Formula 1: A new style Formula One was welcomed by all

A new style Formula One was witnessed for the first time on Sunday, and for the most part it appears to have been well received.

To aid overtaking we have DRS (drag reduction system, or moveable rear wing), whilst KERS has been reintroduced, the system that offers a power boost at the touch of a button.
However, it is new tyre manufacturers Pirelli who clearly have made the biggest difference, as evidenced around the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.

The cool climes and less abrasive 'street' track in Melbourne for the season-opener was never going to be a true test of the new synthetic rubber, and so it proved.

However, with high temperatures and humidity in Malaysia, and on a proper racing circuit, Pirelli
were always going to be asked some searching questions.

Did it improve the spectacle, or did it simply confuse the watching public as we had multiple pit stops, resulting in numerous changes of position?

For the view from inside the paddock, Press Association Sport canvassed the opinion of many of the leading players.

Jenson Button (McLaren)
"It is complicated, but at this point of the season it's going to be because there's a lot we're trying to learn ourselves. If we had one tyre for the whole race and didn't have pit stops, would it be exciting?
"To make the tyres they have is the correct thing to do, which made the racing exciting. For me, I didn't know who was going to finish behind Seb (Vettel).
"As the season goes on we will realise and understand the tyres a little more every race. They will calm down, but hopefully not too much. Hopefully, they will still be exciting."

Christian Horner (Red Bull Racing team principal)
"It's certainly complicated on the pit wall. It would be an air traffic controller's nightmare if you were tuned into the strategy channel.
"It does add an exciting dimension to the race, an element to it that was much more strategic, and you can see it worked out for some and not others.
"You had people racing each other, so that has to be a positive for Formula One in what otherwise could have been a static race."

Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
"There are more battles going on, which is obviously something people want to see, but for all of us there's a lot to pick up and a lot to learn because there are so many things going on.
"So the racing has changed, and if you look at the race speed, the lap times compared to last year, we are much slower.
"In qualifying the difference is not that big, but in the race there's quite a difference. There are some things you lose, other things you gain, so it's always give and take."

Paul di Resta (Force India)
"I don't know how many times I passed (Nico) Rosberg. Every time I came out of the pits I seemed to be next to him. I think I overtook him four times in the race.
"It was quite confusing, and I was quite surprised. I know it's going to sound crazy, but you didn't really know where you were."

Martin Whitmarsh (McLaren team principal)
"I suspect when you look back on that it wasn't a bad race.
"With the tyre situation, with drivers trying to preserve tyres at different stages, it all added to the spectacle.
"People could sense there were some real tyre issues out there and that made for some really exciting racing.
"Historically the Sepang circuit has not produced really exciting races unless it has rained, so for Formula One, this is probably a good thing."

Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
"It is not clear or easy to know where you are. You just need to keep pushing, to keep saving the tyres.
"Last year after the first pit stop the race was more or less over.
"This year you don't know anything until the last four or five laps and that is interesting."

Nick Heidfeld (Renault)
"It's probably more complicated to understand from the outside, but at the same time the show is better because there was more overtaking going on."

Paul Hembery (Pirelli Motorsport director)
"If we thought the Australian Grand Prix was good, Malaysia was something else as it turned into a battle of strategy and bravery from start to finish, where choosing the right tyres at the right time was absolutely crucial.
"The tyres played a vital role in setting up a series of battles that went down to the very final lap."