2011 Speedcafe Malaysian F1 Race Guide

RACE GUIDE Round 2 – Malaysian Grand Prix – April 8-10

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SEPANG

s ’ n e r McLa t s e T d Aci

Opinion Profiles Pictures Bagman

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Race Guide Sebastian Vettel had the field well in hand at Albert Park. Can the pack close the gap in Malaysia?

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Round 2 – Malaysia

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Race Preview

Round 2 – Malaysia

INTRODUCTION RACE GUIDE

SEPANG

EVENT 2 – Clipsal 500, Adelaide – March 17-20

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EDITOR: Stefan Bartholomaeus PRODUCTION: Grant Rowley SALES/MARKETING: Leisa Emberson IMAGES: Lotus Renault GP Red Bull Racing Vodafone McLaren Mercedes GUEST COLUMNIST: Greg Rust PARTNERS: Castrol EDGE, IRWIN Tools, Jack Daniel’s, Orrcon Steel, Pirtek, Vodafone, HDT

The great unknowns WHAT we learnt at Albert Park is that Formula One, 2011-style, doesn’t want for variables.

Heading into the second race of the season, tyres remain the most obvious question mark. With track conditions in Malaysia set to be far different from those experienced in Spain and Australia, the teams will get their first true insights into the durability of the Pirelli tyres in high-temperatures.

Throw in the possible roll-out of the Pirelli intermediate and wet rubber for the first time on a race weekend, and you have a recipe for some serious headaches for the Italian tyre-men.

The implementation of the Downforce Reduction Systems for the first time on a high-speed track is also an interesting proposition, while the world awaits Red Bull Racing’s decision on whether or not to run KERS. Meanwhile, the dynamic nature of the cars themselves is what many fans will find most intriguing heading into the season’s second race, with developments coming thick and fast as designers continue to get their heads around the revised regulations.

Integrating the exhausts and diffusers is the big technical talking point, while the flexi-wing debate continues to bubble away.

Sport, technology and politics all at once.

Where else but Formula One? Green means go!

STEFAN BARTHOLOMAEUS

Journalist, Speedcafe.com Editor, Speedcafe Race Guides

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Race Guide

COVER STORY

McLAREN’S ACID TEST McLaren’s MP4-26 poved a surprise packet in Melbourne, but can it cope with the pace of the Red Bulls in Malaysia?

STEFAN BARTHOLOMAEUS reports AFTER a surprisingly compettiive performance on debut at Albert Park, the Malaysian Grand Prix is set to provide a true indication of the McLaren MP4-26’s position in the Formula One pecking order.

The silver and red machines were Red Bull Racing’s strongest competition in Australia, with last-minute upgrades turning around the Woking squad’s poor pre-season testing form.

A new exhaust/diffuser package, rumoured to be the fourth different system tried on the MP4-26 since its testing debut, has been lauded as the team’s most influential

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upgrade - significantly increasing downforce levels, which had been a major gripe of drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button over the winter.

Hamilton split the Red Bulls in qualifying at Albert Park, and was able to match the pace of eventual winner Sebastian Vettel over the opening half of the Grand Prix, before floor damage saw the Briton drop back.

With the Red Bull RB7’s aerodynamic package considered the best in the field, the highspeed Sepang circuit will show just how much of the McLaren’s second place finish in Australia was down to the car’s

improvements, and how much it was down to the brilliance of Hamilton.

“Albert Park is a great track, but a circuit like Sepang is where the differences between the cars will start to become clearer,” says Hamilton.

“It’s big, fast and wide with some really demanding highspeed corners where you can find a lot of time if you’re really able to get the car working to its full extent.”

Hamilton’s team-mate Jenson Button had his Australian race destroyed by an early penalty for overtaking Ferrari’s Felipe Massa ‘outside the bounds of the circuit’

Round 2 – Malaysia

at Turn 12.

Winner of the rain-shortened 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix, Button is also wary of the demands of the Sepang layout.

