JOIN USVettel victory brings new life
As Sebastian Vettel basks in his success, Bernie Ecclestone can raise a toast to the F1 gods after a weekend to savour in Malaysia gave the sport a reason to smile again.
Crisis loomed like the black clouds over Sepang after the German Grand Prix's axing, deafening complaints from teams and a soporific first race in Australia.
But out of the blue, Vettel and Ferrari punctured Mercedes' dominance, while Malaysia put pen to paper on a new, three-year deal which secures the race until 2018.
Vettel upset the odds with a stunning drive at Sepang, overhauling pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes thanks to Ferrari's ability to get the best out of the faster medium-compound tyres in Malaysia's sweltering heat.
The team tactics were also superb, opting to keep the four-time world champion out on track during an early safety car period as rivals dived into the pits for new tyres, and he rode the advantage all the way to the chequered flag.
Not only had the German and Ferrari claimed their first victories since 2013 but, by finally finding a way to beat the dominant Mercedes "fair and square" as he put it, the series can now hope for a proper title race.
Vettel, following in the footsteps of seven-times champion compatriot Michael Schumacher, fulfilled a dream when he joined Ferrari at the end of last season but there remains plenty of work to do.
The Italian outfit, rebuilt after failing to win a race in a season for the first time since 1993, have no illusions about that even if Mercedes felt they had received a 'wake-up call'.
"Since I joined Ferrari I felt incredibly welcome and together we have worked to improve things. The potential, as I always said, is huge, it's good to see what a step forward we did over the winter," Vettel said.
"This is a special day, it has been a while since both I and team won for the last time. I'd like to be in the same position at every race but we must be realistic, Mercedes struggled but have a great package and our target is to make the gap smaller at every grand prix and make sure that we are the team right behind them."
The next grand prix is in Shanghai on April 12 and the cooler conditions are likely to put Mercedes back in command. But Malaysia left no doubt that Ferrari are back in business. While Formula One's problems are hardly solved, Ferrari's resurgence will at least pique interest in a sport which was again becoming dangerously one-dimensional.
Signs of the crisis were clear when Ecclestone resorted to asking media what should be done about a championship struggling with financial and structural difficulties. Two teams fell by the wayside last year and Germany, a heartland of F1, joined South Korea and India in dropping off the schedule.
"I think sometimes we (promoters) tell him what to do and he doesn't listen," said Sepang circuit chief Razlan Razali, during negotiations with Ecclestone for Malaysia's new deal. "But I think only now he listens."
Ecclestone posited a range of potential solutions, ranging from a "Grand Slam" series of elite races to awarding points instead of grid places for qualifying. But the 84-year-old ringmaster admitted his hands were now tied with much power held by private equity firm CVC, the major shareholder, and F1's squabbling teams.
Huge overheads and falling profits mean many observers think the sport is headed for a tipping point this year, which could force deep reforms.
"I think 2015 is going to be a watershed in Formula One, on many fronts," Force India deputy team principal Robert Fernley said.
"And it's going to have to re-look at itself in a very in-depth way in 2015 to make sure that it addresses the concerns of the fans, the teams, the TV, the media, the whole group. Because I don't believe that we're doing a good job at the moment at that."