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rage2
04-01-2009, 10:15 PM
Sepang International Circuit
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Circuit_Sepang.png/200px-Circuit_Sepang.png
Laps: 56
Circuit length: 5.543 kilometre (3.444 mi)
Race length: 310.408 km (192.887 mi)
2008 Winner: Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1h 31m 18.555s (203.971 km/h)
2008 Pole Sitter: Felipe Massa - Ferrari - 1:35.748
2008 Fastest Lap: Nick Heidfeld - BMW Sauber - 1:35.366

TV Schedule (Mountain Time)
Free Practice 2 - Friday April 3rd 12:00am (Speed)
Qualifying - Saturday April 4th 3:00am (Speed, TSN)
Pre-Race - Sunday April 5th 2:30am (Speed)
Race - Sunday April 5th 3:00am (Speed, TSN)

After an eventful Australian GP where we saw the BrawnGP cars dominate with a 1-2 finish, the F1 circus is off to the 2nd of 4 flyaway races. The Sepang circuit is a track that favors aero efficient cars, so the BrawnGP cars are the favorites once again this weekend. To make things more interesting, the track looks to be hit with heavy rain all weekend, and it's expected that the race will be run under wet conditions.

Even though they are favorites, the BrawnGP cars have never run in the rain, nor have they tested in extremely hot weather. Sepang is the hottest race of the year, and even with the rain, the weather forecast shows a high of 32C for Sunday, which will put each car's reliability to the test.

KERS was a big influence last weekend, with non KERS cars having problems catching the KERS cars down the straights, and Lewis Hamilton using KERS to it's fullest by making effortless looking passes against the other drivers. In the wet, however, KERS will be less of a factor, as cars struggle for grip with lower downforce levels than last year.

Ferrari struggled last weekend (both cars DNF'd), so they must prove themselves this time around. They are usually strong at Sepang, but with the rule changes and Ferrari sitting in the midfield, it will be tough. If it rains, it'll be even worse. Ferrari shown last weekend that they are still struggling to get heat into their tires quickly, and with a cold and damp track, the problem will be much worse.

McLaren, with what looks to be the 2nd or 3rd worst car in the field, made a miraculous 3rd place finish in the hands of Lewis Hamilton. He's one of the best wet weather drivers today, so maybe we'll see another run to the top on race day. If the track is dry, however, expect both McLarens to be stuck in the back, as the aero problems with the MP4-24 will show up at a track like Sepang.

Again, I'll be hosting the race live, so if you're interested in joining a few of us up at my place in Arbour Lake, I'll be emailing out everone on the list as per last weekend. If you're not on the list, shoot me a PM with your email address and I'll get you added.

Go McLaren!

Tarrantula
04-01-2009, 10:42 PM
im so friggen excited.. and I just started getting into F1 at the end of last year.. YAY! :clap:

Mibz
04-01-2009, 11:45 PM
I'm gonna have to cheer for RBR just cause their product will be keeping me up that late.

l/l/rX
04-01-2009, 11:48 PM
thanks for posting up the times and channels for the races! much needed and appreciated! made life that much more easier.

DJ Lazy
04-02-2009, 12:33 AM
Originally posted by Mibz
I'm gonna have to cheer for RBR just cause their product will be keeping me up that late.

:rofl: .. so true!

Like I said, I'll be there Saturday, well sunday I guess.. haha.. Got signed up for Live Timing as well, then again are you gonna have it setup on a separate tv this weekend? :thumbsup:

rage2
04-02-2009, 08:18 PM
McLaren using flo-vis. Testing new parts in FP1?

DJ Lazy
04-02-2009, 08:44 PM
Hmm I musta missed that...

n1zm0
04-02-2009, 08:52 PM
anyone interested in watching the practice right now

here (http://atdhe.net/live-tv-5844.html)

DJ Lazy
04-02-2009, 08:56 PM
7 of the top 8 cars are double digit cars again... Trulli be the 1 of 8 that isn't... :rofl:

rage2
04-02-2009, 09:01 PM
Ham and Mas are right up there. Whats going on?!?!?

