Kimi Raikkonen catapulted
Ferrari back into the world title fight following the Prancing Horse's disastrous season-opening Australian Grand Prix just seven days ago, by storming to an unchallenged victory in Malaysia as
McLaren wilted in the searing heat.
The Finn's second Sepang triumph came on the back of the first time he had begun the race from the front row around the demanding Hermann Tilke-designed circuit, and cemented team-mate
Felipe Massa's post-qualifying assertion that the
Scuderia's championship challenge would begin in Malaysia. It did, and with a vengeance.
With a 20 chance of rain, a mixture of tyre choices, the McLaren-Mercedes' down the order following their qualifying penalty and
Lewis Hamilton and former team-mate
Fernando Alonso close together on the grid for the first time since the title-deciding showdown at Interlagos last year, the potential for fireworks was immense.
As the lights went out the two Ferraris made similar starts from the front row of the grid, and it was only Massa keeping his foot in that prevented an aggressive Raikkonen from squeezing past. Behind them
Jarno Trulli forced
Nick Heidfeld wide into turn one, resulting in the Italian slipping back behind the second
BMW Sauber of
Robert Kubica to fourth and the German dropping all the way down to tenth.
Fernando Alonso was another to lose out, exiting the first corner in ninth, but the two McLarens were both clearly intent on gaining as much ground as quickly as possible, with
Heikki Kovalainen plumping for the inside line and team-mate Lewis Hamilton – from the grippier side of the grid – the outside.
It was the Briton's tactic which would work better, as the world championship leader made up positions around the outside into turn one, and seized another one from Trulli later around the opening tour, demoting the
Toyota ace to fifth.
