Hakkinen downplays night race concerns

Mika Hakkinen has downplayed concerns regarding the safety of F1's first night race, however, he does concede that racing at night has it's own challenges.

In September the streets of Singapore will play host to a night grand prix, a first for Formula One. The weekend's events will also be the first for many of the drivers, which has raised some concerns about their safety.

A suggestion has also been put forward that either the drivers test under lights or the weekend's timetable to be altered to allow them more time under lights. At present Friday's first practice session will take place during the day.

"I have asked for the matter to be added to the agenda for the next meeting of the Sporting Working Group, so let's see," Toro Rosso's team manager Massimo Rivola told Autosport.

"I am talking about the safety of the drivers - because I am not worried about having to work all night if it is for our job. The safety issue we have to consider more carefully."

However, double F1 World Champion Hakkinen has played down Rivola's concerns. "If the lighting system and all the organisation is at a top, top level, I don't think testing is necessary," he told Reuters.

He does, however, concede that racing at night does have it's own set of challenges for the drivers.

"When driving at night your body is in night mode, so all your reactions are not as sharp as in the daytime, because your body should be sleeping," he added.

McLaren drop down the pit lane in Bahrain

Instead of having the fifth set of garages as they did in Australia and Malaysia, McLaren will drop down the pit lane for next weekend's Bahrain GP.

Having been thrown out of last year's Constructors' Championship, McLaren were expected to be at the very end of the pit lane as traditionally that's where the last team operates from

However, concession was made allowing for the Woking team to move up to the middle of the pit lane as they need space to accommodate the team's personnel and their equipment.

But according to the official Bahrain website, McLaren will have now been dropped down the pit lane and will be situated at the end for next weekend's race.

Thee organisers of the grand prix revealed that they had received "late notice" that instead of "garages 15-18, the Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes team would take up residence in garages 33-35."

"We understand that it is in line with the rules and regulations of the sport for McLaren, which scored no points in the 2007 Constructors' Championship, to take the final set of garages," said Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, Chief Operating Officer at the BIC, told the official Bahrain GP website.

"However in Bahrain we do our utmost to ensure that fans of each team get to sit opposite their favourite team's pit garages to see the action unfold. Sadly on this occasion we must apologise to McLaren fans and accept that this is force majeure."

BMW hope for more of the same in Bahrain

BMW Sauber hope they can continue their good start to season when the Formula One roadshow moves to Bahrain.

Nico Rosberg and Nick Heidfeld scored podium finishes in the first two races of the season, and their impressive performances have Ferrari and McLaren looking nervous over their shoulders.

The Hinwil-based team are setting high targets for themselves at the Bahrain International Circuit.

"I hope that we can continue our successful run and qualify for the first two or three rows on the grid," said BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen.

"If we manage that, then there is always a good chance of finishing in a podium position.

"There will not be many new components in Bahrain. We will take a big step in Barcelona. However, there will be a few small modifications for Bahrain."

Calls increase for change to qualifying rules

David Coulthard and Felipe Massa are the latest two drivers to voice their unease at the new qualifying rules.

Under the new regulations, drivers are not allowed to refuel between the end of qualifying and the start of the grand prix, which means they have to run in Q3 with the fuel they will start the race with.

McLaren duo Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen were docked five places on the grid in Malaysia after they slowed down after crossing the finish in an attempt to save fuel.

McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh said after the incident: "You have to be careful not to shoot from the hip, but all teams are involved in the rule-making process and we missed something when the regulations last changed.

"Everyone backs off to save fuel, because the rules allow it, but in reality we shouldn't have a regulation that allows for closing speeds of 200kph on a busy track."

Coulthard and Massa are the latest to join the calls for a change to the rules.

"In my view a rule change is the easiest way to make sure this problem doesn't keep occurring," Coulthard wrote in his ITV column.

"I like the suggestion that drivers will be penalised unless their in-lap is within a certain percentage of their best time.

"It's clear-cut, and there would be no grounds for a stewards' enquiry.

"If you're one-tenth slower than the time you're supposed to do then you'll get a penalty.

"People won't do it then - simple as that. But give them the opportunity to try and save fuel and they will."

Ferrari's Massa believes the new rules make Q3 qualifying "boring".

"There has been plenty of talk about the new qualifying format and whether or not we need to introduce a means to stop cars slowing too much to save fuel in Q3 on the lap after their quick one and certainly I think we need to discuss the situation," said Massa.

"Personally, I don't find the new sporting regulations concerning qualifying in Q3 do much to make it more interesting. At least in the old one you got to do a low fuel run but now it's a bit boring running with the fuel you will use to start the race.

"In the past, it was a bit more fun from the driving point of view. Maybe we need a rule change because of this problem of cars going slowly on their in lap, but let's wait and see what suggestions people come up with."

Slicks put under the microscope

Bridgestone will evaluate three different types of tyre compounds during testing in Barcelona in April in an attempt to alleviate fears about warm-up issues with its slicks.

The tyre manufacturer supplied the teams with slick tyres during testing at Jerez last December with the aim of introducing them at the beginning of 2009.

However, many drivers expressed concerns about the difference between the temperatures of the tyres when they left the pits compared to when they were at full operating temperature.

This resulted in a variation in laptimes of several seconds between cars that prompted safety fears.

The Japanese manufacturer hopes the new range of tyre compounds and higher track temperatures will sort out the warm-up issues.

"We are thinking about the compound range at the moment," Hirohide Hamashima, director of Bridgestone's motorsport tyre development, said.

"We want to check our warm-up issue, because in the winter time we had a warm-up problem and many drivers complained about the warm-up of the tyre.

"It took too long and there was an imbalance, because the rears warmed up quickly. So after two or three laps, the fronts were cold and the rears were hot. So the rears got a little bit tired before the fronts came in, which made it difficult to drive."

Schumi to help distribute McLaren fine

Michael Schumacher has been appointed as a member of a management committee that will determine the distribution of the fine handed out to McLaren following last year's spy scandal.

McLaren were hammered to the tune of $100million (Ј49.2million at the time) by world governing body the FIA in September.

The Woking-based team were found guilty of being in unauthorised possession of technical information belonging to rivals Ferrari.

Seven-times Formula One world champion Schumacher, who won five of his titles with Ferrari, is one of five members of the committee for the Motor Sport Safety Development Fund.

The body will distribute Ј30million of the fine for the benefit of motor sport worldwide, with the committee to control the fund under the administration of the FIA Foundation.

