2008 Malaysian Grand Prix

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I can't wait to see the first wet race without TC.

 

[Only_in_f1]

It must have some factors, right? Like Massa in turn 1, last year he would have got through no problem. This race I can see the same. Slow start, spinning, stalling from a pit stop or whatever. I think it will have some sort of impact.

 

[mustang245]

I believe it will be a season of chaos. FIA should have brought slicks back with the ban on driver aids. I think it's stupid not to have slicks when every other series have them. F1 needs them now before someone gets killed.

 

[KSaiyu]

A Ferrari will probably spin before that happens. Yay for the rainy season without TC.


http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/tenday/MYXX0008?from=36hr_topnav_business

"Scattered T-Storms"

Oh wow

 

[Z]

"Scattered T-Storms"

Oh wow

Meh.. 60% chance. If it's even slightly damp or drying, people will have problems.

 

[KSaiyu]

Aye, no doubt, just looking at that shakedown at a damp Fiorano shows how much of a difference we can expect to see with minor changes in condition.

 

[Kylehnat]

I believe it will be a season of chaos. FIA should have brought slicks back with the ban on driver aids. I think it's stupid not to have slicks when every other series have them. F1 needs them now before someone gets killed.

What if the FIA mandated slick tires that have the same contact patch as the current grooved tires (i.e. narrower slicks)?

Drivers will handle themselves just fine, but the lack of TC will lead to more people making mistakes when their concentration or strength slips (or when Kimi falls asleep).

 

[livemusic]

Man, waking up at 4AM won't be easy. It better be a good race!

 

[Muzaffar]

Man, waking up at 4AM won't be easy. It better be a good race!

Imagine me staying up late to watch the Brazilian GP. But its worth it if your an F1 nut like me..... I never miss a single race (I even watched the whole 2005 US GP) Yeah, tomorrow is the practice session so I'll be looking forward to see who is the fastest.

 

[mustang245]

A Ferrari will probably spin before that happens. Yay for the rainy season without TC.


http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/tenday/MYXX0008?from=36hr_topnav_business

Yes, saw forecast, this could get nasty!

 

[Metar]

My prediction? It's gonna be a fight.

I've always liked Sepang; it's easily the best of the Hermann Tilke circuits. It really needs an upgrade, though.

It's easily the only good Tilkedrome. Shanghai is easily the worst. More so of a reason to boycott it.

I always thought Bahrain comes next, guess they changed it this year...

It was like this last year as well...

What if the FIA mandated slick tires that have the same contact patch as the current grooved tires (i.e. narrower slicks)?

Probably, the difference between Intermediates and Dry tyres will increase - even minor dampness will probably call people into the pits. I don't see a reason why slicks are superior to groovies, assuming equal contact patches, apart from, perhaps, more gradual deformation - yet they're obviously more prone to aquaplaning.

What I would like to see is a move from Radial tyres to cross-plys. That'd make an impact.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

It's easily the only good Tilkedrome. Shanghai is easily the worst. More so of a reason to boycott it.

Yeah, I don't see why they keep asking him to make these things. He seems to think that if he has a long straight followed by a hairpin, he'll have generated enough pasing opportunities for the race.

If he's the one who picked the layout for both Singapore an Valencia, then hopefully they'll redeem him somewhat; both look quite good on paper (but I recall saying the same thing about Bahrain and Shangai). He's got a lot to answer for: Shanghai, Bahrain, butchering Hockenheim and the Mickey Mouse bits of the Nurburgring.

Safety shouldn't come at the expense of a challenging circuit.

 

[Blake]

I don't see a reason why slicks are superior to groovies, assuming equal contact patches, apart from, perhaps, more gradual deformation - yet they're obviously more prone to aquaplaning.

I think graining is significantly worse on grooved tyres.

 

[Kylehnat]

Good point. I can see how the heating in grooved tires would be less uniform and less steady.

 

[J-PaP]

well raikkonen's ferrari didn't take long to break down. 8 laps in practice one

renault are doing well

 

[prisonermonkeys]

well raikkonen's ferrari didn't take long to break down. 8 laps in practice one

He still came second.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Q: The most helpful advice you got before your first race?

Nelson Piquet: It was from Flavio (Briatore). He told me that this is my weekend, and that I should take it easy and no pressure.

unpossible

 

[Muzaffar]

If he's the one who picked the layout for both Singapore an Valencia, then hopefully they'll redeem him somewhat; both look quite good on paper (but I recall saying the same thing about Bahrain and Shangai). He's got a lot to answer for: Shanghai, Bahrain, butchering Hockenheim and the Mickey Mouse bits of the Nurburgring.

Don't forget Fuji Speedway.

Also, here is the result from the first practice session:

Ferrari seems their on the pace, not bad comparing to last week. But Nico..... 4th? That is just awesome (or that he was fueled light) but a good job none the less. 👍 Also, Honda seems to improved a lot recently as well as Renault (good job Nelsinho), Kubica could only manage 8th? WTH?