The Cosworth
04-02-2009, 09:04 PM
top 3 teams are the three diffuser teams. Go fucking figure. some teams are really slipping around.

btw, justin.tv has the practice online for people without speed

DJ Lazy
04-02-2009, 09:10 PM
Originally posted by The Cosworth
top 3 teams are the three diffuser teams. Go fucking figure. some teams are really slipping around.

btw, justin.tv has the practice online for people without speed

Top 3 are Brawn, Ferrari, Mclaren right now... :nut:

The Cosworth
04-02-2009, 09:11 PM
well when I started to type it it wasnt :P


now hami is 4th!

Mibz
04-02-2009, 09:20 PM
I LOLed at the KERS puns.

EDIT: Hahahaha, Kimi's fire extinguishers went off!

The Cosworth
04-02-2009, 09:25 PM
wow smoke, smoke

DJ Lazy
04-02-2009, 09:26 PM
hahahaha.... that's why they call him the Iceman...

Mibz
04-02-2009, 09:27 PM
Do they really use Halon like that? Dude, it's going straight into the driver's face. That's dangerous as fuck.


Originally posted by DJ Lazy
hahahaha.... that's why they call him the Iceman... *RIMSHOT*

The Cosworth
04-02-2009, 09:29 PM
it isnt about the drivers man, save the car :banghead:

DJ Lazy
04-02-2009, 09:31 PM
Williams 1-2... :nut:

The Cosworth
04-02-2009, 09:34 PM
fucking brawn, kers burning people

crazy year

Roaring G60
04-02-2009, 09:37 PM
I think Ferrari has a safety override when the KERS overheats to set off the halon.

rage2
04-03-2009, 12:02 AM
FP2 boys!

McLaren Flo-Vis during FP1:
http://www.motorsport-total.com/bilder/2009/090403/z1238734203.jpg

rage2
04-03-2009, 12:08 AM
Wow. McLaren fires Dave Ryan.

http://www.autosport.com/news/grapevine.php/id/74177

He's the guy that was with Hamilton in the stewards inquiry... been with the team for 35 years. Martin Whitmarsh will be doing a press conference this afternoon (in about 3 hrs).

DJ Lazy
04-03-2009, 12:16 AM
Wooo FP2!

No comment on Ryan.. :facepalm:

rage2
04-03-2009, 12:18 AM
And here we go, Peter Windsor talking about brakes again haha. This time, Hitco vs Brembo! lol

DJ Lazy
04-03-2009, 12:21 AM
hahaha... where did Force India come from...:rofl:

rage2
04-03-2009, 12:35 AM
Originally posted by DJ Lazy
hahaha... where did Force India come from...:rofl:
India? :dunno: :rofl:

DJ Lazy
04-03-2009, 12:45 AM
That storm is gonna piss down! :eek:

DJ Lazy
04-03-2009, 12:58 AM
Whats wrong with BMW this practice.. sloooow

DJ Lazy
04-03-2009, 01:05 AM
Damn.... Massa's quick..

rage2
04-03-2009, 01:22 AM
It's expected that Q2 fastest time will be in the low to mid 1:33's. Everyone is still playing around right now.

HHURICANE1
04-03-2009, 10:03 AM
Originally posted by DJ Lazy
hahaha... where did Force India come from...:rofl:
I watched the Speed preview for Australia last night and it seems Mclaren is giving them some heavy duty technical help this year to go with the new engines. I thought the same thing, how did they come from way off the ass end of the race to being competitive all of a sudden. Now it makes sense.

Mibz
04-03-2009, 12:43 PM
As far as I know Ryan hasn't been fired yet, he was just suspended for now. He -is- taking the fall for the entire situation though. Apparently he thought lying was a good idea and, since he's Hamilton's superior, Hamilton played along.

rage2
04-04-2009, 02:41 AM
Quali in 19 minutes!