Schumacher is joined on the committee by FIA president Max Mosley, with the two men trustees of the FIA Foundation.

Nick Craw, president of the Automobile Competition Committee, has been appointed, as have Jean Todt and Norbert Haug, representing Ferrari and Mercedes as the manufacturers involved in the saga.

An FIA statement read: "The intention is to disperse the fund over the next five years and to concentrate activities on a Young Driver Safety Scholarship Programme, an Officials Skills Safety Training Programme and a Facility Safety Improvement Consultancy Programme."

Robert Kubica is refusing to get too carried away with BMW Sauber's magnificent start to the 2008 season.

Kubica finished second behind Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in Malaysia while his team-mate Nick Heidfeld was only beaten by Lewis Hamilton in Australia.

The Pole is happy with the progress BMW are making, but he remains cautious.

"I prefer to keep my feet on the ground, since it's still too early to say that we have achieved the targets of this season," he told the official Formula One website.

"We are lurking around the top spot now for the past two races and this gives us even more motivation for working even harder to close the gap.

"Then it's also important to remember that a victory cannot be 'programmed' but must be built.

"We have been more consistent than they (Ferrari and McLaren) have.

"It's also true that in Melbourne I missed the opportunity to score a few points, so I think that we need a few more races to get a better understanding of anyone's real strength."

He hopes his podium finish at the Sepang circuit is a sign of things to come.

"2007 was the first-ever season without a podium of my entire career," Kubica said.

"But now I feel that the trend has turned back in the right direction."

Lewis saved F1 from disastrous year

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone believes Lewis Hamilton "saved" F1 last season.

Many predicted the sport would be dull following the retirement of seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher at the end of the 2006 season.

However, F1 experienced one of its best seasons in recent history during 2007 after a closely fought battle between McLaren's Hamilton and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.

The fight for the World Championship was only settled in the final race of the season in Brazil.

Ecclestone believes Hamilton's emergence was one of the big reasons for the sport's resurgence.

"We are very pleased with the evolution last season," he told Spanish magazine FHM.

"With the departure of Michael Schumacher, the year could have been disastrous and boring, but fortunately along came a youngster called Lewis Hamilton and saved the season. It was phenomenal."

Ecclestone also compared Hamilton to Schumacher.

"If it wasn't for the helmet, when you see Hamilton behind the wheel you might think it is Schumacher driving. He drives the same way that the impeccable Schumacher did.

"That is what I have said about Hamilton from the beginning: he doesn't make mistakes.

"This will be the big year of Hamilton, and I am not saying he should win the World Championship, but will he will have to prove that he is competitive."

The F1 boss believes the rivalry between Hamilton and World Champion Kimi Raikkonen can only be beneficial to the sport.

"He (Raikkonen) won the World Champions and demonstrated what a good driver he is. However, he goes unnoticed because he is so discreet and never generates publicity around him," Ecclestone said.

"He is the complete opposite of Hamilton, who talks quite a lot. Hamilton's attitude benefits us because he draws more attention and generates more publicity because he likes to talk.

"The rivalry between Raikkonen, Hamilton and others will be very beneficial."

Alonso: That was as good as it gets

Fernando Alonso concedes Renault are off the pace and the only reason why he scored a point in Malaysia is because Felipe Massa retired.


Although Alonso finished fourth in the season-opening Australian GP it was partly due to the fact that only seven runners finished the race. Therefore Malaysia was to be the first true test of Renault's potential.


The R28, though, came up short with Alonso battling to finish in eighth place and later admitting that the only reason he did was because a car that should have finished ahead, Massa, retired.


"It was more or less as we expected," he told AS newspaper.


"We knew that finishing in the top eight was going to be difficult and if it hadn't been for Massa's retirement we wouldn't have made it, that's the reality and that's what the situation is like, it was no surprise.


"In a normal race, with no retirements, we were ninth in qualifying and eighth in the race. Everything was as expected."


Even worse for Renault, though, is that their double World Champion doubts the team's pace - or results - are going to get any better as the season progresses.


"In Barcelona we will have some improvements for the car, (but) the same ones all teams will have, so the Championship is going to stay more or less the same," he said.


"We saw it last year and we see it every year. The cars that win the first two or three races stay on top. We are not going to see big surprises during the year," he added.

Trulli expects top six finish

Jarno Trulli is hoping to be among the top six finishers at the Bahrain Grand Prix in April.

The Italian's fourth place at the Malaysian Grand Prix was Toyota's best finish since Ralf Schumacher picked up five points at the French Grand Prix in 2006.

What made the result even more impressive was the fact that he held off McLaren's Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages at the Sepang circuit.

"It's great. I really wanted the fourth place and I dedicate it entirely to the whole team," he told the official F1 website.

"They have done a very good job over the winter, have given me the car to fight, they are supporting me and the race team did a great job all weekend in Malaysia.

The 33-year-old hopes Toyota will maintain the status quo in Bahrain.

"We had a positive test over the winter in Bahrain and we know what to expect there with our car," he added.

"We have to continuously improve our car performance if we are to challenge the top teams but I think we can fight for the top six again.

"The top cars are a little bit out of reach but we showed in Malaysia that we have the potential to get a really good result when we get everything right with the car and the team does a perfect job."

Briatore: Too early to judge Renault

Renault team boss Flavio Briatore believes it unfair to judge the team after just two races.

Double World Champion Fernando Alonso started the season brightly by finishing fourth in Melbourne, but he was way off the pace in Malaysia and picked up just one point.

Briatore is confident they will improve before the start of the European season.

He told the official F1 website: "It does not make sense to judge a car after one or two races.

"Of course, McLaren and Ferrari have a fast car, but look what happened to Ferrari in Australia. So we will have to wait and see how it will be at the next couple of races."

Briatore hopes the R28 will show its true form at the Turkish Grand Prix in May.

"At the moment we are in a very promising development run, because it would be completely unrealistic to think we can find those missing seconds to McLaren and Ferrari within days.

"I still cannot judge where we stand at the moment. You can do well in the morning, then you get a problem with the gearbox and a good result vanishes. As I just said, wait three or four races and then ask me again, as I will have a pretty good idea of what our status is."

Briatore also refused to comment on rumours linking Alonso to Ferrari.

"Fernando is a great sportsman who will always give his best - and rumours I never comment on. It is a waste of time to get involved in hypothetical daydreams."

Whitmarsh backing Heikki to push Lewis

Martin Whitmarsh believes Heikki Kovalainen's third-placed finish in the Malaysian GP will only serve to spur on team-mate Lewis Hamilton when F1 heads to Bahrain in two weeks' time.

