they (Ferrari) took a risk and went on intermediates." Brawn stated Ferrari had information from testing at the Fiorano Circuit that the intermediate tyres operated efficiently in deep standing water, "We knew there were dry parts of the track and we knew there were wet parts of the track and we knew the tyres were very good in the morning [warm-up] as well. That was what we ran this morning. We knew it was very good and we knew it would go into the dry." Irvine described the weather conditions that were observed early in the race as "worse than Spa proportions, the rain was of Suzuka proportions – just like the weather at the race in Japan in 1995." Villeneuve said that "It was just undriveable in those conditions. It was a big downpour. I couldn't see anything and what made it more dangerous was that everyone was on dry tyres and did not have their red lights on." Verstappen said that although he was disappointed to score no points he was still pleased, "It was great to play with the big boys. It showed all the F1 teams that I can drive. You need equipment to win races, and I think that if I had the right equipment, I could do it." Fisichella apologised to the Benetton team over the radio for missing his starting position that led to the start being aborted. He said that he was focused on ensuring his car was setup to his liking and only saw the vehicle ahead of him. The Benetton team principal Flavio Briatore did not reprimand Fisichella, but praised him for moving to seventh place before retiring. The result extended Michael Schumacher's lead in the Drivers' Championship to 10 points over Barrichello and Coulthard, tied for second place. Frentzen moved past his compatriot Heidfeld for fourth. In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari further increased their advantage over McLaren to 19 points while Jordan passed Sauber for third and Williams in fifth registered their first points of the season with Ralf Schumacher's fifth-place finish with fifteen races left in the season. Race classification Drivers who scored championship points are denoted in bold. Championship standings after the race Drivers' Championship standings Constructors' Championship standings References Malaysian Grand Prix Malaysian Grand Prix Grand Prix Malaysian Grand Prix