“This is a track where you need a very efficient car – the corners here are big and will punish any car that lacks downforce,” says Button.

“After Melbourne, when I really felt like I had a very solid car beneath me, I’m looking forward to getting out in practice to see how our package can adapt to this circuit.”

Like all of the front-running teams, McLaren will bring a range of aerodynamic upgrades to the season’s second race.

Team principal Martin Whitmarsh believes the outfit’s Sepang form will be determined as much by the effectiveness of its latest upgrade package as the base car it brought to Melbourne.

“We’re pushing hard to bring developments to the car for every race,” said Whitmarsh..

“We don’t think Melbourne showed us the best of our

competitors’ pace, so that only makes us more motivated to bring as much performance to the table as possible.

“On paper, it looks positive - we were pleased that our Melbourne upgrade worked as expected, and the car’s performance around the high-speed elements of Albert Park suggests it will be able to cope around Sepang.

“Despite this, the reality is that there was a gap to pole position, and we finished second and not

first.

“Our target is to close that gap and get Lewis and Jenson into a position where they can win.”

With unknowns including the durability of the Pirelli tyres in the Malaysian heat, the potential for heavy rain, the reliability question marks over KERS and the affect of the Downforce Reduction Systems on a high-speed circuit, it’s set to be an interesting weekend...

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Race Guide

E V O L H IT W , IA S S U R FROM first Russian career, Vitaly Petrov became the x Pri d an Gr his o int es rac 20 Just dium. Поздравляю Vitaly! to step onto a Formula One po

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Event 12 – Symmons Plains

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Race Guide

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Round 2 – Malaysia

TRACK DETAILS

THE Malaysian Grand Prix presents a challenge for engines on account of the high ambient temperatures and humidity. Along with Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, the ambient temperatures can reach over 40°C so engine cooling becomes crucial.

Sepang features two long straights of an average of 850m each, which mean the engine will be at maximum 18,000 revs for approx 12.5 seconds, so correct engine management is crucial. Monza and Spa are the circuits that push the engine hardest with the engine running at the top of its rev limit for 75% of the time, but at Malaysia it will run at maximum for 60% of the lap.

Maintaining fuel temperature without compromising on performance is also vital in Sepang. The high ambient temperatures can cause fuel to run over the recommended temperatures, meaning a lower grade fuel must be used by engine suppliers.

Key technical stats: % at max rev limit: 60% Fuel consumption: Medium Downforce level: Medium – high Average speed: 213kph Highest speed: 305kph

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RoundRound 2 – Malaysia 2 – Malaysia

OPINION by GREG RUST

Can Webber bounce back?

One of the big questions that Australian Formula One race fans want answered is ‘Can Mark Webber bounce back after Melbourne?’

My take? I think so. He went underground after the race and had some down time, which would have been good for him.

conditions in Melbourne. The heat and humidity at Sepang will be interesting to see what part that plays as far as the new tyres are concerned. The impact of KERS will be interesting to see as well. Everyone has outlined the fact that Red Bull chose after Friday practice not to run it. All eyes will be on them.

And hopefully with the longer straights at Sepang, the DRS system will be a bit more effective. I think it’s a bit too early to judge that system. We might have to wait until we get to the massive drag strip at China, and then sit down and see if it does or doesn’t work.

We head to Malaysia this weekend, and he had pole in Malaysia last year – and he loves that place.

He won’t have liked that his team-mate Sebastian Vettel has come out strong. Mark knows it’s a marathon championship and you need to be in the game, every game, every round. At least he got good points in Australia, but he’ll want a much stronger showing in Malaysia. And I think he can do it.

Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner has been on the record saying they found something which would have affected the set-up of the car. Hopefully we’ll get some answers on that in our Formula One preview show. We’ll also ask Mark those questions ourselves. Hopefully there’s an answer as to why his car was chewing its rear tyres. It will be good to get to the bottom of that.

