Prior to the start both Villeneuve and Da Matta would have problems with their race cars. Da Matta had to use his T-car and would start from the pit lane, while Villeneuve had his car pushed back into the pits where he would retire.

The start of the race would see Renault's Jarno Trulli hit by Michael in what was an impossible move. At the end of the first lap Michael would be down in twelfth. For Montoya the start would also see him hit by Jaguar driver Pizzonia. Not a good thing to do from and ex-WilliamsF1 driver.

Team-mate Ralf was running in ninth. Fisichella would stall at the start and retire. Alonso would lead the race and was pulling away from second placed Coulthard. Montoya would take tho the pits to have a a new rear wing put on his car. The opinion was that the accident was totally Michael's fault. Coulthard pull off onto the grass on lap three and retire, while Raikkonen was making a charge at the front passing Heidfeld for second.

Coulthard commented on his retirement: "I am disappointed because in these sort of situations where, especially when the car is supposedly a year old, we should be able to get it home and get strong points. Time and time again we park the car and it is just not good enough."

Lap three and Michael would pit and receive a new nose while Juan Pablo would finally return to the track but his race was ruined as he was now two laps behind. Barrichello would pass Button into fourth but was struggling as Panis was now attacking him.

It was agreed that the accident with Trulli was totally Michael's fault and as a result Michael would suffer a drive through penalty for his mistake, which he would carry-out on lap eight. Ralf would start to challenge Button for sixth. Raikkonen would continue to pressure Alonso. Third was Barrichello, fourth Heidfeld and fifth Panis.

Lap twelve and Panis would pit seeing Ralf move up to sixth. Panis would retire shortly after. Heidfeld would pit but stalls and would be stationary for 23 seconds. Ralf was now up to fifth. Alonso would also make his first stop returning in fourth. Jaguar's Mark Webber when running sixth would stop in his pit with smoke coming from the rear of his car.

Trulli would move up into sixth and start to challenge Ralf for fifth, but the Italian
would also be forced to pit for fuel. Raikkonen was now leading the race with Barrichello second and Button third. Lap sixteen and Button would pit. Michael Schumacher was down in eleventh.

Raikkonen would stop on lap eighteen. Ralf would now move up into third. Lap twenty one and Barrichello would also pit. Ralf would also stop on lap twenty six, stationary for 8.4secs, and he would return in fourth position. So by lap twenty seven the order was Raikkonen, Alonso, Barrichello, Ralf, Button and Trulli. Ralf has jumped forward thirteen positions in the race so far.

It was revealed by Renault Team Principal Flavio Briatore that Alonso was feeling sick, with the heat is taking its toll on the young Spaniard. Lap thirty and Trulli would challenge Button for fifth. Juan Pablo would stop on lap thirty for what should be his only stop.

Alonso would find his second place under threat from Barrichello, the Ferrari driver only 0.4secs behind. While Renault team-mate Trulli continued to attack Button for fifth. Trulli was 2.3secs behind Ralf. Lap thirty five and Button, Alonso and Heidfeld would all pit, with no problems for any of them. The next lap would see Trulli stop but he would lose twenty seconds, losing any chance of challenging for any of the top spots. Ralf would remain in fourth.

As for Juan Pablo he was way down the order in fifteenth, two laps behind. This race would be more of a test session for the Colombian. Webber would retire on lap thirty six and on lap thirty eight Barrichello would make his second stop. On lap forty Raikkonen would also stop, 8.4secs, returning to the track still in the lead.

Ralf would make his second stop and would keep his fourth place. On lap forty one Michael Schumacher would pass Trulli and on the final corner of the next lap pass Button. He was now running in fifth. Trulli would take the opportunity to attack Button for sixth.

Michael was some 14 seconds behind Ralf but his lap times were so much faster, a 1m:37.8 vs. Ralf with a 1m:38.9. But Michael was yet to do his second stop for fuel, and on lap forty four Michael would stop.

Pizzonia's race would come to an end on lap forty five when he was to spin off into the gravel braking into the last corner, another terrible day for Jaguar. Minardi's Justin Wilson would retire in the pits.

With the closing stages of the race Raikkonen would receive directions from his pit to take it easy completing the last nine laps. Ralf was still in fourth while Juan Pablo was now in twelfth. Ralf was some 1m:17secs behind the leader.

In the closing laps Trulli would spin but stayed on the track. Raikkonen would complete his final lap taking his maiden victory with Barrichello second and Alonso third. For the young Spaniard this is a great result. For Ralf after starting in seventeenth to finish fourth was also a very good job.

Juan Pablo was to achieve an impressive top speed of 317.3 kph on the long straight. What would have been possible without that 4 minute pit stop for the Colombian? Trulli would overtake Button on the last lap.

Again we would not have a certain Ferrari driver on the podium.

Even though it was believed that the WilliamsF1 cars would only stop once, thereby explaining their poor qualifying performances, this was not to be the case showing how far off the pace the FW25 was here in Malaysia.

The biggest surprise of the race are the Renault's. One could have thought they did the qualifying session with a light load of fuel yesterday. But they had as many pit stops as the Ferraris and the McLaren.

PP. Driver Team - Engine Tyres Gaps/Laps Average Stops

1.  RAIKKONEN McLaren Mercedes M 1h32'22"195 201.629 Km/h 2
2.  BARRICHELLO Ferrari B + 0'39"286 200.210 Km/h 2
3.  ALONSO Renault M + 1'04"007 199.327 Km/h 2
4.  R. SCHUMACHER WilliamsF1 BMW M + 1'28"026 198.477 Km/h 2
5.  TRULLI Renault M 1 lap(s) 2
6.  M. SCHUMACHER Ferrari B 1 lap(s) 4
7.  BUTTON BAR Honda B 1 lap(s) 2
8.  HEIDFELD Sauber Petronas B 1 lap(s) 2
9.  FRENTZEN Sauber Petronas B 1 lap(s) 2
10. FIRMAN Jordan Ford B 1 lap(s) 1
11. DA MATTA Toyota M 1 lap(s) 3
12. MONTOYA WilliamsF1 BMW M 3 lap(s) 2
13. VERSTAPPEN Minardi Cosworth B 4 lap(s) 3
14. PIZZONIA Jaguar Cosworth M 14 lap(s) 3
15. WILSON Minardi Cosworth B 15 lap(s) 3
16. WEBBER Jaguar Cosworth M 21 lap(s) 3
17. PANIS Toyota M 44 lap(s) 2
18. COULTHARD McLaren Mercedes M 54 lap(s) 0
19. FISICHELLA Jordan Ford B 56 lap(s) 0
20. VILLENEUVE BAR Honda B 56 lap(s) 0