DJ Lazy
04-04-2009, 02:58 AM
Shit, It's late... :rofl:

rage2
04-04-2009, 03:01 AM
haha I'm just starting to sober up now lol.

rage2
04-04-2009, 03:21 AM
haha told ya those guys are sandbagging :rofl:. Massa didn't think he would get bumped. Sat in the puts and didn't even make Q2.

McLaren right up there with the diffuser boys. Q2 is the real test though...

DJ Lazy
04-04-2009, 03:24 AM
This should get interesting... Kovy in 5th!

rage2
04-04-2009, 03:26 AM
Ya don't get too excited with the Maccas yet. They were on softs to ensure a top 15 run, while the top cars were on hards. Like I said, we'll see the top cars in the 33's :).

Team_Mclaren
04-04-2009, 03:32 AM
lol at massa, ouchhhh

rage2
04-04-2009, 03:36 AM
That's crazy, everyone on softs, Brawn still on hards pulling identical times as P1 (+0.048). Guaranteed they STILL have more pace, just sandbagging so they don't destroy the field.

rage2
04-04-2009, 03:41 AM
lol 33.7 on softs for button. Just retarded.

edit - both macca out :(

nismodrifter
04-04-2009, 03:41 AM
Button 1/2 a second faster haha. Wicked.

H4LFY2nR
04-04-2009, 03:42 AM
There's your 1:33s

Man the cars look way more softly sprung

rage2
04-04-2009, 03:45 AM
I think Button fucked up. He didn't wanna push too hard to show real pace, and just pushed a little too hard giving him 1/2 sec haha.

H4LFY2nR
04-04-2009, 04:00 AM
yeah button!

nismodrifter
04-04-2009, 04:01 AM
Brawn 1-2 again?.......lets see if Vettel can do it

edit: Trulli. Nice work!

rage2
04-04-2009, 04:03 AM
Remember, Vettel -10 spots, Barichello -5 spots for your pool picks!

cloud7
04-04-2009, 03:28 PM
Ferrari is retarded for leaving massa in the pits in Q1... that is the exact type of mistakes that lost them the championship last year and apparently they didn't learn. They can't afford to throw away points like that, especially now that they are not the quickest team around. Just because its arch-rival is doing bad doesn't mean they can do what they doing.

Looking at Trulli's qualifying pace, I thought he must have been running light, but his qualifying weight was not significantly different (only 3.5kg lighter than Button) than the others in the top 10.

Vagabond142
04-04-2009, 04:05 PM
I'm so looking forward to seeing how Brawn runs in the heat. If their reliability isn't an issue, I expect Button to really push during race time. I mean, it came off a bit this weekend so far that he wasn't going 100%, so I'm excited to see how he does at race time.

Looking forward to seeing it on something larger than a 13 inch CRT telly in me room, too XD

rage2
04-04-2009, 04:21 PM
Originally posted by cloud7
Looking at Trulli's qualifying pace, I thought he must have been running light, but his qualifying weight was not significantly different (only 3.5kg lighter than Button) than the others in the top 10.
Button has way more pace than what they were showing. You can tell in Q2, when they were slowly upping the pace as others kept pushing faster and faster times, and clocked a time that was 1/2 second past everyone else. The only reason it's close is because BrawnGP wanted it to be close.

Even if Button didn't get pole, it wouldn't have been a big deal. Their race pace would still guarantee them a win (if it doesn't rain).

Mibz
04-04-2009, 05:35 PM
Are you assuming BGP is going to suck in the rain or do we -know- that Button sucks on wet tracks?

bart
04-04-2009, 06:58 PM
This race Kubica will catch Button as long as Vettel doesn't interfere ;)

Trini
04-04-2009, 07:35 PM
what time is the start? 2am?