Hamilton saw his lead in the Drivers' standings cut to three points after a five-place grid penalty before a problem with a wheel nut during his first pit stop ruined any chance of a podium.

The Briton eventually finished fifth as Ferrari rival Kimi Raikkonen cruised to victory by nearly 20 seconds from BMW's Robert Kubica to condemn the Finn's misery in Melbourne firmly to the past.

But it was Kovalainen's unlikely first podium for his new employers that provided the most cheer.

Having out-qualified his more illustrious team-mate on Saturday, the Finn was also demoted five places for impeding both Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso at the end of the session and was forced to start from eighth on the grid.

However, a steady if unspectacular drive combined with astute race strategy saw Kovalainen cross the line seven seconds ahead of Jarno Trulli's Toyota, albeit almost 40 seconds behind compatriot Raikkonen.

And Whitmarsh believes his performance over the weekend will act as an incentive to Hamilton to re-establish his authority in the Middle East.

"Lewis was pushed very hard by Heikki this weekend but that's good," said Whitmarsh.

"Knowing Lewis, he'll turn up to the next race absolutely determined to beat Heikki.

"Heikki's done a fantastic job all weekend. He had a little more pace during the weekend then Lewis.

"As events wore on through into qualifying, I think Heikki felt in a more comfortable position with the balance of his car while it went away from Lewis.

"He was struggling to grip by comparison and by Lewis' high standards, I think he was disappointed with that."

With all the talk of a Ferrari crisis after Melbourne unsurprisingly proving premature, the focus has now switched to McLaren's below-par weekend in Sepang.

"The reality is Ferrari under-performed in Melbourne," Whitmarsh added.

"We said that all the long. We knew going into the season Ferrari have a strong package and they've got two quick drivers.

"So it's up to us now to respond to the competition that we have. I don't think we did the best job we could here. We made mistakes.

"Rather like last year, it's an exciting season where race by race you've got to be on your game."

2009 Malaysian GP to be run under lights

The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix will be run under lights, according to F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

With Singapore hosting F1's first night race in September this year, Ecclestone is keen to see more non-European grands prix take place at night.

This would allow for greater television audience figures in Europe and, hopefully, will also add to the spectacle of the event.

As a result Ecclestone has announced that next year's Malaysian GP will most likely start at 7pm local time after agreeing a deal with the race's organisers.

"The organisers here in Malaysia know it is necessary, both to attract television audiences in Europe and the public here," the F1 supremo said.

"It will be very good for the people in Malaysia and anyone coming to visit the race as it will be very exciting."

There's still a long way to go

A downcast Felipe Massa vowed to bounce back after the Ferrari driver failed to finish for the second consecutive race at the Malaysian GP.

Having started on pole Massa dropped to second behind team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who went on to win, following the first round of pit stops before spinning out on lap 31 after clipping the kerb on the exit of turn six.

The problem, Ferrari later revealed, was the aerodynamic balance of the car went forwards after the incident and the Brazilian lost control of the car when he tried to brake.

Massa's disappointing end to the afternoon came after he retired from the Australian GP with engine failure, leaving the 26-year-old already trailing Championship leader Lewis Hamilton by 14 points.

But Massa refused to write off his title chances with just two races of the season gone and is keen to get back on track in Bahrain, where he won from pole last year.

"It was not the start of the season I expected and I'm very disappointed at what happened," he said.

"We just need to concentrate. There are still 16 races to go and we need to have a strong pace for the next race.

"It was disappointing. It was a very safe first and second but one car couldn't finish. We need to recover now.

"Obviously it's been a very difficult start to the season for me, but there is still a long way to go."

Despite Massa's unfortunate end, team boss Stefano Domenicali was still pleased to prove the critics wrong after Ferrari's disastrous start to the season in Melbourne after Raikkonen took the chequered flag.

"The sense of relief is due to the fact that we really showed our potential," he said.

"We were strong all weekend and that is, for us, the main thing. We knew that our car was good."

But after their experiences in Melbourne, Domenicali refused to get carried away despite Ferrari dominating rivals McLaren in Sepang.

"It's exactly the same feeling as after Australia, when everyone said McLaren were in another world," he added.

"They did a great race, no doubt, but here we see that they have not really had a great weekend.

"But that doesn't mean to say that they will be like that for the rest of the season.

"We know we still have a lot to do to improve in terms of performance and, above all, reliability.

"We're very happy with Kimi's victory but equally disappointed with Felipe's retirement."

McLaren will bounce back

Martin Whitmarsh insists McLaren have already turned their attention to the Bahrain GP as they look to put a below-par outing in Malaysia firmly behind them.

After both drivers were demoted five places on the grid for impeding Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso during Saturday's qualifying session, Heikki Kovalainen managed to claim third in Sepang, but Championship leader Lewis Hamilton could only finish fifth.

Kimi Raikkonen cruised to victory for Ferrari to get his own title ambitions up and running but it was a disappointing return for the Woking-based team after the ease with which Hamilton dominated in Australia.

But after admitting McLaren under-performed all weekend, chief executive Whitmarsh insisted neither team could claim to hold the upper hand after just two races as the battle looks set to swing back and forth in a similar vein to last season.

"Bahrain's another day, we've got to make sure we perform better there," he said.

"If you look at what happened last year, it swung backwards and forwards in terms of competitiveness and I think that's good for the sport.

"If we do a decent job then hopefully we can be competitive and if we don't perform well Ferrari can beat us.

"It was a less than great weekend but we're leading both Championships so it's not a shabby start to the year, it's something to build on, and we've got to make sure we firm up our game and do a better job in Bahrain and then through to the European season."

However, Whitmarsh did concede that by the time the Formula One campaign moves on from Bahrain to Barcelona, the picture as to how the fight will shape up should be much clearer.

"It's swung quite quickly in seven days but I think the most important point in the season will be Spain," he added.

"I'm sure ourselves, Ferrari and others will have reasonable performance upgrades when we get there."

While the focus has been on the battle between last season's two dominant teams, BMW have quietly made a strong start to the season having picked up 19 points already to trail McLaren by just five in the Constructors' standings.

And Whitmarsh expects the German outfit to push both McLaren and Ferrari much harder this term and have their own say in the destination of both Championships.

"If we hadn't slipped in qualifying, I think we'd have beaten them (BMW) here but we did and they were able to take advantage of it," he said."They're pretty close behind and I think they showed good pace here."