Formula One cars are millimetre perfect. Every ounce and every tiny portion of the car has some sort of telemetry on it, so they will know what was right and what wasn’t right with the car. It’s hard to imagine that the problem won’t be sorted this weekend.

What else should we expect in Malaysia? I think we’re going to see a lot of different challenges. We had cooler

F1 TV TIMES Saturday; Qualifying - 5:45-7:15pm (One HD) Sunday; Pre-race show: 5:00-5:55pm (One HD) Race: 5:55-8:00pm (One HD), 11:30pm-1:40am (Ten)

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Race Guide

THE BAG MAN

THE N A M G A B SPEEDCAFE.COM’S

TRACK FORM – THE

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BAGMAN’S SAY

RoundRound 2 – Malaysia 2 – Malaysia

RED BULL RACING SEBASTIAN VETTEL “Malaysia is the first real track we go to, as Australia is a semi-street circuit. It’s hot and rains every day, but the question is when and how much? It will be a tricky one.”

Nat: German DoB: 03/07/1987 Wins: 11

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MARK WEBBER “We got a lot of information from the first race and we expect our car to be good in Malaysia - I want to get some champagne and up on to the steps. Malaysia is a sensational circuit. It always provides an interesting race, especially with the weather.”

Nat: Australian DoB: 27/08/1976 Wins: 6

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THE BAGMAN’S SAY After a dominat performance in Melbourne, anything but victory will be a disappointment for reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel this weekend.

There’ll be no shortage of eyes on the Red Bulls in Sepang, with the team set to again evaluate the reliability of its KERS system on Friday before committing to its race package.

The disadvantage of not running KERS will be far greater in Sepang than it was at Albert Park, due to the long straights - in particular the run down to the first corner.

The spotlight will also be on the front-wing of the RB7s - which again showed signs of flexing in Melbourne, despite passing the FIA’s deflection tests in scrutineering.

Mark Webber will be looking to bounce back from his mysterious Albert Park issues, where he struggled for both one-lap speed and tyre durability.

Red Bull’s superior aerodynamic package ensured an easy one-two in Malaysia last season. A repeat of the feat this year would be no surprise.

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Race Guide

McLAREN MERCEDES LEWIS HAMILTON “Sepang is a circuit I really love. It’s big, fast and wide with some really demanding high-speed corners where you can find a lot of time if you’re really able to get the car working to its full extent.”

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Nat: British DoB: 07/01/1985 Wins: 14

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JENSON BUTTON “When I started in Formula 1, the Malaysian Grand Prix was one of the newest events on the grand prix calendar, but it now feels like an old favourite. I think Sepang’s a circuit that’s definitely improved with age.”

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Nat: British DoB: 19/01/1980 Wins: 9

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THE BAGMAN’S SAY The surprise of the opening round, the world awaits the performance of the McLaren MP4-26 in Malaysia.

Expected to struggled to stay ahead of the Mercedes and Renault entries in Melbourne, Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren split the Red Bulls in qualifying, and proved easier on its tyres than the RB7 during the race.

Malaysia will show how much of Hamilton’s second place finish was due to the car’s downforce improvements, and how much of it was down to the 2008 champion’s brilliance.

McLaren’s well-sorted KERS system from Mercedes will be a key advantage in Sepang, while there is plenty of development potential left in the Red Bull-style exhaust/diffuser set-up that was rushed onto the grid at Albert Park.

An early penalty in Melbourne robbed fans of seeing what Jenson Button could on the Pirelli tyres. The Briton’s smooth driving style may come into its own in the heat of Sepang, making him a genuine dark horse for victory.

Round 2 – Malaysia

FERRARI FERNANDO ALONSO “It’s important to prepare very well for the next two rounds, which are back-to-back. They are both very demanding from the physical point of view, especially Sepang where we drive in very high temperatures.”

