2013 Malaysian Grand Prix

Championship standings

After Australia, Kimi Räikkönen leads the Drivers’ Championship with 25 points, ahead of Fernando Alonso (18), Sebastian Vettel (15), Felipe Massa (12) and Lewis Hamilton (10). Ferrari leads the Constructors’ Championship with 30 points, ahead of Lotus (26) and Red Bull (23).

Previous race

Kimi Räikkönen won the season opener in Melbourne for Lotus, with Alonso second and Vettel third. Nico Rosberg retired at half-distance with an electrical failure. Mark Webber lost places at the start when a KERS problem dropped him from the front row to seventh.

Car upgrades

Sauber introduces a new C32 chassis for Nico Hülkenberg, after a fuel-system fault prevented him from starting in Melbourne. The team also modifies the C32’s engine cover to improve heat extraction and adds a small vertical fin to improve rear airflow. Red Bull installs extra cooling outlets on the centre of the RB9 for Malaysia’s warmer climate. Ferrari opens the exhausts on the F138 to improve sidepod extraction. Mercedes changes the turning vanes and pillars under the W04. Lotus introduces a new exhaust system and revised diffuser with gurney flap on Räikkönen’s E21.

Tyre choices

Pirelli brings the medium (prime) and hard (option) dry compounds, along with intermediates and full wets.

Practice

The first session ran in hot, humid conditions with no driver setting a competitive lap time for the opening 34 minutes. Räikkönen missed the first 55 minutes while Lotus replaced a KERS battery that had failed through a sensor problem. Adrian Sutil damaged his front wing on a kerb, and Esteban Gutiérrez spun at turn 14.

The second session was interrupted by heavy rain that prevented lap time improvements. Gutiérrez’s in-car fire extinguisher activated after he struck the turn-12 kerb; a subsequent exhaust fracture ended his session.

In the final session, Lewis Hamilton’s right-front tyre tore and shed part of its tread on the backstraight after he had locked and flat-spotted it to the canvas. Detached rubber struck and damaged Hamilton’s front wing.

The telemetry link between race control and the cars remains disabled for the second consecutive race, continuing the arrangement from Melbourne. Drivers are again responsible for self-policing DRS use; teams must inform race control when the system is active. If the safety car is deployed, drivers are required to manually press a button on their steering wheel to slow their cars as soon as they see a warning board or illuminated light.