Mibz
04-04-2009, 08:08 PM
Originally posted by Trini
what time is the start? 2am? 3am

buh_buh
04-04-2009, 08:24 PM
Button won a race in the wet, he's not brutal in the rain. Kubica will not catch Button this race. I suspect BGP hasn't shown their real pace yet this year. Kubica might've been able to catch up to Button in Melbourne due to the degrading option tire, but I think Button was holding back, and passing is an entirely different story, especially with only 3 laps to go.

DJ Lazy
04-04-2009, 09:05 PM
Maybe we will have a Kubica/Button battle in the rain similar to the Massa/Kubica battle in Fiji.. :D

bart
04-04-2009, 09:06 PM
Is it supposed to rain?

buh_buh
04-04-2009, 09:07 PM
http://weather.msn.com/local.aspx?&wealocations=wc%3aMYXX0031&q=Sepang%2c+MYS&setunit=C

Today: T-storms
2pm: T-storms
8pm: T-storms

bart
04-04-2009, 10:09 PM
Nice.

I love racing in the wet.

Vagabond142
04-05-2009, 12:18 AM
Heading off to the race viewing party in little over an hour and a half.... planning to get there just before pre-race show :O This race is going to kick ass, Malaysia is one of my favorite tracks. :D

The back-to-front straights with the hairpin at the end screams awesome passing zone, but will also bring tire wear into the equation, and if it rains, it's going to be hella slippery there. This race is going to rock :D

Eleanor
04-05-2009, 02:58 AM
Yikes, Fast & Furious intro on Speed :barf: :rofl:

Eleanor
04-05-2009, 03:05 AM
Kubica stalled on the grid, & Heikki's off already.

Team_Mclaren
04-05-2009, 04:08 AM
im pretty sure this one is over

Trini
04-05-2009, 05:07 AM
from BBC


Jenson Button's perfect start to the season continued as he won the Malaysian Grand Prix after the race was stopped early because of heavy rain. Brawn GP's English driver overcame a bad start off pole and drove superbly to ensure he was leading when a storm meant the race had to be declared over. BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld was second ahead of Toyota's Timo Glock. World champion Lewis Hamilton was seventh. Half points will be awarded to those drivers who finished in the top eight.

Mibz
04-05-2009, 05:46 AM
Kill me....
I just got home...
Wanted to have a few glasses of water before going to bed..
Sleeeeep.

Vagabond142
04-05-2009, 05:53 AM
Urgh... wish they would hold races at decent times -_- :P

Off to bed with this tired F1 fan =_=zzzz :zzz: :zzz: :zzz:

rage2
04-05-2009, 12:15 PM
haha I rewatched the whole race b4 going to bed. Still don't have a good replay of Kovy's off, it looked pretty awesome.

Did u guys see kenny's performance in the pool? 50 out of possible 64 points! Crazy!

Vagabond142
04-05-2009, 12:38 PM
hehe.... there are F1 fans, then there is Rage2 :P

DJ Lazy
04-05-2009, 01:57 PM
Originally posted by rage2
haha I rewatched the whole race b4 going to bed. Still don't have a good replay of Kovy's off, it looked pretty awesome.

Did u guys see kenny's performance in the pool? 50 out of possible 64 points! Crazy!

Yea I see that... He's only 4 points behind me... :whipped:

Mibz
04-05-2009, 02:25 PM
HAHAHA, YES. Up to a tie for 3rd with my 2nd place performance last night.

bashir26
04-05-2009, 11:17 PM
Very interesting race. I was really surprised most teams switched to heavy wet tires when there were drops of rain the track.

Brawn is kicking ass this year.

Mibz
04-05-2009, 11:24 PM
I don't think I can cheer for BGP anymore. I honestly thought that Button was pushing the shit out of the car in Australia and that other teams could keep pace with a few adjustments and good driving. This morning, after a discussion with a buddy, I'm convinced that their cars aren't competitive. They're on another level entirely.