Recent Grand Prix Form

Nat: Spanish DoB: 29/07/1981 Wins: 26

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FELIPE MASSA ““Here in Malaysia for the second race, there will still be a lot of unanswered questions as we start practice, because if you compare Melbourne with Sepang, the difference is as clear as black and white. I expect to see a completely different performance from our team and from our car”

Nat: Brazilian DoB: 25/04/1976 Wins: 11

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THE BAGMAN’S SAY Ferrari will be looking to bounce back in Malaysia, and show that the F150th Italia’s testing form was a truer indication of its position in the field than what was seen at the Australian Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso’s race in Melbourne was heavily compromised by a messy firstcorner, which saw the doublechampion drop from fourth to ninth.

Ferrari’s Saturday tyre strategy will be under the microscope in Sepang, after Alonso’s crew took the conservative route of using an extra set of soft tyres to get into Q3 at Albert Park.

Felipe Massa showed signs at the opening round that he’s in for another tough season, and never looked a podium threat.

The Brazilian did walk away from Australia with his first ‘fastest lap of the race’ since his mid-2009 accident, but had set his time on a new set of soft tyres late in the going, when the track was at its quickest.

Alonso should contend for a podium this weekend, while Massa may be fighting off the mid-fielders.

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Race Guide

MERCEDES MICHAEL SCHUMACHER “There is absolutely no doubt we want to do better than in the opening race. We clearly see that as a challenge and it is much too early to write us off. Everybody in the team remains positive and is in a fighting mood.”

Nat: German DoB: 03/01/1969 Wins: 91

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NICO ROSBERG “To be honest, Sepang is my favorite circuit on the Formula One calendar. It’s fast and challenging with a nice layout and a real variation of corners which make it an exciting track to drive.”

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Nat: German DoB: 27/06/1985 Wins: 0

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THE BAGMAN’S SAY Big question marks hang over the Mercedes W02 heading into Sepang.

After a positive end to winter testing, Melbourne was a disaster for the Brackley squad, with Michael Schumacher not even able to make Q3 on Saturday.

Early race incidents meant that both Mercedes drivers failed to finish the Grand Prix - an iniquitous feat avoided by the team last year.

It is expected that the team will improve in Malaysia, with claims from team principal Ross Brawn that the car is fundamentally good, but was lacking the ideal set-up for Albert Park.

Inconsistent handling appeared to be a big issue. It is believed that the W02’s unique exhaust system, which sees the outlets positioned half-way up the trailing edge of the sidepods, has been designed to combat the car’s balance problems - making it less sensitive to throttle position changes.

Nico Rosberg was on the podium here last year and should push the top five, while Schumacher will be doing well to keep his younger team-mate in sight.

Round 1 – Australia

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Race Guide

RENAULT NICK HEIDFELD

“My objective is to forget about Australia and look forward to Malaysia. I’ve some good memories including my second place a couple of years ago in the very wet race. Sometimes it’s more like swimming than driving with the monsoons!”

Recent Grand Prix Form

Nat: German DoB: 10/05/1977 Wins: 0

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VITALY PETROV ““We now have a better idea of where we stand compared to our competitors, but I think we need to wait a few more races to see the real picture. We know that Red Bull and McLaren are very strong, too, but hopefully we can keep pushing them hard.”

Nat: Russian DoB: 08/09/1984 Wins: 0

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THE BAGMAN’S SAY Vitaly Petrov heads into the second race of the year with a podium under his belt, and a simultaneous increase in expectations.

The Russian’s Albert Park performance confirmed the R31’s pre-season testing promise, proving both speedy and tyre friendly as it two-stopped its way to a third place finish.

The car’s forward facing, sidepod exiting, exhaust continue to be a talking point. Like McLaren’s F-Duct of 2010, the innovation is set to provide Renault with a healthy benefit, due to being difficult to fully emulate mid-season. Channelling 1000 degree exhaust pipes past radiators and oil coolers clearly requires some serious packaging compromises.

Nick Heidfeld should be the biggest improver in Malaysia, after a KERS failure in Q1 saw him fail to progress to Q2 in Melbourne.

Damage from an early race incident restricted the German to a 12th place finish in the race.

