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Malaysia 2011 - Rate the race - Pick your driver of the day after the racing action in Sepang

Published by Christine

It's time for another roundup of our Grand Prix ratings - both for the race itself, and who we think made the best of their opportunities to become driver of the day. We made our choices in this week's F1 Debrief, and here they are in all their glory.

The Malaysian GP was a fascinating weekend from start to finish, whether or not it lived up to expectations. From the early moments of Free Practice, with cars falling apart, to the final minutes of Sunday, where a couple of drivers took some surprising penalties, it was non-stop. All twenty-four drivers took part in every session as well, but who did the best job?

Driver of the day

I actually found it a lot harder to choose my driver of the day this weekend. Last Grand Prix was a simple choice between two, but there were good races throughout the field yesterday. Part of me thought that Vettel could have taken it, because he really was so supreme and untroubled at the front, but then I figured that really, that is what he does. When he's out in front, no one can get near him.

Instead, I decided to hand my driver of the day to Jenson Button. He did well all afternoon, improved his qualifying position, handled the strategy well, and seemed to cope where his teammate struggled.

Meanwhile, Mr C opted for Mark Webber. The only top driver to find himself without KERS, Webber had a terrible start, but kept his head and kept pushing. He had a tough four-stop strategy, was one of the first drivers to come in each stint, and had to watch his teammate romping away with the victory for the second race in a row.

Rate the race

I think the general consensus of the weekend is that the Malaysian Grand Prix improved upon the great start made in Australia - and managed to keep everyone entertained without needing any interference from the weather.

Again, I wouldn't say that this was a classic Malaysian Grand Prix, and the teams all do still to be finding their feet with the new regulations, but as Mr C rightly pointed out - at no point during the Grand Prix were we bored, and that is pretty much all we can ask for.

Rate the Race 2011
RaceScorerScore
AustraliaMr C7
Christine6
MalaysiaMr C9
Christine8

So far, the trend seems to be going upwards, so it will be fascinating to see if China can keep the momentum going. Let us know what you made of the race, and who your driver of the day was. We're keeping track, you know!

All content in the series Malaysia 2011