5 of the Most Interesting Radio Messages from Malaysian Grand Prix

Although the impact of team radio has been lessened since a partial ban was introduced in mid-2014, pit-to-car messages remain the most insightful aspect of a Formula One race weekend.

Not only do these interactions provide clues over how a grand prix will play out in terms of strategy, but team radio offers an understanding of the psyche of drivers as they hurl around a track at 200 miles per hour, as well as their relationships with fellow team members.

Which drivers have the spare capacity to read a race as they compete in it? Which drivers are the most demanding, the most needy, the most emotional? And which drivers sound as though they're in the midst of a leisurely Sunday drive?

Five-second long snippets of team radio can often reveal more about a driver than a sit-down, face-to-face interview.

And after a strategy-based Malaysian Grand Prix, a stressful event for drivers and teams at the best of times, here are the five most interesting team radio messages to emerge from the race weekend.

Sebastian Vettel's Post-Race Celebrations

Across his seven full seasons in Formula One, Sebastian Vettel has seen it all.

The youngest pole-sitter, race winner and (four-time) world champion ever, the German has won 40 grands prix in total, including victories at the most sacred circuits: Monaco, Silverstone, Nurburgring, Spa-Francorchamps, Monza and Suzuka.

Success, for much of his career, has been second nature.

So how glorious it was to hear Vettel celebrate his first triumph for Ferrari with all the excitement and enthusiasm of his early wins with Scuderia Toro Rosso and Red Bull Racing.

The Crazy Frog and Flintstones impressions of years gone by were omitted as he bombarded his new team with Italian after crossing the finish line at Sepang, with the emotion in his voice evident as he sang "grazie (thank you)" over the intercom.

After a winless 2014 season for both team and driver, the post-race interaction confirmed that a revitalised Ferrari and Vettel are well and truly back.

Nico Rosberg Gives Sebastian Vettel a Helping Hand?

Joshua Paul/Associated Press

Having made his first pit stop of the afternoon on Lap 17, taking a new set of medium tyres, Sebastian Vettel was just beginning the charge that would prove vital to his Malaysian GP win.

The Ferrari driver, according to the FIA television feed, had set a new fastest lap of the race (one minute, 44.452 seconds) on the 19th lap and was rapidly closing in on Nico Rosberg on Lap 20, at which point the Mercedes driver sought more information about Vettel's pace.

"Talk to me about the race against Vettel," Rosberg said, as per the FIA TV feed.

"Both of you have one more stop to make, Nico," came the reply from Tony Ross, his race engineer. "Both of you have one more stop to make. He's on newer tyres; he will push to try and close the gap to you. But you both have one more stop to make."

"Say it to me simpler," Rosberg demanded. "So if he goes by me, then he's won? I mean, has he beat me then?"

"Affirm, affirm."

In normal circumstances, a radio interaction such as this would have resulted in the driver in front defending his position as though his life depended on it.

But here? On the very next lap, Vettel completed a routine pass at the final corner as Rosberg offered no defence, leaving plenty of room on the inside and appearing to brake much earlier than the Ferrari.

Could it be that Rosberg, on yet another day when he didn't have the pace to challenge for victory, went into damage-limitation mode and decided to let Vettel take points away from championship leader Lewis Hamilton to protect his own title chances?

Had Rosberg opted to fight Vettel—as it seems he was encouraged to by Ross—he would not only have held him up but, with the Ferrari in the Mercedes' dirty air, limited the effect of Vettel's newer tyres, giving Hamilton a greater chance of victory.

And quite understandably, even though Mercedes wouldn't have been impressed, Rosberg doesn't want that to happen.

Lewis Hamilton's Mid-Race Tantrum

Lewis Hamilton was transported back to 2013 during the Malaysian Grand Prix, with his mid-race rants at Mercedes encapsulating the panic that spread through the team.