Expect to see Heidfeld at least match, if not better, Petrov at Sepang, and score a handful of points in the process.

Round 2 – Malaysia

WILLIAMS RUBENS BARRICHELLO “Malaysia is a really nice place to visit and a track that I really enjoy racing on. It is a real test for the drivers though due to the heat and humidity. Malaysia will be hard on the tyres so it will be important to have a good car set-up..”

Recent Grand Prix Form

Nat: Brazilian DoB: 23/05/1972 Wins: 11

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PASTOR MALDONADO “I would like to be in the top ten in both qualifying and the race, and I think we can achieve that. It would have been better if we had been able to finish in Melbourne, but I’m now more experienced and confident with how a Formula One weekend unfolds and all the procedures involved.”

Nat: Venezuelan DoB: 09/03/1985 Wins: 0

THE BAGMAN’S SAY Williams appears to have the most untapped potential heading into Sepang, after squandering a fundamentally quick car with poor reliability in Melbourne.

Two separate gearbox issues crippled both Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado’s races, and showed that the team’s radical ‘low-line’ transmission is both an engineering marvel and an earlyseason liability.

While the Grove squad will not have its Red Bull-style ‘outer-blown’ exhaust/diffuser until China at the earliest, the FW33 should contend for a place in Q3 and a points scoring finish this weekend.

After a troubled qualifying, Barrichello was scything through the field in Melbourne before making a very average error and clanging into Nico Rosberg.

Maldonado had a Grand Prix debut lasting just nine laps, and is not be expected to match his far more experienced team-mate just yet.

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Race Guide

FORCE INDIA ADRIAN SUTIL “Malaysia was one of my best results last year, so I am really looking forward to racing there again. It’s usually an interesting weekend from a strategy point of view because you don’t know how the rain is going to affect the teams.”

Nat: German DoB: 11/01/1983 Wins: 0

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PAUL DI RESTA “I really enjoy Sepang, although the heat and humidity is much tougher than anywhere else we drive on the calendar.

It will be interesting to see how we perform there and I am very much looking forward to my second race with the team.”

Nat: British DoB: 16/04/1986 Wins: 0

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THE BAGMAN’S SAY A double-points finish was perhaps more than the VJM004 deserved in Melbourne, with team drivers Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta elevated into ninth and tenth positions respectively after the disqualification of the Saubers.

Repeating the performance in Sepang will be a difficult ask, and will require an improvement in qualifying.

A 360 degree spin from Sutil entering the pit-straight ruined the German’s final two qualifying laps at Albert Park, and potentially masked the true speed of the car.

A strong Mercedes engine and KERS system will be the team’s biggest strength in Sepang, after proving one of the fastest through the speed traps in Melbourne.

Despite this advantage, a truly strong result is likely to come through circumstances, rather than performance.

Di Resta was impressive on debut at Albert Park - confirming the notion that the Scot will push Sutil hard this season - but is not expected to make Q3 or the points this weekend.

Round 1 – Australia

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Race Guide

SAUBER KAMUI KOBAYASHI “The guaranteed higher temperatures in Malaysia will make a big difference (compared to Melbourne). I especially expect the tyre degradation to be significantly higher there, so this might result in different race strategies. “ Recent Grand Prix Form

Nat: Japanese DoB: 13/09/1986 Wins: 0

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SERGIO PEREZ “I think we have a good car. It is quick enough to aim for points and it was reliable. I hope we can keep this consistency and do more good races.”

Nat: Mexican DoB: 26/01/1990 Wins: 0

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THE BAGMAN’S SAY Sauber could shine in Sepang, after proving reliable, tyre friendly and relatively speedy in Melbourne.

While Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi were disqualified from their seventh and eighth place finishes at Albert Park after failing to meet the minimum curvature requirements for the rear-wing main planes, the team has claimed it was a manufacturing fault and not a performance advantage.

