Stat Attack: Malaysia (post-race)
Michele Merlino investigates the records and compiles the stats following the Malaysian Grand Prix
Race notes
• Red Bull has now won seven grands prix, five of them one-twos.
• The Malaysian Grand Prix was Sebastian Vettel's first victory starting from outside the front row of the grid.
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Nico Rosberg © LAT
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• There have now been three winning teams in the first three races of 2010. It's the first time that's happened in a season since 1990, when McLaren (Ayrton Senna), Ferrari (Alain Prost) and Williams (Riccardo Patrese) shared the spoils.
• A Virgin Racing car finished a race for the first time, while both HRTs made it to the flag for the first time, too.
• Jaime Alguersuari and Nico Hulkenberg scored their first F1 points, making Alguersuari the second youngest driver ever to score at 20 years and 12 days. The record is held by Vettel, who was 19 years, 11 months and 14 days old at the 2007 US Grand Prix.
• The pole-sitter has not won any of the last four grands prix.
• Rubens Barrichello failed to score for the first time in 10 races.
• Mark Webber set his fourth fastest lap in the last six races.
• Felipe Massa is leading the championship for the first time since the 2008 French GP.
Qualifying notes
• Red Bull took its third consecutive pole position. It was also the last team to do so, from Turkey to Germany in 2009. The last time a team took four straight poles was at the beginning of 2007, when Ferrari started from the front at the first four races.
• Rosberg claimed his career best qualifying spot in second, and Mercedes' first front row start since the 1955 Italian GP - the last race before it retired from F1.
• Williams got both cars into Q3 for the first time since the 2009 Brazilian GP, which was also held in wet conditions.
![]() Vitaly Petrov © LAT
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• Heikki Kovalainen and Timo Glock became the first representatives of the new teams to reach Q2.
• Jenson Button had his worst qualifying since the 2008 Chinese GP, while Fernando Alonso had his worst since the 2004 Malaysian GP - six years ago.
• Jarno Trulli has been beaten by his team-mate in back-to-back qualifying sessions for the first time in nearly four years (China and Japan, 2006).
• Lewis Hamilton recorded his lowest ever grid slot in 20th, his previous worst being 18th at Silverstone last year.
• It was also Felipe Massa's worst qualifying in 21st, though he has started further down due to penalties or mechanical failures.
• Ferrari had its worst qualifying for 30 years, excluding Monaco 2006 when both cars were sent to the back for penalties. The previous worst was the 1980 British GP when Gilles Villeneuve was 19th and Jody Scheckter 23rd.
• McLaren had its worst since Japan 2005, when Kimi Raikkonen was 17th and Juan Pablo Montoya 18th - although Raikkonen went on to win that race.
• Both Force Indias started inside the top 10 for only the second time, the other occasion being the 2009 Italian GP.
• Webber recorded the second biggest margin between pole and second place in the last 10 years, 1.231 seconds ahead of Rosberg. The 2000 German GP, held in the wet on the long layout at Hockenheim, holds the record, with David Coulthard 1.366 seconds quicker than Michael Schumacher.
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