Alonso Takes Malaysia Victory

Michelin equipped Fernando Alonso dominated the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, winning by 24.3 seconds. Jarno Trulli, who scored Toyota’s first podium in Formula 1, took second place. Williams’ Nick Heidfeld was third with Juan Pablo Montoya fourth for McLaren. David Coulthard was sixth ahead of Michael Schumacher, who started 13th, while Jenson Button retired after three laps with engine failure. Seventh place Schumacher was the only Bridgestone driver to end up in the top eight, with teammate Rubens Barrichello retiring.

“All of a sudden the car developed quite a lot of oversteer. Then when I pitted again they found I had a piece of rubber attached to the wing [affecting the aerodynamics]. But, because I had run for at least 20 laps with too much oversteer, it ruined my rear tyres.”

Although Fernando Alonso won by a large margin he said he struggled to cope with the hot tropical conditions, with track temperatures approaching 50 degrees. “It was very tough conditions and I finished on the limit,” he explained.