Sauber are unlikely to pull-off another one-stop strategy due to the heat (and possible rain) this weekend, but were the talk of the paddock after Perez’s efforts at Albert Park.

Encouragingly for the team, Kobayashi made the final Q3 session, and showed maturity in the race by letting race-leader Sebastian Vettel past after the Red Bull had pitted indicating his development over the last 12 months.

The Swiss squad is one of many teams that’ll be disappointed if they don’t have at least one car in the top 10 in this weekend’s race.

Round 2 – Malaysia

TORO ROSSO SEBASTIEN BUEMI “Melbourne was a perfect start for us. Now we need to continue to push. As we see the midfield is pretty tight, so we will see what we can achieve here but the objective will be to be back in the points, definitely..”

Nat: Swiss DoB: 31/10/1988 Wins: 0

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JAIME ALGUESUARI “I have to say my car worked well in Melbourne, with quite good pace. I am pleased that I finished the first race and am looking to improve further in Malaysia.”

Nat: Spanish DoB: 23/03/1990 Wins: 0

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-

9

THE BAGMAN’S SAY Toro Rosso operated ‘under the radar’ in Melbourne, proving unspectacular but far from disappointing.

Having made Q3 and scored points with an eighth place finish in the Australian Grand Prix, third-year driver Sebastian Buemi asserted his authority within the team, and built a solid base on which to build this weekend.

The Italian squad proved strong in pre-season testing, but any illusions of fighting for top-five positions were quashed in Melbourne, where even Buemi was lapped by race winner Sebastian Vettel over the race duration.

The team therefore face a tough battle among the ferocious midpack, which caught out Buemi’s team-mate Jaime Alguersuari in the season opener. A mistake on the opening lap saw the Spaniard make contact with the back of Michael Schumacher’s Mercedes. A broken front-wing instantly ruined his chances of a strong result, and must not be repeated in Malaysia.

Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo will again complete practice.

23 25

Race Guide

LOTUS HEIKKI KOVALAINEN ““Physically it’s one of the toughest races. It’s something we start preparing for im­mediately after Australia. I arrived in Malaysia immediately after Melbourne and started working with my nutritionist to prepare for the race itself.”

Nat: Finnish DoB: 19/10/1981 Wins: 1

Recent Grand Prix Form GER

HUN

BEL

ITA

SIN

JAP

KOR

BRA

ABU

AUS

DNF

14

16

18

16

12

13

18

17

DNF

Recent Sepang Form 2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

-

-

-

-

-

-

8

3

DNF

DNF

JARNO TRULLI “I’m really fired up for this weekend’s race. This is our home race and we want to do our best to make the fans proud of us. There will be a lot of support for us in the stands and having been here for a week I’ve already seen that the level of support has gone up a lot since last year.”

Nat: Italian DoB: 13/07/1974 Wins: 1

Recent Grand Prix Form GER

HUN

BEL

DNF 15 19

Recent Sepang Form

ITA

SIN

JAP

KOR

BRA

ABU

AUS

DNF

DNF

13

DNF

19

21

13

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

8

DNF

5

5

2

9

7

4

4

17

26

THE BAGMAN’S SAY Team Lotus were one of several teams to struggle for tyre temperature in Melbourne, and could benefit greatly from the warmer conditions this weekend.

Assessment of the team’s performance in Melbourne depends largely upon one’s expectations of the TF128 heading into the season.

Both Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli proved a long way from threatening Q2 at Albert Park, indicating predictions should be kept modest for Malaysia.

Expect some improvement at the squad’s ‘home race’ however, as it continues to refine what is a much more aggressive design than that produced last season.

Getting two cars through the Malaysian Grand Prix reliably will be a win in itself, after Kovalainen retired in Australia with a water leak.

Round 1 – Australia

25

Race Guide

HRT NARAIN KARTHIKEYAN “Our primary goal for the weekend is to get as many miles under our belt as possible. It is only with more and more miles of running that we will be able to begin to understand the F111 and to start extracting its potential.”