Lewis: We'll bounce back in Bahrain

Malaysian will be just a mere blooper on McLaren's road towards Championship glory, says a confident Lewis Hamilton.

The McLaren driver was undone by Ferrari this weekend as Felipe Massa led the way in qualifying and Kimi Raikkonen put an end to any debate of who has the better car during Sunday's race.

However, Hamilton also wasn't assisted by the five grid slot penalty handed to him for blocking Nick Heidfeld in qualifying. Nor his pit stop blunder or being stuck behind Mark Webber - twice - help either.

He eventually finished the grand prix in fifth place, a whopping 46 seconds behind race winner Raikkonen.

It was a disappointing outcome for Hamilton, whose lead in the Drivers' standings was cut to just three points, as he reckons he could have finished on the podium.

"We were in a good position for a shot at third at least - but then I had the problem in my first stop, which cost me a lot of time," the 23-year-old said.

"Without the penalty, I believe we could have finished second. But this is racing - those are the rules. We have to look forward to the next race; we're still leading.

"I did the best job I could.

"I got a really good start and was pretty happy to jump five places from ninth to fifth.

"I was pushing Mark Webber for a long time - but being behind someone, no matter how quick you are, it's really difficult to get past.

"But we can take away the fact that the car ran very reliably in extreme conditions, and I was able to push Jarno (Trulli) right until the end."

The Brit is confident he will be back at the next race in Bahrain, which he finished in second place last season.

"We will bounce back in Bahrain," he said. "We were quick there last year and I believe we have the car to be quick again."

The Bahrain Grand Prix takes place at the Sakhir circuit on April 6.

Fastest laps: Nick surprises at the top

Nick Heidfeld and his BMW F1.08 proved to be the surprise of the Malaysian GP as the German set the fastest lap of the race ahead of Ferrari and McLaren.

After struggling a bit in pre-season testing, there had been some concerns over BMW's pace entering the new season. However, Heidfeld officially put those to rest with his 1:35.366 on the penultimate lap of the grand prix.

It was 0.039s up on race winner Kimi Raikkonen's best time and 0.096s faster than Championship leader Lewis Hamilton's best.

Meanwhile Honda, in yet another surprise, set the fourth best time of the day with Jenson Button posting a 1:35.715, which put him ahead of Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

However, whether Button's time or his team-mate Rubens Barrichello's, which was a second slower, is the true reflection of Honda's pace remains to be seen.

Robert Kubica, who finished runner-up in the grand prix, was sixth quickest, although half a second off Heidfeld's pace, while Heikki Kovalainen, who completed the podium, was seventh.

Toyota's Jarno Trulli completed the top eight.

Times
01 Nick Heidfeld BMW 1:35.366
02 Kimi Rдikkцnen Ferrari 1:35.405
03 Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:35.462
04 Jenson Button Honda 1:35.715
05 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:35.914
06 Robert Kubica BMW 1:35.921
07 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 1:35.922
08 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:36.068
09 David Coulthard Red Bull 1:36.206
10 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:36.288
11 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:36.693
12 Mark Webber Red Bull 1:36.696
13 Nico Rosberg Williams 1:36.782
14 Sebastian Vettel STR 1:36.870
15 Nelsinho Piquet Renault 1:36.956
16 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India 1:36.962
17 Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1:37.711
18 Anthony Davidson Super Aguri 1:38.171
19 Takuma Sato Super Aguri 1:38.504
20 Adrian Sutil Force India 1:40.330

Trulli hopes Sepang was just the start

Jarno Trulli hopes that Toyota can build upon the fourth place he scored in the Malaysian Grand Prix as the 2008 Formula One season unfolds.

The 33-year-old held off Lewis Hamilton at the chequered flag to record the Cologne-based team's best finish since former team-mate Ralf Schumacher finished fourth in the 2006 French Grand Prix.

The result acted as vindicaton for the Italian veteran - both of his own ability to still get the job done and of the team's hard work during the winter after a disappointing 2007 season.

"For me, it is so nice to be back in the points," said Trulli, who scored Toyota's first podium finish at the 2005 Malaysian Grand Prix.

"And after such a strong race. I am especially happy for the team both here and in Cologne.

"This result is mainly down to their work over the winter and I dedicate it to them.

"I just hope now that we can carry on improving with the performance of the car because at the end of winter testing we were strong.

"I am also a strong person. I have believed always in myself and this proved that if I have the right car, it has the performance and the potential, I can do the job.

"I have always believed this. I am not old and I am still keen for my next win!"

Trulli, who has one grand prix victory - scored at Monaco in 2004 - from 183 starts, added his belief that experience can have its benefits in the cockpit of an F1 car.

"When you are older you are stronger in a different way," he said. "I feel I am capable of being a better driver now than earlier in my career with Renault and the other teams."

On his race, Trulli added: "I had a difficult first corner, I lost grip and I ran wide and then I touched Nick Heidfeld and lost some ground.

"But after that I felt I could keep up with the McLarens. We made it past Mark Webber as the team did a great job at the pit stops and in the end I had a great fight with Lewis Hamilton.

"We were pushing each other very hard. He was obviously slightly quicker than me, but I gave it 100 percent and thanks to the team and a trouble-free weekend we got our reward with fourth place."

Ferrari breathe a sigh of relief

Ferrari are singing their own praises after the Scuderia brushed off their Aussie GP disaster to cruise to victory in Sunday's Malaysian GP.

Kimi Raikkonen strolled to his first victory of the season at Sepang, finishing 20 seconds ahead of his nearest rival and 40 in front of the first McLaren.

In fact the F2008 was so strong on Sunday afternoon that only a mistake from Felipe Massa himself could put an end to the Ferrari 1-2 that was on the cards.

But while the Italian stable could be crowing about their unmissable dominance, team boss Stefano Domenicali admits it's more relief than joy that the team is feeling, especially after doing everything wrong in Australia and allowing Raikkonen to run out of fuel in Friday's first practice.

"I think the sense of relief is connected to the fact that we really showed what is our potential," the Scuderia boss said. "We were strong all weekend, very good pace on both tyre specs and that is, for us, the main thing, that is positive."

"Honestly, we are very happy in a way, because of course want to show the reaction of Ferrari. After a very different weekend in Australia, that was not really unfortunately our standard or it was something that was difficult to digest, first of all, from us.

"So I'm very happy because we show that the team can do a great job. I think the best thing that I have seen is that we kept cool and calm as we are normally, without softening, in a negative way, the pressure that is normal when you have such a difficult start. But that's the main reason why I'm happy, to be honest."

