Malaysian Grand Prix

Round 2 in sepang Malaysia

This could be the round where the true form of many teams will show. Will Renault be able to keep their winning streak going? Mclaren looked strong in Australia but were hampered by the conditions. BAR's new engine is supposed to be the most powerful, is it the most reliable? Will Red Bull be able to keep the form they had in Australia and finally will Ferrari's form improve?

All of these questions will be answered tomorrow in the first practice session.
 
Ahh, 40 minutes! I was so going to post this.

Many are predicting that Malaysia will show the true form of the teams, but there is also a prediction for heavy rain tomorrow. It looks clear on Saturday and I can't remember what they said Sunday will be like, but I think I remember hearing that rain may interrupt one of the qualifying sessions, but I suspect the drivers will have to go out on fairly equal terms even if it is raining.

I'm hoping McLaren get a chance to shine because I believe their car has the potential to do really well.

Blake
 
whats this about forest fires may play a role in the race?!?!?!

If it gets really thick and smokey might they have to postpone things like they do for fog and REALLY heavy rain?
 
Don't forget that BAR Honda have the best gears in the business. People claim it's somewhat illegal though. In any case I switched from BAR to Renault for this season but I am still hoping for Jenson and Sato to do well. Not sure whether BAR will claim a win though this year.
 
I don't understand what was so bad about Ferrari's form given the conditions they encountered in first qualifying. Rubens from 11th to 2nd and Michael from 18th to 8th before his shunt with NH resulted in his retirement. My money is on the Scuderia for Sepang.
 
There's nothing wrong with their form, nothing, I just don't think they can hold a win just yet...sadly, I may be eating my words in a few day :indiff:

Blake
 
Results: Practice Session 1

1. R. Zonta 1:34.092
2. P. de la Rossa +1.052
3. V. Luizzi +1.599
4. M. schumacher +1.919
5. J. Button +2.421
6. N. Hiedfeld +2.459
7. K. Raikkonen +2.471
8. J. Montoya +2.518
9. F. Massa +2.871
10. M. Webber +2.897
11. R. Schumacher +3.076
12. D. Coulthard +3.246
13. T. Sato +3.274
14. C. Klien +3.550
15. R. Barrichello +3.751
16. J. Villenueve +4.324
17. T. Monteiro +5.479
18. R. Doornbos +6.197
19. N. Karthikeyan +6.283
20. P. Friesacher +9.482
21. C. Albers +9.599
22. G. Fisichella NO TIME
23. F. Alonso NO TIME
24. J. Trulli NO TIME

Huge suprise by Zonta, and it seems Michael was doing all the testing for Ferrari, and why not, he has 250km less on his engine.

Considerring the lap record last year was 1'34.223, these times are somewhat suprising. I really didn't expect lap records to get beaten untill later in the season :scared:

I'm happy to see that Luizzi is still doing well and has plenty of pace.

Practice 2 will be on soon so we can expect some more pace outta these cars...hopefully :D

Blake
 
Man, is it going to be a busy weekend for motorsport or what? F1 and the ALMS race at Sebring. This is going to be a good weekend for sure. Not to mention March Madness is going on too.

Now to talk about the race. Don't really know what to expect for the race, as I just now remembered that the race was this weekend after seeing this thread.

Now if rain came in for two straight races, that would definitely throw everything off again. Though if it does stay dry, I think the teams will show their true pace or close to it.

Well I think Ferrari will be faster this race. I also think McLaren and Renault will have a good race and that BAR will perform better.
 
What about that lap from Zonta though, miles infront of anyone, even Pedro and Luizzi.

Aside from the test drivers though this session doesn't tell use a whole lot, Michael looks strong, suprisingly Button is doing decently, and the McLarens aren't looking too special but not too bad either.

Blake
 
Though you have to remember that practice sessions don't always show a whole lot, at least not with regular drivers. Though Zonta's time is somewhat impressive, being as far ahead as he is of everyone else.
 
Do you think the Toyotas have a chance of getting any points this weekend, I mean if Zonta can do a time like that the car is clearly capable of going fast, even with the restrictions etc. of conserving the car?

