Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando Alonso finished a dominant first and second in Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix, heading Jenson Button on the podium. But these three were in a class of their own. Fourth placed Juan Pablo Montoya was a further 29s down, 3.9s ahead of the Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher, who had fought their way up from 21st and 14th on the grid respectively, the former making just one pit stop to the latter's two.

Although it was cooler than in qualifying, it was still 33 degrees but cloudy, with a 37 degree track temperature as the cars formed up on the grid. Fisichella made a good start off pole position from Button, but storming around the outside of the two Williams came Fernando Alonso from seventh on the grid to third. Webber held onto fourth place from Montoya in fifth but his McLaren Mercedes teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, tangled with Christian Klien in turn five and the Finn too no further part in the race, while Klien needed a long pit stop for repairs.

At the end of lap one, Fisichella led from Button, then Alonso pushed by Webber, Montoya, Nick Heidfeld's BMW Sauber and Rosberg. Jarno Trulli (Toyota) was next from Jacques Villeneuve's BMW, with Michael Schumacher already up four places to tenth. By lap four Fisichella was already two seconds ahead of Button. Behind him, Alonso's heavy-on-fuel Renault was being pushed by Webber's Williams, having pulled away from Montoya. Rosberg had just overtaken Heidfeld and was catching Montoya, but when he did so on lap seven, his engine promptly expired.

By lap 11, Fisichella's advantage was up to 4.4s over Button, while further back, Michael Schumacher overtook Villeneuve to move up to eighth. Within a couple of laps, he was on Trulli's tail, overtaking on lap 14. At the same time, Webber pitted with a hydraulic problem which caused his retirement a lap later. On lap 17, Fisichella made his first pit stop, with Button stopping two laps later, which allowed Alonso into the lead. He wouldn't stop until lap 26, rejoining back in third place; Fisichella still led at half distance by 8.6s from Button, while Alonso was 7.7s behind. Massa, yet to stop, was in fourth place but he pitted on lap 29, just before half distance, dropping to eighth place. Behind the first three, Montoya had suffered tyre graining and was in fourth place, but at half distance, that was 21s behind the third placed car. Heidfeld was next from Michael Schumacher once Rubens Barrichello had made his only pit stop in the Honda.

Fisichella had built his lead up to ten seconds when he stopped on lap 38, and Button came in at the same time. But Alonso stayed out for another five, crucial laps, and when he pitted on lap 43, he emerged four seconds ahead of Button. Michael Schumacher had an average second stint, and when he pitted for his second stop, he came out just behind team mate Massa. The first three raced to the chequered flag, with Renault taking a great one-two ahead of Button's Honda. Montoya was a distant fourth place, and Heidfeld should have been fifth, only to retire with engine failure seven laps from home. Massa therefore led home Michael Schumacher for fifth and sixth places, Jacques Villeneuve just pipping Toyota's Ralf Schumacher for seventh and eighth.
 

Jean Todt: "Considering all the problems that we've had over the weekend, today our objective was to bring home some points and that's what we achieved. The team and the drivers worked well as did the Bridgestone tyres. Today it was very difficult for us because Michael, on a two-stop strategy was starting from 14th place on the grid and Felipe 21st, was on a one-stop strategy. The seven points that we've picked up - four with Felipe and three with Michael - are very important in as far as future prospects are concerned in that we're only at the start of the season. I'm very pleased for Felipe because he deservedly got his first championship points as a Ferrari driver. Now we have to work very hard in all areas so as to improve our competitiveness and reliability."

Felipe Massa: "I'm very pleased with this result and I would like to thank the team for an excellent job. To start from the last row and end up 5th is a good result. Our strategy worked well and I was able to make a good start. During the race I was able to push a bit more at the right moment knowing that during the other phases I would have needed to play more of a waiting game. I lost quite a bit of time behind some of the slower cars but when I had a free track I was able to improve my rhythm keep a good pace. It was a difficult race but finishing fifth gives me that extra bit of motivation for the next races where I hope to be able and compete with the front runners."

Michael Schumacher: "We can accept this result, considering everything that has happened over the weekend. I don't think that we could have achieved much more. On my second stint I wasn't as quick as I was on my first and third one, so now we need to understand the reasons why. All things said and done, the race went basically as I had expected even if one always hopes for something more. During my first pit stop I had to wait a fraction of a second before going out because another car was coming down the pit lane. This was a wise decision from the safety point of view. During the closing stages of the race I was not able to get past Felipe because I just wasn't fast enough and he didn't make any mistakes. This track has always been one of the most difficult for us. Melbourne is a completely different circuit and I hope that it will be better suited to our 248 F1. Now I'm going to take a few days off with my wife Corinna before travelling on to Australia."

Ross Brawn: "Obviously this result isn't too bad considering how we qualified. The tyre performance was consistent and this proves that we chose the right compound, especially in the first stint. Michael didn't quite have the pace in the second stint so we need to understand exactly why. That's why he lost the ground to Felipe and Heidfeld."

Felipe Massa: 5th + 43.254 56 laps chassis 252; Michael Schumacher: 6th + 43.854 56 laps chassis 253; Temperatures: air 33°C, track 39/40°C