But while many may be pushing Ferrari to the top of their 'favourites for the title' list, Domenicali reckons McLaren could bite back at the next race in Bahrain.

"I think that for sure it's exactly the same feeling as we said after Australia, when everyone said McLaren are in another world and we said OK, they did a great race no doubt but here we are and we will see that they have not really had a great weekend, but this doesn't say that they are like that," he said.

"For sure they behaved differently, they didn't have a great weekend in terms of performance but for sure they will be very strong in Bahrain, and what I can say is that for sure we have seen that also BMW had a great weekend and they are there.

"We need to respect them and we will for sure... they will be in the middle of the field for sure in order to take points from us, from McLaren, so we need to have a lot of respect for them."

Meanwhile Ferrari President Luca Montezemolo has hailed the manner in which the Scuderia fought back from their Aussie disappointment, praising Domenicali for his first race win as team boss.

"I expected a reaction like this, because I know how strong and competitive our car and also our team is," he told Autosport.

"I am especially happy for Stefano Domenicali, as it was his first win as team principal of the Scuderia Ferrari, but also for Kimi Raikkonen, who drove a perfect race.

"This is the best Easter present we could give to our fans."

Ferrari, BMW, McLaren

While Kimi Raikkonen won the Malaysian GP, Robert Kubica and Heikki Kovalainen joined him on the podium.

Ferrari
Kimi Raikkonen: I am very happy with this win, for me and for the team. It's a shame that Felipe was unable to let us bring home a result that was within our grasp. At the start I came alongside Felipe, but I did not take any risks, knowing I was stopping one lap later than him at the end of the first stint. When that time came, I pushed to the maximum and I managed to come out of my pit stop ahead of him. From then on, with a clear track ahead of me, the car was perfect I was able to control the situation without having to stress the car or the tyres. We are struggling a little bit in qualifying, but in the race we have a very high potential. We have had a very complicated start to the season, but I have certainly not lost faith in the team: we can still do better."

Felipe Massa: On lap 31, I clipped the kerb at the exit to Turn 6 and hit it quite hard and then I lost the rear end going into the next corner. We have to check to see if the impact with the kerb damaged the car. It's a real shame because we could have brought home a one-two finish. Obviously this has been a very difficult start to the season for me, but there is still a very long way to go. We have great potential, as was seen today and so I am still confident. Naturally I hope to make up for this soon, starting with the next race in Bahrain."

BMW
Robert Kubica: It's a fantastic day for the team, for Petronas and for me - the second consecutive podium. After Monza 2006 I finally managed to get another podium myself. I want to thank everybody in the team who worked very hard over the last two months to improve the car. I didn't have a good start because of too much wheel spin, and was fighting with Nick and Jarno Trulli. I took the dirty inside line and almost lost the car, but somehow I managed to get through the corner and overtake them. From this moment on I drove at my own pace. The Ferraris were too quick, but I was able to increase the gap from the cars following me. After the second pit stop I reduced the revs to save the engine and took it easy. I didn't feel very well all weekend and it was very hot in the car, so the last ten laps were pretty tough. But it all paid off with a brilliant result."

Nick Heidfeld: I have mixed emotions about today's race. Of course I'm happy to have clocked up my first fastest race lap in F1, and 11 points are also the best ever result for our team. The pace of the car was really, really good - about the same level as the McLaren. That's all very positive and makes it even more disappointing that I only finished sixth. My start was very good and then I tried to overtake right on the outside in the first corner. Robert was on the inside, and Jarno Trulli was between us - I just ran out of room. It was a try, but it didn't work out. I picked up some dirt and lost two more positions on the first lap. At least I got them back when I overtook David Coulthard and Fernando Alonso on lap four. Again our pit crew did a very good job."

McLaren
Heikki Kovalainen: I am pretty happy with my third place today, considering yesterday's penalty, and it was probably the best possible result for us in these circumstances. Our strategy worked really well and it meant that I was able to be in clean air for most of the race. The team really did a fantastic job and I am happy to reward them with my first podium for the team. I did have a small issue with graining during my first stint; however, I was able to stay out until lap 20, which helped me to overtake Jarno Trulli during my first pit stop. After my second stop I was able to play it safe and secure my third place, as it was not possible at this stage to go one better."

Lewis Hamilton: I got a really good start and was pretty happy as we jumped five positions from ninth to fifth. I was pushing Mark for a very long time, but being behind someone, no matter how quick you are, it is really difficult to get past. We were in a good position for a shot at third place at least, but then I had the problem in my first pit stop which lost me a lot of time. So I did the best job I could. However we take away the fact that the car ran very reliably in these extreme conditions, and I was able to push Jarno right until the last second. I have to say that both Mark and Jarno drove really well today, and it was great to fight them out on track today."

Nick and Alonso complain to stewards

Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso have complained to the Malaysian race stewards after a drivers on fuel-savingly-slow in-lap held them up at the end of Saturday's qualifying.

In the last 30 seconds of qualifying the majority of the ten drivers had completed their final flying lap and were coasting back to the pits. Some were so slow as they went about saving fuel that the official F1 timing screen read 'stop'.

The problem, though, was that not everyone had completed their flying lap.

That meant the likes of Heidfeld came up to the dangerously slow traffic and rather than them move off the racing line as they should do, the German was forced to move over himself to avoid an accident.

This cost Heidfeld valuable time and, he estimated, third place on the grid.

"That's the disappointing part," the BMW driver ITV. "Q1 and Q2 went pretty smooth and then in Q3 most of the cars were already very, very slow when I was on my flying lap.

"They were just like parked on the circuit, I think it was both of the McLarens in front of Turn 4, being in the middle of the racing line.

"I could not be on the line I wanted, especially for braking. I have lost some time there, I think I lost two tenths, and if you look at the times they were very, very close.

"I would have been third, but what can you do now? Very clearly (it needs to be looked at) and I reported that on the radio. From my point of view it is not correct what they did."

Meanwhile Autosport reports that Fernando Alonso and Renault engineer Steve Nielsen also put in a complaint with the race stewards with team boss Flavio Briatore confirming that "it looks like" Alonso had similar problems to Heidfeld.

Saturday FIA press conference

Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen and Heikki Kovalainen attended Saturday's post-qualifying press conference for the Malaysian GP.

Q: Felipe, a beautiful lap to watch. You were a half second quicker than your team-mate in Q3 but a little bit slower in Q2. Talk us through that.

