The Official 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix Thread
Sepang International Circuit
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!
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