Formula One news

Williams sets leading pace

The Williams team was happy to be back leading a Grand Prix in Malaysia, as Nico Rosberg's storming start saw the German propelled into the lead of the race from fourth on the grid. With torrential rain mixing up the order and halting the race just past half distance, Rosberg slipped back down to eighth to claim half a point for the Grove-based team.

"I took the lead off the start," Rosberg explained. "It's a while since Williams has been out the front on pure performance, and I have to thank the engineers for that. The car was going really well and I showed my ability to consistently push on each lap and open the gap to those behind me. Then the rain came and, unfortunately, the situation just didn't go our way. We got something out of the day and our car is right up there, so we will be looking to get the points we deserve next time out."

"It was a great start from Nico, and he continued a good performance in the dry during the first stint," confirmed technical director Sam Michael. "When the weather came, we made the same tyre choices as the cars around us, including the Brawns and Trulli, but they gained more from their stops than us."

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