Felipe MASSA: I managed to make a fantastic lap in Q3 which is the most important one. I did a great lap the first try and the second try without a mistake. In Q2 I didn't make very good laps and I was struggling a little bit on the grip from the tyres on the lap. Also I didn't do a very good last sector as well just braking a little bit too early at turn 14. It was just stupid mistakes. Not really mistakes but just a stupid lap. Then I managed to put everything together in Q3 and did a great lap.

Q: Apart from the disappointments of Melbourne you obviously felt confident coming here with a different track surface and with Ferrari having such a great record here.

FM: Definitely. Our championship is starting now. What happened in the last race was incredible and we didn't expect that. We did a very good job during the winter but coming to the first race and having a lot of problems like we had was not expected. But hopefully now we can manage to put everything together to have a very consistent, quick and good championship.

Q: There was a lot of talk before qualifying about the potential for rain here on Saturday and perhaps even tomorrow. How did that affect the preparation for qualifying and the way you ran qualifying?

FM: To be honest, it did not affect it too much. You just needed to be starting the session by going out straight away, so if it was raining at least you could put one lap on paper. Everybody did that. You saw at the beginning of the qualifying everybody going out, just a little bit afraid that if the rain comes at least you had a lap, so I think it was not a big difference compared to a normal qualifying.

Q: And what were the conditions like right at the end there?

FM: It was okay. We had a couple of drops but it did not affect the performance on the track, so it was no problem at all.

Q: Kimi, it was a very quick lap in Q2, a 1min34.1secs, the fastest lap of qualifying. Talk us through your Q3 and how you feel in terms of the race tomorrow?

Kimi RДIKKЦNEN: I was not sure what happened with Q3. The car is good, but I just couldn't get the grip. I didn't get the best out of it, but anyhow I am in second place. It is a good place to start and we should have a strong race car. It is going to be a long hot race tomorrow and we don't know about the weather. But I think we can look forward quite happily to it.

Q: Once the race began in Melbourne, even from where you started on the grid, you were very quick. How does the car compare here in terms of its feel and grip level with Melbourne?

KR: I think this is a more normal circuit, so the car has been quick all weekend. I think we are seeing two completely different circuits but our car should be fast anywhere but when you start from behind it is very difficult to show your speed. Tomorrow should be a bit clearer about who is where and what kind of speed everyone is doing.

Q: Felipe obviously has the clean side of the road off the line. Without traction control now how do you anticipate it is going to be on the dirty side of the grid?

KR: I don't know. It is very difficult to say. Hopefully we will get a good start and it is up to us much more now than it was before. In the last race we had a very good start, so hopefully we can manage to do that also tomorrow.

Q: Congratulations to you Heikki. Your second successive P3 in qualifying and just ahead of your team-mate Lewis Hamilton. First of all from a personal point of view your feelings about qualifying third behind the two Ferraris and being the fastest McLaren driver.

Heikki KOVALAINEN: Of course we were hoping to do a couple of places better but obviously, Ferrari, they have both been very fast here all weekend and we had nothing more to give today. I think third place was the maximum we could achieve today. I am happy about that. It was a clean lap without any big mistakes. It was pretty much the same story as I had in Melbourne, just trying to go step by step and increase the pace as I get used to the team and the car. I think we are on a very good track and still in a good position to start with tomorrow and we will see how the strategy goes. But we will still aim to do the maximum job tomorrow and see what happens.

Q: Does the McLaren feel more difficult to drive here? Does the grip level feel lower than in Melbourne if you could compare the two?

HK: No, not really. It feels pretty similar. I think our balance is very similar to what it was in Melbourne and I think the fact is we didn't see the true pace of Ferrari in Melbourne. They both had some problems in qualifying or in the race, so I think this is more representative between the pace of the teams. But anyway, like I said, the race is tomorrow and we are still in a good position. By no means the game's over. Tomorrow we can attack and we will see what we can do.

Q: Felipe, every race win you have had, has been from pole, so this is a good start to the weekend. This is always a difficult race physically for the drivers. Perhaps you could reflect on both those points and how you anticipate the race is going to be from a physical point of view tomorrow?

FM: The race will be very physical here. It is not so physical, but it is also very hot. The humidity we have here is so high and you lose a lot of water from the body. For sure when you get from the middle to the end of the race you start to feel it a little bit just because you are sweating so much. But I am really looking forward to having a strong race and strong physical preparation as well.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Felipe, congratulations. Your best position here is fifth - once from pole last year and once from 21st a couple of years ago. What are your feelings about tomorrow particularly the start if you remember from last year?

FM: My thought is to change the best result I have, hopefully we can repeat what we did today which was a very good job and a very good lap. It was very clean with no mistakes and taking away the maximum from the car. I was pretty happy with our day. In Q2 I couldn't manage to do a good lap. I was just struggling to find the right grip. Also I was too conservative. But I learned everything I did wrong in Q2 and managed to do a great lap in Q3.

Q: Presumably total confidence in the engine. No problems and no further feelings from last weekend?

FH: For sure, I am looking forward to having a very reliable car. It was a very bad result we had in the last race, not just the engine but also the race itself was a problem and the qualifying with Kimi. It was definitely a weekend to forget. We think we know what we are doing now. We think we know how it is going to be during the race in terms of reliability with all the preparations the engineers are doing, so hopefully we can have two very reliable races now with the same engine.

Q: What are your weather predictions? How much were you slightly worried about rain in qualifying?

FM: I think everybody was a little bit worried but I just managed to be one of the first cars to go out just to try to at least make a lap in case something really different happens and the rain comes. At least you have a lap and you can jump to the next qualifying. But at the end of the day the rain didn't come, although at the end of Q3 we had a couple of drops but it didn't affect the track, so it was no problem at all.

Q: What are your weather predictions and how much were you worried about rain in qualifying?

FM: I think everybody was a bit worried but we just managed to be one of the first cars to go out, just to try to at least make a lap if something really different happened, if the rain came, so at least you would have a lap and maybe you can jump to the next qualifying. At the end of the day, the rain didn't come. At the end of Q3 we had a couple of drops but it didn't affect the track, so it was no problem at all.

Q: Also on the front row, Kimi Rдikkцnen, winner in 2003 here. At least it must be very encouraging to be on the front row after the Australian problems.

KR: Yeah, for sure, I think so for the whole team. We've been working hard and we've got one and two, so it couldn't have gone better. For sure, I would rather have been in first place but I couldn't get the tyres working as well as in the second qualifying. I think we still have a strong position for the race, so we will see what we can do.

