Malaysia GP - Results

1. No Vices Now - 931*
2. Moneyball - 915*
3. Two World Champions, two future World Champions and, um, two other guys - 910*
4. Torque of the Devil - 846*
5. Hoping for an Indian Summer - 836*
6. Evel Marque - 834*
7. Bernie is a hobbit - 815*
8. The Pitstop Princess - 785
9. Jenson's Whinging Legacy - 780*
10. Even more hopeful - 763*
11. Burn After Racing - 699*
12. Beauty & the F1 Geek - 666*
13. BOT-RAI-PER - 549*
14. Hippy F1 - 511*
15. Slightly Slower Racing - 476

*Home track played

I SHALL BE CHASING SUBS THIS WEEK!!!

Malaysia GP - "Great start to a new decade (for you)"

It wasn't a bad race.  The start looked unpromising with Vettel at the back of the grid and Raikkonen wheeled off with a poorly motor but Verstappen overtook Hamilton on Lap 4 and it was Game On.  Gasly did a good job replacing Kvyat and there was lots of overtaking up and down the field.  Team radio keeps on giving.  Hulkenberg was told: "stopping is not an option".  That's F1 101.  Press the Red Button for Vettel's own race commentary: "Come on Alonso, I thought you were better than that."  Ricciardo was advised: "You've broken Vettel's spirit...he's run out of tyres".  Spirit and tyres being intrinsically linked.

Something went awry between Vettel and Stroll on the cool down lap, perhaps Vettel had received the surprising news that he is Driver of the Day?  He got a lift back from Wehrlein; the only way Wehrlein is going to get any TV coverage.

The podium was unsightly too.  Hamilton took his shoes off (?!) and Webber was allowed up without a suit jacket on (this is what we base podium interviewer guesses on.)

I'm not sure if this was picked up by the TV production teams but it was Verstappen's 20th birthday (which makes me feel very old) and it might have been the last race in Malaysia?

Singapore GP - Results

1. No Vices Now - 876*
2. Two World Champions, two future World Champions and, um, two other guys - 846*
3. Evel Marque - 802*
4. Torque of the Devil - 801*
5. Hoping for an Indian Summer - 791*
6. Bernie is a hobbit - 787*
7. Moneyball - 771
8. The Pitstop Princess - 753
9. Jenson's Whinging Legacy - 717*
10. Even more hopeful - 700*
11. Burn After Racing - 635*
12. Beauty & the F1 Geek - 584*
13. BOT-RAI-PER - 539*
14. Hippy F1 - 487*
15. Slightly Slower Racing - 442

*Home track played

Singapore GP - "Thank you for believing in me"

Lots of news in the build up to this race.  Renault going to McLaren.  Honda going to Toro Rosso (what Japanese for Red Bull?).  Aston Martin coming to Red Bull.  It would set things up nicely for next year if Mercedes and Ferrari swap engines too.  Really it seems everyone is handing the competition to them.

Then it started to rain and things looked very promising.

Then, Vettel ruined the race on Lap 1.

Then, the Great Spanish Hope, Alonso bowed out on Lap 9.

Then, the Great Dutch Hope bowed out.  Boo to mega-crashes.

I started to keep a Safety Car tally, which stopped at three but even these weren't enough to rescue the enjoyment in the race.

We were amused by the complete lack of reaction in the garage to Kvyat's crash: clearly what they expect of him.

A tricky race meant some terse radio.  Responding to Haas asking Magnussen to "push the button": "shut up".  Then Toro Rosso asked Sainz to"reserve the engine": "shut up please".  Although if we are going to bring our children up as the F1 spectators of the future, the Americans are going to have to get smarter at bleeping out the swearies.

With laps to go, Ricciardo was right on Hamilton's tail, you wouldn't have known this from the commentary though...I wonder what it would have been if the positions were reversed?

At the end, there were only 12 finishers and Massa still couldn't get in the points...  Even Palmer was sixth.

1. Two World Champions, two future World Champions and, um, two other guys - 799*
2. No Vices Now - 795*
3. Evel Marque - 741*
4. Torque of the Devil - 740*
5. Bernie is a hobbit - 735*
6. Hoping for an Indian Summer - 730*
7. The Pitstop Princess - 692
8. Moneyball - 686
9. Even more hopeful - 637*
10. Jenson's Whinging Legacy - 591
11. Burn After Racing - 588*
12. Beauty & the F1 Geek - 551*
13. BOT-RAI-PER - 510*
14. Hippy F1 - 446*
15. Slightly Slower Racing - 419

* Home track played