Nat: Indian DoB: 14/01/1977 Wins: 0

Recent Grand Prix Form GER

HUN

BEL

ITA

SIN

JAP

KOR

BRA

ABU

AUS

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

DNQ

Recent Sepang Form 2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

-

-

-

-

11

-

-

-

-

-

VITANTONIO LIUZZI ““I think Sepang will be a really good track for the F111 because it’s a very technical and demanding track. It’s a challenging venue for our first proper race but a place where we will get a lot of information on the car.”

Recent Grand Prix Form

Nat: Italian DoB: 08/06/1981 Wins: 0

GER

HUN

BEL

ITA

SIN

JAP

KOR

BRA

ABU

AUS

16

13

10

12

DNF

DNF

6

DNF

DNF

DNQ

Recent Sepang Form 2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

-

-

-

-

-

11

17

-

-

DNF

28

THE BAGMAN’S SAY Things can only get better for the HRT in Malaysia, after the Spanishowned squad proved more of a sideshow than a Formula One team at Albert Park.

Having failed to complete a flying lap on Friday, both Tonio Liuzzi and team-mate Narain Karthikeyan completed 11 laps each in qualifying.

While failing to meet the 107% rule as expected, Liuzzi was ‘only’ two seconds slower than D’Ambrosio’s Virgin - indicating at least some potential for the Italian.

The team expects to bring its new front-wing to Sepang, after a failed crash test prevented its use at Albert Park.

The development has both drivers bullish about qualifying for the race, but it remains to be seen whether the cars can run for long enough on Friday in order to be qualifyingready.

Expectations could not be lower.

Round 2 – Malaysia

VIRGIN TIMO GLOCK “Malaysia is one of the hardest races on the Formula 1 calendar and one for which fitness is very important. The heat and humidity are really punishing and so this is where the physical training really pays off.”

Nat: German DoB: 18/03/1982 Wins: 0

Recent Grand Prix Form GER

HUN

BEL

ITA

SIN

JAP

KOR

BRA

ABU

AUS

18

16

18

17

DNF

14

DNF

20

DNF

DNF

Recent Sepang Form 2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

DNF

3

DNF

JEROME D’AMBROSIO “I really enjoyed the whole experience of my debut Grand Prix. I learned a lot in Melbourne and I was very happy with the weekend as a starting point, so I’m looking forward to more of the same in Kuala Lumpur.“

Nat: Belgian DoB: 27/12/1985 Wins: 0

Recent Grand Prix Form GER

HUN

BEL

Recent Sepang Form

ITA

SIN

JAP

KOR

BRA

ABU

AUS

-

-

-

-

-

-

14

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

THE BAGMAN’S SAY Virgin Racing sits on the brink of non-qualification in Malaysia, after showing in Melbourne that it has fallen further away from the pace relative to its rookie-season.

Timo Glock and Jerome D’Ambrosio were both outside of the re-introduced 107% rule during practice at Albert Park, before moving inside the cut-off in time for qualifying.

Had Sebastian Vettel deemed it necessary to use a set of soft tyres to move through Q1, things could have been very different.

Glock’s talents continued to be wasted at the underperforming squad. The German has now begun publically suggesting that the team may need to ‘rethink’ its decision to rely solely on Computational Fluid Dynamics for its aerodynamic research, while the rest of the field complement their computers with wind-tunnels.

Ironically, Glock himself may hinder the package at Sepang, depending on how the heat affects his recovery from having his appendix out last month.