Q: Who do you prefer to race, your team-mate or someone from another team?

KR: It doesn't really matter. We know, between us, when we are going to stop, so in that way it's an easier thing, but in the end you need to beat everybody to win the race, that's our aim, and hopefully we can have a strong race as a team.

Q: Are we going to see a different type of race to Australia, was that a bit of a one-off, all that incident?
KR: I don't know. We will see tomorrow. If it's raining, it can be very tricky here, so anything can happen in a race. If it's normal conditions, probably not as many mistakes and people going off. I'm expecting a few more people to finish the race.

Q: Heikki, a bit of a surprise to out-qualify your team-mate?

HK: Yeah, of course Lewis is a strong driver and it's always difficult to beat him, but honestly, all weekend I've been fairly happy with my car since the first practice sessions on Friday. Yesterday I was feeling comfortable and we've been going in the right direction little by little all the time. The qualifying session was fairly straightforward for me, nothing special, but they were all clean laps and I managed to... probably the best lap was the last Q3 lap with more fuel in the car, so I think we're in a good position. Of course Ferrari seems to be very strong but we are right behind them and the race is long, so we can look forward to a good race tomorrow.

Q: Interesting to see you trying both types of tyre in Q3. What was the thinking behind that?

HK: We were not entirely sure which one was going to be the better one, so that's the reason behind it really.

Q: Does that mean you're not entirely sure for the race either?

HK: Now I am sure, yeah.

Q: Last year most people were on the softer tyre.

HK: Yeah, I think it was more the one lap pace that we were not sure of, seeing how the tyres were lasting throughout the lap, but to be honest, in the longer run, we have a clearer picture, so it's no concern at all.

Q: What are your feelings about the weather tomorrow?

HK: Honestly, everybody has a different prediction and obviously today we were a little bit concerned, just by looking at the sky because in Q3, we thought it might start to rain, so we went early and I think tomorrow the best we can do is look up to the sky, fifteen minutes before the start and see what happens.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Heikki Kulta - Turun Sanomat) Kimi, was that a perfect lap you did in Q2 and for Heikki, how much did it mean to you to beat Lewis already in the second qualifying?

KR: I think you can always improve if you try again, but it was a good lap, the car felt good. Unfortunately we couldn't get as good a lap in the last qualifying but that's life.

HK: Well, for me, I must stress that my primary target is not to beat Lewis. I would rather be in the first position than the third position but of course to beat Lewis... he's a great driver, he did a great year last year. He's a very fast driver, to be ahead of him is always good but of course as a team we want to do better, we want to be higher than third and for me, I'm not making a big number out of it. I need to just keep the focus on the race tomorrow and that's the best we can do.

Q: (Flavio Vanetti - Corriere della Sera) Felipe, last year you had Alonso beside you, now you have your team-mate beside you, even if you have to expect that Kimi will push. Do you feel more comfortable now?

FM: No, it doesn't matter. You always try to do the best start you can, you always try to stay in front at the first corner. Last year it was not possible. I will just try to do better this year. I should have a good start, so let's hope and see if we can keep the same position tomorrow.

Q: (Mark Danby - Auto Magazine China) A question to Kimi: were you happy with your start last week and do you hold any concerns for tomorrow on the dirty side of the track?

KR: No, we were happy. I gained many places on the first lap, so it was good but of course this is a different circuit, definitely, different conditions. I don't know if it's going to make a difference not being on the clean side but we will see tomorrow. Hopefully we can have a good start. It's up to us really, so we will try the best.

Q: (Marco Evangelisti - Corriere dello Sport) Felipe, you were one of the first to say that it would be tricky to drive in the wet without traction control. Now many drivers agree with you. Do you think it was a mistake to take traction control off the cars?

FM: I don't think it was a mistake. I think - if I need to give my opinion - I think we should have a safe setting for everybody for the wet, because if we have a situation like in Japan last year, maybe we're not going to have any cars finishing the race. I think there's always room to improve. In the dry it's quite nice to drive the cars without traction control, it's not a big problem but in the wet it will be different. There's always room to improve. We just need to see how it's going to be the first time in the rain. But you know, just from having the feeling of driving in the wet in winter testing was not so easy.

Q: (Paolo Ianieri - La Gazzetta dello Sport) Heikki, before you said that here the situation is more realistic than it was in Melbourne. Does that mean that Ferrari is pretty much in front of you and that it could be hard for the next races?

HK: I'm hope I'm wrong - or the prediction I made in Melbourne is not correct. Certainly today - and to be honest all weekend - the Ferraris have looked strong but we will see tomorrow how the strategies are panning out and how the race is panning out. We are still in a good position to fight and I think all I can say is that we know they are going to be strong all the way through the year, but we can improve our package as well, so there's no concern.

Q: (Juha Pддtalo - Financial Times Germany) Kimi, given the fact that it might rain tomorrow, how much of a relief is it that you can start from the front row?

KR: I don't think it makes much difference if it rains. If it's dry you would rather be in the front (row) anyway, it's much easier there, less chance to have accidents and less people to follow, so it should be a bit easier. We will see how the weather is tomorrow. It can be very tricky, it can change very quickly here.

Hamilton and Kovalainen deducted five grid places

Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen will drop five grid places for Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix after the duo were found guilty of impeding Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso.
The incident occurred when both drivers slowed down after crossing the line with seconds left of qualifying. By remaining on the racing line, they were adjudged to have impeded Heidfeld and Alonso, who were starting their final flying laps.

Hamilton will now begin the 56-lap race from ninth place, while Kovalainen will start in eighth after the pair initially qualified fourth and third respectively.

The pair were asked to report to stewards after an angry Heidfeld, who qualified seventh, complained to race officials at the conclusion of the session.

Hamilton was subsequently found guilty of impeding the BMW Sauber driver by 'travelling at a very slow speed on the racing line', while Kovalainen was also charged with committing the same offence against the German and Renault driver Alonso.

But Hamilton felt he was not at fault although he did apologise to Heidfeld.

"I was pretty much out of the way," he said upon emerging from the meeting.

"If I held him up then I apologise for that."

McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh also defended both drivers, insisting they did the best they could under the circumstances.

"There was clearly an issue there and it's unfortunate," he said.

"If you look at the footage, our guys squeezed in as much as they could and slowed and we don't think they impaired Nick.

"He complained to the stewards. Nick was in fact quickest in all three sectors on that lap and I don't think he was unduly impaired, but I can understand his view that having all of those cars around when you're trying to concentrate on a quick lap isn't ideal.

