2005 Malaysian GP: Alonso wins, Toyota celebrate first podium

The 2005 Malaysian GP belonged to Fernando Alonso. The Renault driver started from pole position and won by around 24 seconds from Jarno Trulli. It was Toyota's first podium in Formula 1. Nick Heidfeld drove his Williams from tenth on the grid to third. The race was effectively decided on the opening lap. After that, Alonso simply had to avoid mistakes of his own, while behind him the field was thinned out by the heat, tyre failures and a collision.

The Sepang International Circuit delivered the typical Malaysian heat. According to Wikipedia, the air temperature was 34 to 36 degrees and the track surface reached up to 50 degrees. Toyota also quoted around 50 degrees for the track. Despite a tight squeeze at Turn Two, the start passed without incident. Alonso got away well and immediately pulled clear with a series of fast laps. Trulli defended his second place on the grid against Giancarlo Fisichella into Turn One. Behind them came Mark Webber, Ralf Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen.

During the first round of pit stops the lead changed hands several times, but only on paper. Alonso and Trulli pitted together. As a result, Fisichella led on lap 22, followed for two laps by Räikkönen, who was one of the last to stop. From lap 25 Alonso was back in front. When the Spaniard made his final fuel stop, Trulli briefly led on laps 41 and 42. After that, Alonso never gave up the lead again. Because Trulli could not match Alonso's pace, Toyota told him to slow down. That way he brought second place safely home.

The hottest moment of the race was the battle for third place. Fisichella's Renault was struggling with blistered tyres. Webber caught him and pulled alongside before the final hairpin. Fisichella slid across the nose of the Williams, both cars spun, and both drivers then retired at the pit entry. Both were out after 36 laps.

Afterwards, each blamed the other. Fisichella said he had hardly any downforce left after losing a bargeboard. Webber, on the other hand, argued that the Renault's tyres were finished and that Fisichella had braked too late and hit him in the side. According to RaceFans, the stewards held the Italian responsible and issued him an official reprimand after the race. Ralf Schumacher and Webber had already clashed earlier, when the Toyota driver attacked. According to Toyota, Schumacher was given a new front wing at his second stop as a result.

For BAR, the race was over after two laps. Jenson Button and Anthony Davidson both retired with engine failures. According to Wikipedia, a small fire broke out on Davidson's car. Davidson was only in the car because Takuma Sato had come down with a fever after Friday practice. Also after two laps, Patrick Friesacher spun his Minardi into the gravel.

Räikkönen had the worst luck of all. Shortly after his first stop he suffered a left-rear puncture. He limped back to the pits, but the tyre came off the rim on the way, and he rejoined only in 13th. In the end, according to RaceFans, the McLaren driver finished ninth, just seven tenths of a second short of a championship point. He did at least set the fastest lap of the race.

Shortly afterwards, Jacques Villeneuve spun his Sauber into the gravel at Turn One after 26 laps. He had complained about locking front wheels all weekend. After a set-up change, he said, the rear wheels started locking too. Rubens Barrichello retired after 49 laps with tyre problems, officially listed as “Tyre”. According to RaceFans, Ferrari had opted for a softer compound in the extreme heat.

The biggest comebacks came from Heidfeld and Juan Pablo Montoya. Both gained seven places. Heidfeld went from tenth on the grid to third, his first podium since the 2001 Brazilian GP. Montoya drove his McLaren from eleventh on the grid to fourth. Michael Schumacher had started only 13th and struggled badly in the race. He still made it to seventh, though, scoring two points. Ahead of him, David Coulthard finished sixth for Red Bull. His team-mate Christian Klien secured the final point in eighth.

On the losing side were Fisichella and Webber. Both had been on course for the podium and each lost twelve places relative to their grid position. Ferrari endured a weak weekend: according to Wikipedia, there was no Ferrari on the podium for the first time since the 2003 Hungarian GP. At Jordan, Narain Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro finished eleventh and twelfth, while Christijan Albers was 13th for Minardi. Felipe Massa missed out on the points in tenth, a lap down.

With his win, Alonso replaced his team-mate at the top of the 2005 drivers' championship. He now had 16 points. Fisichella, winner of the Australian GP, followed on 10 points. Behind them, Trulli, Barrichello, Coulthard and Montoya each had 8 points. According to Wikipedia, this made Alonso the first Spaniard to lead the world championship. It was his second Grand Prix win and his first since Hungary 2003.

In the constructors' standings, Renault led clearly with 26 points, ahead of Toyota on 12 and Red Bull on 11. Ferrari and Williams had 10 points each, McLaren 9. After two races, it looked as though Renault would dominate the season. After years without a podium, Toyota showed for the first time that they could fight for top positions. For Ferrari, who had ruled the preceding years, it was a clear warning sign. Next up was the Bahrain GP.