27 29

Race Guide

22

Round 2 – Malaysia

PAST MALAYSIAN GP WINNERS 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

Sebastian Vettel Jenson Button Kimi Räikkönen Fernando Alonso Giancarlo Fisichella Fernando Alonso Michael Schumacher Kimi Räikkönen Ralf Schumacher Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher Eddie Irvine

Red Bull–Renault Brawn–Mercedes Ferrari McLaren–Mercedes Renault Renault Ferrari McLaren–Mercedes Williams–BMW Ferrari Ferrari Ferrari

Sepang Sepang Sepang Sepang Sepang Sepang Sepang Sepang Sepang Sepang Sepang Sepang

29 31

Race Guide

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS WORLD DRIVERS” CHAMPIONSHIP no

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 - - - - - - - - - -

Driver Sebastian Vettel Lewis Hamilton Vitaly Petrov Fernando Alonso Mark Webber Jenson Button Felipe Massa Sébastien Buemi Adrian Sutil Paul di Resta Jaime Alguersuari Nick Heidfeld Jarno Trulli Jérôme D’Ambrosio Timo Glock Sergio Perez Mendoza Kamui Kobayashi Rubens Barrichello Nico Rosberg Heikki Kovalainen Michael Schumacher Pastor Maldonado Narain Karthikeyan Vitantonio Liuzzi

Nat DEU GBR RUS ESP AUS GBR BRA CHE DEU GBR ESP DEU ITA BEL DEU MEX JPN BRA DEU FIN DEU VEN IND ITA

Car Red Bull McLaren Renault Ferrari Red Bull McLaren Ferrari Toro Rosso Force India Force India Toro Rosso Renault Lotus Virgin Virgin Sauber Sauber Williams Mercedes Lotus Mercedes Williams HRT HRT

Points 25 18 15 12 10 8 6 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 -

WORLD CONSTUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 - - - -

32

Constructor Red Bull Racing Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Lotus Renault GP Scuderia Toro Rosso Force India F1 Team Team Lotus Marussia Virgin Racing Sauber F1 Team AT&T Williams Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team HRT F1 Team

Engine Renault Mercedes Ferrari Renault Ferrari Mercedes Renault Cosworth Ferrari Cosworth Mercedes Cosworth

Points 35 26 18 15 4 3 0 0 -

Click here to download the brochure. http://booths.speedcafe.com.au/

Race Guide

32

Round 2 – Malaysia

PAST CHAMPIONS Year Driver Nat Constructor Wins Poles Points 2009 Jenson Button GBR Brawn 6 4 95 2008 Lewis Hamilton GBR McLaren 5 7 98 2007 Kimi Räikkönen FIN Ferrari 6 3 110 2006 Fernando Alonso ESP Renault 7 6 134 2005 Fernando Alonso ESP Renault 7 6 133 2004 Michael Schumacher GER Ferrari 13 8 148 2003 Michael Schumacher GER Ferrari 6 5 93 2002 Michael Schumacher GER Ferrari 11 7 144 2001 Michael Schumacher GER Ferrari 9 11 123 2000 Michael Schumacher GER Ferrari 9 9 108 1999 Mika Häkkinen FIN McLaren 5 11 76 1998 Mika Häkkinen FIN McLaren 8 9 100 1997 Jacques Villeneuve CAN Williams 7 10 81 1996 Damon Hill GBR Williams 8 9 97 1995 Michael Schumacher GER Benetton 9 4 102 1994 Michael Schumacher GER Benetton 8 6 92 1993 Alain Prost FRA Williams 7 13 99 1992 Nigel Mansell GBR Williams 9 14 108 1991 Ayrton Senna BRA McLaren 7 8 96 1990 Ayrton Senna BRA McLaren 6 10 78 1989 Alain Prost FRA McLaren 4 2 76 1988 Ayrton Senna BRA McLaren 8 13 90 1987 Nelson Piquet BRA Williams 3 4 73 1986 Alain Prost FRA McLaren 4 1 72 1985 Alain Prost FRA McLaren 5 2 73 1984 Niki Lauda AUT McLaren 5 0 72 1983 Nelson Piquet BRA Brabham 3 1 59 1982 Keke Rosberg FIN Williams 1 1 44 1981 Nelson Piquet BRA Brabham 3 4 50 1980 Alan Jones AUS Williams 5 3 67

33 35

Race Guide Sebastian Vettel was unstoppable during the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix weekend.

36

RoundRound 2 – Malaysia 2 – Malaysia

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