"Neither of our drivers did it intentionally and did what they could to squeeze over and allow Nick and Fernando to do their quick laps."

However, a clearly frustrated Heidfeld refuted their explanation, insisting McLaren's actions cost him third place on the grid for tomorrow's race.

"If they did the best that they could do, they didn't do very well," he said.

"I was approaching my last lap on the option tyre and it would have been my quickest lap if not for the McLarens driving in the middle of the racing line at 80kph.

"I lost time. I made the corner but it cost me one and a half tenths for sure.

"It's pretty dangerous as well, other cars were moving pretty slowly but they were off line.

"The McLarens were just before or in the braking zone so it was difficult to find my braking point."

McLaren did, however, accept the punishment, underlining it was just an unfortunate racing incident.

A team statement read: "We accept the steward's decision but would like to add that neither Lewis nor Heikki impaired any of their competitors deliberately.

"It was an unfortunate incident - nothing more, nothing less. We look forward to tomorrow's race.

Massa has faith in Ferrari

Massa's lap of one minute 35.748 seconds was good enough to put him at the front of the grid for the second consecutive year, nearly half a second ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.

Heikki Kovalainen took third, almost 0.4secs back from his fellow Finn, as he outpaced McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who finished fourth but nearly a second behind Massa.

However, the duo were subsequently demoted five places each down the grid after impeding Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso, significantly improving the chances of a Ferrari victory tomorrow.

And after the double retirement in Melbourne, Massa believes he can now get his championship challenge back on track in Sepang as long as this time he can make it to the finish line.

"I am looking forward to having a very reliable car," he said.

"It was a very bad result in the last race, not just the engine but also the race itself was a problem and the qualifying with Kimi.

"It was definitely a weekend to forget. We think we know what we are doing now. We think we know how it is going to be during the race in terms of reliability with all the preparations the engineers are doing, so hopefully we can have two very reliable races now with the same engine."

Massa also began last year's race from pole but could only match his best finish in Malaysia of fifth after Hamilton lured the 26-year-old into a rash overtaking move and he drove off the circuit, ruining his afternoon.

And the Brazilian admitted he is targeting a less dramatic outing this time around after proving the class of the field.

"Hopefully we can repeat what we did today, which was a very good job and a very good lap," he added.

"It was very clean with no mistakes and getting the maximum from the car. I was pretty happy with our day.

"In Q2 I couldn't manage to do a good lap. I was just struggling to find the right grip. I was also too conservative. But I learned everything I did wrong in Q2 and managed to do a great lap in Q3."

Massa was passed by Alonso and Hamilton on the opening lap 12 months ago but insisted he will not have an easier ride tomorrow with team-mate Raikkonen alongside him.

"It doesn't matter," he replied when asked if having the Finn in close attendance meant he was under less pressure.

"You always try to do the best start you can, you always try to stay in front at the first corner. Last year it was not possible. I will just try to do better this year.

"I should have a good start, so let's hope and see if we can keep the same position tomorrow."

Hamilton and Kovalainen deducted five grid places

The incident occurred when both drivers slowed down after crossing the line with seconds left of qualifying. By remaining on the racing line, they were adjudged to have impeded Heidfeld and Alonso, who were starting their final flying laps.
Hamilton will now begin the 56-lap race from ninth place, while Kovalainen will start in eighth after the pair initially qualified fourth and third respectively.

The pair were asked to report to stewards after an angry Heidfeld, who qualified seventh, complained to race officials at the conclusion of the session.

Hamilton was subsequently found guilty of impeding the BMW Sauber driver by 'travelling at a very slow speed on the racing line', while Kovalainen was also charged with committing the same offence against the German and Renault driver Alonso.

But Hamilton felt he was not at fault although he did apologise to Heidfeld.

"I was pretty much out of the way," he said upon emerging from the meeting.

"If I held him up then I apologise for that."

McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh also defended both drivers, insisting they did the best they could under the circumstances.

"There was clearly an issue there and it's unfortunate," he said.

"If you look at the footage, our guys squeezed in as much as they could and slowed and we don't think they impaired Nick.

"He complained to the stewards. Nick was in fact quickest in all three sectors on that lap and I don't think he was unduly impaired, but I can understand his view that having all of those cars around when you're trying to concentrate on a quick lap isn't ideal.

"Neither of our drivers did it intentionally and did what they could to squeeze over and allow Nick and Fernando to do their quick laps."

However, a clearly frustrated Heidfeld refuted their explanation, insisting McLaren's actions cost him third place on the grid for tomorrow's race.

"If they did the best that they could do, they didn't do very well," he said.

"I was approaching my last lap on the option tyre and it would have been my quickest lap if not for the McLarens driving in the middle of the racing line at 80kph.

"I lost time. I made the corner but it cost me one and a half tenths for sure.

"It's pretty dangerous as well, other cars were moving pretty slowly but they were off line.

"The McLarens were just before or in the braking zone so it was difficult to find my braking point."

McLaren did, however, accept the punishment, underlining it was just an unfortunate racing incident.

A team statement read: "We accept the steward's decision but would like to add that neither Lewis nor Heikki impaired any of their competitors deliberately.

"It was an unfortunate incident - nothing more, nothing less. We look forward to tomorrow's race.

Nick and Alonso complain to stewards

In the last 30 seconds of qualifying the majority of the ten drivers had completed their final flying lap and were coasting back to the pits. Some were so slow as they went about saving fuel that the official F1 timing screen read 'stop'.

The problem, though, was that not everyone had completed their flying lap.

That meant the likes of Heidfeld came up to the dangerously slow traffic and rather than them move off the racing line as they should do, the German was forced to move over himself to avoid an accident.

This cost Heidfeld valuable time and, he estimated, third place on the grid.

"That's the disappointing part," the BMW driver ITV. "Q1 and Q2 went pretty smooth and then in Q3 most of the cars were already very, very slow when I was on my flying lap.

"They were just like parked on the circuit, I think it was both of the McLarens in front of Turn 4, being in the middle of the racing line.

"I could not be on the line I wanted, especially for braking. I have lost some time there, I think I lost two tenths, and if you look at the times they were very, very close.

"I would have been third, but what can you do now? Very clearly (it needs to be looked at) and I reported that on the radio. From my point of view it is not correct what they did."

Meanwhile Autosport reports that Fernando Alonso and Renault engineer Steve Nielsen also put in a complaint with the race stewards with team boss Flavio Briatore confirming that "it looks like" Alonso had similar problems to Heidfeld.