 

[Metar]

Friday Practice 1:

1.	Massa		Ferrari			1:35.392		20
2.	Raikkonen	Ferrari			1:36.459	+ 1.067	8
3.	Kovalainen	McLaren-Mercedes	1:36.556	+ 1.164	21
4.	Rosberg		Williams-Toyota		1:36.578	+ 1.186	23
5.	Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	1:36.626	+ 1.234	17
6.	Alonso		Renault			1:37.022	+ 1.630	18
7.	Piquet		Renault			1:37.034	+ 1.642	28
8.	Kubica		BMW Sauber		1:37.218	+ 1.826	9
9.	Button		Honda			1:37.282	+ 1.890	17
10.	Trulli		Toyota			1:37.540	+ 2.148	24
11.	Heidfeld	BMW Sauber		1:37.649	+ 2.257	17
12.	Nakajima	Williams-Toyota		1:37.649	+ 2.257	18
13.	Barrichello	Honda			1:37.776	+ 2.384	20
14.	Glock		Toyota			1:37.782	+ 2.390	27
15.	Vettel		Toro Rosso-Ferrari	1:38.219	+ 2.827	26
16.	Coulthard	Red Bull-Renault	1:38.232	+ 2.840	7
17.	Webber		Red Bull-Renault	1:38.707	+ 3.315	12
18.	Bourdais	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	1:38.798	+ 3.406	25
19.	Fisichella	Force India-Ferrari	1:39.046	+ 3.654	21
20.	Sato		Super Aguri-Honda	1:40.178	+ 4.786	11
21.	Davidson	Super Aguri-Honda	1:40.351	+ 4.959	14
22.	Sutil		Force India-Ferrari	1:41.269	+ 5.877	5

Friday Practice 2:

Pos  	No  	Driver  		Team 			Time/Retired  	Gap  	Laps
1 	22 	Lewis Hamilton	 	McLaren-Mercedes 	1:35.055 		32
2 	2 	Felipe Massa 		Ferrari 		1:35.206 	0.151 	33
3 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 		Ferrari 		1:35.428 	0.373 	36
4 	16 	Jenson Button 		Honda 			1:36.037 	0.982 	40
5 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	STR-Ferrari 		1:36.474 	1.419 	35
6 	11 	Jarno Trulli 		Toyota 			1:36.493 	1.438 	38
7 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	McLaren-Mercedes 	1:36.512 	1.457 	30
8 	4 	Robert Kubica 		BMW 			1:36.671 	1.616 	33
9 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Force India-Ferrari 	1:36.756 	1.701 	37
10 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	Williams-Toyota 	1:36.838 	1.783 	34
11 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	Honda 			1:36.879 	1.824 	38
12 	7 	Nico Rosberg 		Williams-Toyota 	1:36.908 	1.853 	36
13 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 		BMW 			1:37.106 	2.051 	35
14 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	Renault 		1:37.328 	2.273 	23
15 	6 	Nelsinho Piquet 	Renault 		1:37.331 	2.276 	42
16 	10 	Mark Webber 		Red Bull-Renault 	1:37.346 	2.291 	37
17 	12 	Timo Glock 		Toyota 			1:37.512 	2.457 	35
18 	20 	Adrian Sutil 		Force India-Ferrari 	1:37.614 	2.559 	35
19 	18 	Takuma Sato 		Super Aguri-Honda 	1:39.021 	3.966 	27
20 	19 	Anthony Davidson 	Super Aguri-Honda 	1:39.361 	4.306 	30
21 	14 	Sebastien Bourdais 	STR-Ferrari 		No time 		1
22 	9 	David Coulthard 	Red Bull-Renault 	No time 		0

Close weekend

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I like what I'm seeing: JB fourth!

Don't forget Fuji Speedway.

I prefer to think Fuji doesn't exist.

 

[Metar]

I like what I'm seeing: JB fourth!

I see that too, but I can't see any fuel in his tank!

 

[Blake]

Coulthard’s crash:



3 suspension failures from small-ish incidents on the RB4 in a week. Seems very flimsy.

 

[Metar]

Looks like Newey reached the same stage as his later McLaren days... It's also worried that the rope that held the right wheel in place snapped...

 

[Alex.]

If this carries on a driver is going to get hit by the loose wheel like Kubica last year.

Coulthard said he expects the Brazilian to apologise for his absurd actions,

I think it was a slightly more vicious than that

 

[Duratec]

Geez those suspension components look brittle, surely they should be able to cope with that, both sides just disintegrate...very strange

 

[Muzaffar]

Coulthard’s crash:

Hmm.... thats really odd me thinks. I know that the suspension is brittle, but not that brittle!!! How did the car pass safety check with a suspension like that? Either that or that is one hard curb......

 

[ExigeEvan]

Hmm.... thats really odd me thinks. I know that the suspension is brittle, but not that brittle!!! How did the car pass safety check with a suspension like that? Either that or that is one hard curb......

It might not...

The team face exclusion from the race after officials asked them to provide a detailed report to the technical delegate of governing body the FIA.

A statement from the FIA said the team must verify that "the suspension is such that the car should not be deemed 'of dangerous construction'" under article 2.3 of the technical regulations.

The article allows stewards to exclude a car if they deem its construction to be unsafe.

Full article
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7308144.stm

 

[Muzaffar]

Ouch, that sounds like bad news for RBR if both cars are excluded from the race. But then again, the safety of the drivers, race marshal and the spectators are more valued than some F1 car, so I don't really know what to say about that. As I was reading that article, I can't believe they said this:

"It was a brand new component fitted after Melbourne," Horner said after the meeting. "You can see that the adhesives failed and it just looked like a human error. So we have absolutely no concerns about the car's safety."

So this is the mechanics fault isn't it? Well yeah, can't really say much about that at all.....

 

[Robin]

"the suspension is such that the car should not be deemed 'of dangerous construction'"

Looks fine to me...

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

So that's why his car fell apart when he collided with Massa