HAMILTON LEADS AT SOAKING SEPANG
Lewis Hamilton made amends for his poor start in Australia a week ago with a clean getaway in today's Malaysian Grand Prix.
Hamilton was passed by McLaren team-mate Jenson Button on the run down to the first corner at Melbourne's Albert Park, which proved defining as the latter went on to win the race.
But on this occasion Hamilton's launch was spot on as he kept his compatriot behind him as the field made its was down the second longest run into a first corner of all the current F1 tracks.
The start was given added spice by the fact that just 20 minutes earlier rain began to fall.
Although there was also thunder and lightning in the air, it was fortunately nothing torrential to lead to a safety car start.
But with the circuit wet enough it prompted all teams to switch to the intermediate tyres to cope with the surface water.
From his highest grid slot of third for Mercedes since coming out of retirement, Michael Schumacher dropped to 16th at the end of the first lap after being hit by Lotus' Romain Grosjean on lap one.
After three laps Hamilton held by 1.9secs to Button, the British duo followed by the Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso fifth and Schumacher 13th.
Grosjean's race then came to an end on lap four as he spun off into the gravel.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa had led the way on to extreme wet tyres at the end of the third lap, and several others followed suit after the fourth lap.
Among them were Button and Alonso, along with a number of midfield runners, before Hamilton made his move on to the extreme wets, as did Webber and Vettel after five laps.
It resulted in Hamilton emerging narrowly ahead of Button, but as the rain then grew heavier in intensity - and as a loud clap of thunder boomed overhead - it brought out the safety car after six laps.
The running order at that stage was Hamilton, Button, Sauber's Sergio Perez, Webber, Alonso, Vettel and Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne, who was still on the intermediate tyre.
Behind the Frenchman came Massa in eighth, Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and HRT's Narain Karthikeyan in 10th as he had started on extreme wet tyres.
On lap nine, with the rain unrelenting, the call was made by race director Charlie Whiting to suspend the grand prix, resulting in the cars lining up on the grid in their current running order.
Given the propensity for the conditions in this part of the world - in 2009 the race was halted because of the rain after 31 of the 56 laps - the teams came prepared by erecting awnings over their cars.
After 30 minutes stationary on the grid it became apparent the rain and gloom were lifting, resulting in the medical car taking to the track to check out the conditions.
Then came the announcement from race control the grand prix would resume at 1715 local time, and that wet tyres had to be fitted.
Lewis Hamilton made amends for his poor start in Australia a week ago with a clean getaway in today's Malaysian Grand Prix.
Hamilton was passed by McLaren team-mate Jenson Button on the run down to the first corner at Melbourne's Albert Park, which proved defining as the latter went on to win the race.
But on this occasion Hamilton's launch was spot on as he kept his compatriot behind him as the field made its was down the second longest run into a first corner of all the current F1 tracks.
The start was given added spice by the fact that just 20 minutes earlier rain began to fall.
Although there was also thunder and lightning in the air, it was fortunately nothing torrential to lead to a safety car start.
But with the circuit wet enough it prompted all teams to switch to the intermediate tyres to cope with the surface water.
From his highest grid slot of third for Mercedes since coming out of retirement, Michael Schumacher dropped to 16th at the end of the first lap after being hit by Lotus' Romain Grosjean on lap one.
After three laps Hamilton held by 1.9secs to Button, the British duo followed by the Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso fifth and Schumacher 13th.
Grosjean's race then came to an end on lap four as he spun off into the gravel.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa had led the way on to extreme wet tyres at the end of the third lap, and several others followed suit after the fourth lap.
Among them were Button and Alonso, along with a number of midfield runners, before Hamilton made his move on to the extreme wets, as did Webber and Vettel after five laps.
It resulted in Hamilton emerging narrowly ahead of Button, but as the rain then grew heavier in intensity - and as a loud clap of thunder boomed overhead - it brought out the safety car after six laps.
The running order at that stage was Hamilton, Button, Sauber's Sergio Perez, Webber, Alonso, Vettel and Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne, who was still on the intermediate tyre.
Behind the Frenchman came Massa in eighth, Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and HRT's Narain Karthikeyan in 10th as he had started on extreme wet tyres.
On lap nine, with the rain unrelenting, the call was made by race director Charlie Whiting to suspend the grand prix, resulting in the cars lining up on the grid in their current running order.
Given the propensity for the conditions in this part of the world - in 2009 the race was halted because of the rain after 31 of the 56 laps - the teams came prepared by erecting awnings over their cars.
After 30 minutes stationary on the grid it became apparent the rain and gloom were lifting, resulting in the medical car taking to the track to check out the conditions.
Then came the announcement from race control the grand prix would resume at 1715 local time, and that wet tyres had to be fitted.