The reigning world champion could be heard growing in pressure as the race progressed, and his superiority came under threat, with tensions boiling over after his final pit stop of the afternoon on Lap 38.

"This is the wrong tyre, man," Hamilton was heard telling his race engineer, Peter Bonnington, on the FIA TV feed on Lap 39 after his car was fitted with hard compound Pirellis rather than the medium tyres, which would have given the Mercedes driver a better chance of catching Sebastian Vettel for the win.

Two more rather heated exchanges took place between driver and race engineer (above), but the hoped-for late-race assault on the Ferrari never did.

As impressive as Hamilton has been over the last year—the British driver has won 12 of the last 21 grands prix—that he was so irate in the cockpit at Sepang suggests he remains vulnerable, both driving-wise and psychologically, in tyre-limited races.

After all, the only races he has failed to win in the last nine attempts were on Sunday and in Brazil last year, another day when tyre conservation and patience was key and those who played the long game came out on top.

Kimi Raikkonen Upset with the Merhi Express

Lars Baron/Getty Images

The early safety car period to retrieve Marcus Ericsson's Sauber came to the rescue of Kimi Raikkonen, who suffered a puncture after making contact with Felipe Nasr on the opening lap.

The 2007 world champion recovered to finish fourth in the Malaysian Grand Prix, but even a mere points finish would have felt out of reach as the race resumed on Lap 7.

Roberto Merhi, competing in his first race for the Manor Marussia team, was painfully slow behind the safety car, which meant those behind the Spaniard—Jenson Button, Nasr, Raikkonen and Pastor Maldonado—were cut adrift from the rest of the field as the grand prix got back underway.

In fact, while Sebastian Vettel, the race leader, was building speed on the back straight in preparation for the green flag, Merhi and Button were negotiating the left-right, high-speed complex of Turns 12 and 13, with Nasr, Raikkonen and Maldonado even further back.

Raikkonen's frustration at being so far behind even led to him asking Ferrari whether he could break the fundamental rule of a safety car period and overtake the cars ahead.

As per the FIA television feed, he said: "Can I pass these people because they are not even trying to catch the safety car?"

Of course, he wasn't allowed to, and on another day, being stuck behind a gaggle of cars could have proved extremely costly.

Although he disposed of Nasr almost immediately, the FIA TV feed timing graphics showed Raikkonen was in 16th place, over 20 seconds behind the race leader, less than a lap after the restart.

Raikkonen's irritation was shared by Button, who later complained about Merhi's pace to McLaren's official website.

Romain Grosjean Unhappy with Sergio Perez After Contact

Before Daniel Ricciardo rose to prominence in 2014, Romain Grosjean was Formula One's very own smiling assassin after securing four podiums in five races toward the end of the '13 campaign.

Lotus' fall from grace last year, however, led to Grosjean venting his frustration in a very public way over team radio. The team's Mercedes engine deal for 2015 was expected to return the grin to Grosjean's face, but the Frenchman was heard sulking again last weekend.

On Lap 30, Grosjean tried a brave move around the outside of 12th-placed Sergio Perez, with whom he has a history, at Turns 12 and 13.

At arguably the most challenging section of the circuit—drivers turn left before swinging right—a collision of some sort was inevitable, as neither driver was willing to compromise.

And it was Grosjean who came off worse, spinning 360 degrees and losing a place to Jenson Button before making his feelings about Perez abundantly clear over the radio.

"What a [inaudible]. ... Just check there is no damage," Grosjean was heard saying on the FIA TV feed.

"OK, I've seen everything on TV, Romain," came the reply from the pit wall. "We will check, we will check."

"Can't believe it."

He may have Mercedes power and a new race engineer in Julien Simon-Chautemps for 2015, but some things remain the same as far as Grosjean is concerned, whose whining was a contributing factor to Perez receiving a 10-second time penalty.

The fact that he is yet to score a point this season, after retiring on the first lap in Australia and only recovering to 11th in Malaysia, is unlikely to improve his mood. 

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