Blake
 
The times there seem pretty spread out, whether Zonta can keep that kind of pace up throughout a race is another question. Trulli can't keep the pace up for the whole race as we have seen time and time again. Wait untill quali then the cars will be on equal fuel etc.
 
Blake
Do you think the Toyotas have a chance of getting any points this weekend, I mean if Zonta can do a time like that the car is clearly capable of going fast, even with the restrictions etc. of conserving the car?

Blake

The problem with Toyota is that they have been horribly inconsistent. The last couple of years they have shown they can have some really good pace. But after showing that pace for a while, they just completely fall apart. So I guess what I am trying to say is that until Toyota actually prove they can be consistently somewhat quick, I say no, they don't get any points.
 
Mclaren_Man
The times there seem pretty spread out, whether Zonta can keep that kind of pace up throughout a race is another question. Trulli can't keep the pace up for the whole race as we have seen time and time again. Wait untill quali then the cars will be on equal fuel etc.
Dude, Zonta is the 3rd driver, R. Schumacher is their other race driver for Toyota.

Also Prac 2 is on at the moment, something has happened to Kimi.

Blake
 
Yep, Kimi managed to lose control in one of the corners and then put the car into the kitty litter.

Did anyone see the new rule on retirements, especially regarding engine things?

Now Rubens has put his car into the kitty litter.
 
Four in the afternoon?!?! Its after midnight here.

The guys on SPEED said that Rubens and Kimi's spins may have had something to do with the track temperature suddenly changing and the two drivers thinking there was more grip available then there actually is.
 
VashTheStampede
Did anyone see the new rule on retirements, especially regarding engine things?
You mean where the cars retirement has to be out of the control of the driver for an engine change to be allowed?

Blake
 
Blake
You mean where the cars retirement has to be out of the control of the driver for an engine change to be allowed?

Blake

Something like that. Its along the lines of the teams have to give a reason for a car retiring or something. I don't remember exactly and did not read the article all that closely. I wasn't exactly the most interested at the time. (Man, that explanation sure is useless.)
 
VashTheStampede
Four in the afternoon?!?! Its after midnight here.

The guys on SPEED said that Rubens and Kimi's spins may have had something to do with the track temperature suddenly changing and the two drivers thinking there was more grip available then there actually is.
Yeah, we're in australia, for me it's like 5:30pm.

Also the track temp did fall a few degrees. See pic.



Blake
 
One of the commentators on SPEED said that Sauber did something special to their cooling systems in the off-season and that Ferrari would like to have a look at it. I find this to be a little surprising.
 
I thought it would be easier to post results like this (me = teh lazy)



Note Kimi's time ;)



What's up with Webber :confused:

Blake
 
VashTheStampede
One of the commentators on SPEED said that Sauber did something special to their cooling systems in the off-season and that Ferrari would like to have a look at it. I find this to be a little surprising.
F1Racing.net
Sauber's driving duo have been talking enthusiastically about an innovative cooling system aboard the new C24 racer. "It's a good one," Felipe Massa revealed at yet another promotional event for Malaysian sponsor Petronas in Kuala Lumpur.

The Brazilian said: "We've run it in the tunnel and the car maintained most of its downforce."

Separately, Jacques Villeneuve - asked about the heat and humidity expected at Sepang - bragged about the 'very good' system. "I just hope the others don't have one," the Canadian smiled.

Blake
 
That is a heck of a time for Kimi there. The rest of the field should be trembling at that pace and that includes Minardi.

That article helps confirm what I heard.
 
Here you go:

http://www.formula1.com/photos/ta_article/full/ta_article_87.jpg

"The C24 features sidepods with an extremely narrow bottom section – a design feature great for improving airflow management and downforce, but not so great for engine cooling (and hence reliability). The answer? Innovative V-shaped radiators, allowing for reduced sidepod height and excellent cooling – so good in fact that no further gills have been added for the very hot Malaysian race."

-www.formula1.com
 
Appearantly Webber has gearbox/engine problems.If he's unlucky they will have to replace the engine wich will set him back 10 places on the starting grid on Sunday.
 
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