I'm still happy they're doing well, and I don't mean to take anything away from the team, who has obviously done a phenomenal job, but until the other teams catch up it's like cheering for the Globetrotters.

buh_buh
04-05-2009, 11:57 PM
If you couldn't see they were hiding their true pace in Australia, you weren't watching the same race as me. Button easily pulls a 4 second gap on Vettel after the first lap despite having a 1 second/lap fuel corrected advantage in quali, and Vettel magically maintains Button's pace for the next 2 stints. He knew he had a heavier fuel load than everyone else, so why gamble on reliability and tire degradation when you know everyone behind you is stopping first? Take out the safety car and the botched stop and the finishing gap would've been even bigger. I think Rage's comment about Button being inconsistent too says something about them hiding some of their pace. I don't think its so much Button being an inconsistent driver as it is Button not pushing hard all the time or just trying to maintain a gap. It wouldn't surprise me at all since Ross Brawn's always been known as a tactician.

Rubens finishes second (though with some help from Vettel and Kubica) despite falling asleep at the start, running with a damaged diffuser from turn 1 on that's supposedly the only reason they're as quick as they are, and a damaged front wing for an entire stint.

I don't think they were entirely hiding their pace though, since I think their pace was definitely slower with the option tire, or maybe that was Button trying to preserve the tires in case Kubica closed the gap. I think if Rubens starts picking up the pace, we might see some real results from BGP.

For the real Brawn fans (See: Honda F1), Brawn's domination is a nice breath of fresh air after a promising '06, then having to suffer through the last 2 seasons. The bandwagon's getting a little too packed anyway. Please exit the way you came in. :poosie:

Mibz
04-06-2009, 11:07 AM
Originally posted by buh_buh
If you couldn't see they were hiding their true pace in Australia, you weren't watching the same race as me. Pretty sure I was sitting right between you two as you were discussing it :P I just didn't believe it. Mainly because I thought Rubens pushed the shit out of his car and -lucked- his way into 2nd via a combination of crashes and pit strategy.

Like I said though, after a discussion it became pretty clear what their pace really is and...

Button easily pulls a 4 second gap on Vettel after the first lap despite having a 1 second/lap fuel corrected advantage in quali, and Vettel magically maintains Button's pace for the next 2 stints....that should've been my first hint.

Mibz
04-06-2009, 07:16 PM
So, a quick update regarding the rules. Everybody at rage's will remember the conversation saying "They don't have time to restart the race, the two hour time limit is almost up". Well it turns out that when the race is suspended, the race clock will continue but the length of the suspension is added to the 2 hour time limit.

2007 European Grand Prix had the same thing happen. Alonso won with a race time of 2 hours and 6 minutes.

From the sounds of things, no reporters and very few teams actually knew about the rule.

Mibz
04-07-2009, 12:50 PM
- Ryan has officially "parted ways" with McLaren.
- Brawn's exhaust is under review for protruding from the body work.
- McLaren has been "invited' to WMSC by the FIA to talk about Australia.

DJ Lazy
04-07-2009, 05:22 PM
Originally posted by Mibz
- Ryan has officially "parted ways" with McLaren.
- Brawn's exhaust is under review for protruding from the body work.
- McLaren has been "invited' to WMSC by the FIA to talk about Australia.

1. Not surprised.
2. FIA will allow it so the "Cinderella Story" can continue.
3. I foresee another hefty fine.


EDIT: However, I had no idea about these 2 points that the FIA layed out in their "invite"...


- on 2 April, 2009, at a second hearing before the stewards of the Australian Grand Prix, (meeting in Malaysia) made no attempt to correct the untrue statement of 29 March but, on the contrary, continued to maintain that the statement was true, despite being allowed to listen to a recording of the team instructing Hamilton to let Trulli past and despite being given more than one opportunity to correct its false statement;

- on 2 April, 2009, at the second stewards' hearing, procured its driver Hamilton to continue to assert the truth of the false statement given to the stewards on 29 March, while knowing that what he was saying to the stewards was not true."