eight different drivers finished on the podium last year.

Ferrari locked out the front row of the grid. The Italian team and Renault have claimed all the pole positions at Sepang since the race began in 1999.

Four drivers are yet to finish a race in 2008: Timo Glock, Felipe Massa, Adrian Sutil and Sebastian Vettel. Of those, Sutil suffered car failure in both races.

More F1 statistics

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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20 comments on “Malaysian Grand Prix Facts and Stats”

  1. I’m sure Mark Webber considers his efforts pointless sometimes too…

  2. Of the 4 non-finishers you mentioned, Keith, 3 have Ferrari engines.  Of course, only 2 of them can attribute 1 of their retirements to mechanical ailments.

  3. With the 1st & 2nd rounds completed, I think it looks like we’re in for another humdinger of a season!!! God bless whoever it was that got TC banned, now lets get the reliance on aerodynamics reduced and I think we’ll all be happy…

  4. I think you have to add Bourdais to the list of non finishers.

  5. To AndyWolf.

    I understand where you are coming from, however, the sport as it is, is doing good. We should try and not meddle too much(please listen FIA), and make what is the pinnacle of motor-sport, a glorified GP2(not to discredit it, but…)

  6. What about Schumi on 2 wheels, 3rd Skoox Cup after starting from last on grid AND doing fastest lap…..born to race!

  7. Well said Sri, I was talking with an American, actually debating between F1 and Nascar (the competitiveness or lack of it thereof) and was explaining the culture and attitude of F1 drivers and the teams. If you want to get more action by putting the same chassis and underdeveloped engines, go somewhere else!!

  8. Adrian Sutil has had two hydraulics-related retirements and has so far done only 16 laps. That looks like the Force India’s Achilles heel.

  9. "Meddle too much"??? What nonsense are you talking about Sri…..? Are you talking about too many regulations?? The TC ban is the best thing that has happened in years, showing us who can drive & who cant. All i want now is all this aero paraphernalia reduced so one car can follow close enough to  another so they can overtake.. What’s wrong with wanting that???? Come on, tell me?

  10. Was it the first time BMW had two consecutive podiums?

  11. another fact from the Malaysian GP – Kimi Raikkonen has terrible taste in shorts…

  12. I am with you AndyWolf,this T.C. ban has made the racing even better than I thought it would,if they can reduce aerodynamics to improve overtaking it will be incredible.

    I was happy with this race,If Heidfeld could have traded places with Kubica my three favorite drivers would have been on the podium!

  13. Toncho, you’re dead right that Bourdais wasn’t running at the end of both races, but he was a classified finisher in Australia (else he wouldn’t have scored points).

    And Daniel’s right about BMW consecutive podiums and Ade’s right about Raikkonen’s taste in shorts…

  14. But are Kimi’s shorts as bad as the Honda ones? Unless you are one of the Wiggles, no grown man should be seen in lime green shorts, methinks.

  15. force india is making progress…i am happy about it!!

  16. I was talking not specifically of TC ban, but other regulation changes, which are close to making F1 a quasi endurance race series. From engine, gearbox to everything else. We have Le-Mans for that, thank you!

    Also, drivers are speaking in hushed tones already about lack of TC making following a car difficult, thereby difficult overtaking. This was also commented upon by Steve Slater and Chris Goodwin(Employed with McLaren, so i think he knows fairly more about this than you and i do), during the Malaysian Grand Prix, which is telecasted on Star Sports. Overtaking is happening on track, it is good, but now more dependent on the driver in the front making an error.

    Aero changes will further make overtaking difficult. As it is, it is difficult to follow a car.  Also, what might be affected is the overall speed over a lap. More than anything else, am against slowing things down. I would like to see faster lap times. Currently, cars are about a second or so slower than 2004 at some circuits.

    Bernie and Max have sold their cookie to the world by telling people, that these things will make racing faster, exciting, safer. Now, am not going to take away anything what they have done for the growth of the sport and the people involved and their safety. However, i think their ulterior motives behind this has more to do with business than sport.

  17. Hmmn!! – bernie and max have said that removing tc would improve racing – well for once I would say it has – the resultsc show that and should it be taken further – maybe – but at this early stage of the season – no.
    We have still to see a race in wet conditions and allready teams who werent in the points – never in some cases – get some and yes some cars are evenly matched still and wont be able to pass.
    Still it’s been good so far and roll on spa on a wet day even though it has been redesigned it may prove exciting from our point.

  18. From what i’ve seen, Kimi’s taste in post-race apparel- or lack thereof- was on full display last season as well. As for Honda, the crew just looks absolutley horrible- how do they expect to see any merchandise while appearing like that on international TV?
    In regards to the race itself, BMW puts in a very good showing for the second straight week- is it now safe to say they can punch with the big boys on an every-race basis?

  19. The spin and subsequent departure from track Felipe Massa last Sunday in the Malaysian GP was not due to a technical problem as the Brazilian left glimpse into their comments after the race.

    Since the Scuderia do not seem willing to cover a new pilot error Massa, and less if this has to be put into question the level of reliability of a F2008 which so far is not being desirable.

    A spokesman for the Italian team responded strongly yesterday and after reviewing the car of Massa when he wondered if a technical problem had led to the departure of the Brazilian track at Sepang: "No, the car was good."

  20. Exciting!!
    Kimi as a winner..
    Keep flying, Kimi…

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