Starting from 20th on the grid, Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 Formula One champion, was chasing down Force India's Adrian Sutil after having gone past everyone in front of him without any major problems.
Starting from 20th on the grid, Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 Formula One champion, was chasing down Force India's Adrian Sutil after having gone past everyone in front of him without any major problems.
But by lap 41, Hamilton seemed to have given up. "I can't follow this guy, he's too quick on the straights," Hamilton said on the team radio, indicating that he would have to settle for sixth place.
In the end, the Vijay Mallya-owned side continued its fine run in the 2010 season as Sutil finished fifth in the Malaysian Grand Prix yesterday and the team has now notched up points in all the three races this season.
The team is also sixth on the constructors' table with 18 points u2014 no mean feat for the three-year-old side, which managed points in just two races in the last two years.
While many would have expected Hamilton, who was chasing Sutil for most parts of the 56-lap race, to get past, the Force India driver never had a doubt that he could keep the Brit at bay.
Not worried
"I wasn't really worried about him. He was pushing me all the time and there was pressure but I knew I could hold him off because he wasn't very quick on the straights," Sutil said yesterday.
"Usually, McLaren is very quick on the straights and they are one of the best in the field.
"But today, they were a bit off the pace. On this track, you need to be about two seconds quicker than the car ahead of you to overtake and I knew he wasn't going to be that quick.
"Also, I had the advantage of better tyres. He was really pushing hard all the time but then his tyres were wearing off as well," the German added.
With a great start to the season, the confidence is high and Sutil is hoping that some more work to the car will make it even quicker.
"The car is nice and easy, good to drive and has a good balance. What we achieved today and in previous races has been fantastic and very satisfying. We are trying to be even quicker and hopefully things will be even better," Sutil said.
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