formula 1 Grand Prix

Malaysian Grand Prix 2014, Sepang: preview and weekend times

di Matteo BramatiMarch 23, 2014

Opening hours

Friday March 28

Free 1: 3:00-4:30 (Sky Sport F1 HD)

Free 2: 7:00-8:30 (Sky Sport F1 HD)

Saturday March 29

Free 3: 6:00-7:00 (Sky Sport F1 HD)

Qualifying: 9pm (Sky Sport F00 HD)

Sunday March 30

Race: 10:00 ̶ 56 laps ̶ 310,408km (Sky Sport F1 HD)^

* all times indicated refer to Italy: there is a 6 hour difference between Italy and Malaysia.

^Live: SKY Sports F1 HD (full broadcast of the grand prix on Rai channels: for more information on Thursday evening we will publish the flash preview with updated times)

Previous race

Podium:

Nico Rossberg: the German from Mercedes offers us the spectacle of a race dominated from start to finish, setting a pace similar to that of Redbull last year. Once he takes command of the race he leads stubbornly without wanting to overdo it and paying attention to the track engineer's instructions. No problem stops him during his march, a symbol of good reliability, which however can turn into defeat at any moment (see Hamilton). In short, a deserved victory.

Kevin Magnussen: thanks to Daniel Ricciardo's disqualification he manages to break the record set by Lewis Hamilton for best placing in the first race in Formula 1: in 2007 Lewis had finished third, but now Magnussen with his second place has engraved his name in the record book . In the end he is even surprised by the extraordinary pace McLaren had never found during the test days. Barring unexpected reversals, McLaren will also be able to have its say among the top positions in Malaysia.

Jenson Button: A Jenson Button race, there's no denying it. He completes the coup in the second pit, where he overtakes Alonso and Hulkenberg, anticipating the stop. In short, a substantial race but at the same time very silent, without errors and constantly seeking a competitive pace. Unfortunately he doesn't have the joy of getting on the podium, but the points gained are still 15.

1 Top:

daniil kivat: the young Russian driver beats a record set by Sebastian Vettel. In fact, with his tenth place, he became the youngest driver to have scored a point in Formula 1 at 19 years 10 months and 18 days. Beyond this fact, the race of this young Rookie is more than dignified, especially if we consider the means with which it was completed: a modest Tororosso. In short, together with Magnussen: make way for the young!

1 Flop:

Sebastian Vettel: weekend to forget for the German champion. In qualifying he ended up outside Q3, and in the race, through no fault of his own, it's true, he was out after a few laps. Regardless of the fact that the retirement in the race was not his fault, Vettel seemed like a cat in water all weekend: never really 100%, never with a good feeling with the car. The world championship is long and we have no doubts that Redbull and Vettel will find their best form - perhaps not that of 2013, let's hope - but at least to fight for victory. So we would like to tell you "the real question is not whether Redbull will recover, but when it will recover!”

Circuit

Name: Sepang International Circuit.

Place: Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia.

Construction: it was the first circuit designed by Hermann Tilke. Built in 1999, it boasts huge stands, including covered ones, such as the one on the main straight which alone can accommodate 50.000 people, and a first-rate paddock. The roadway is very wide (about 25 metres), as are the escape routes

Distance per lap: 5,543km

Number of curves: 15

Direction of travel: hours

3 Best Parts: Turn 1: This is the best place to attempt an attack after a long straight. DRS or not, it offers ample space and a variability of trajectories that allows you to be fast even if you are not completely attached to the curb. Turns 7 and 8: two apex points, to be done one after the other at most. Few possibilities of overtaking, but many chances of making mistakes, especially on wet asphalt. Turn 15: a hairpin that takes us back to the main straight: you can either attempt an overtaking or prepare it in view of turn 1.

Mechanical Stress: The high temperatures, the four hairpin bends and the fast curves put the tires to the test. Long accelerations and sudden braking strain the engine and the braking system, which is used for 13% of the lap. The two important critical decelerations for the braking system are the first and last corner, which, in any case, are preceded by two long straights which allow the brakes to cool down.

Tire Choice: P ZERO ORANGE HARD and P ZERO WHITE MEDIUM

DRS zone: straight opposite the pit lane (between turns 14 and turn 15 with detection point before turn 13). Main straight (between turn 15 and turn 1, with detection point at the exit of turn 15).

Previous Editions

Last 3 Editions:

2011 edition: right from the start, Red Bull was the most competitive car, with Mark Webber setting the fastest times in two out of three free practices, with Lewis Hamilton (McLaren – Mercedes) immediately behind him and first in FP3. In qualifying, however, Sebastian Vettel dominates (17th pole for him, equal to Jackie Stewart), who stands out over Hamilton, Webber and Button after a very close battle with fast laps in Q3. Race: the starting side is moved, as it is less dirty; Vettel gets off to a good start and breaks away, followed by an amazing Nick Heidfeld (Renault), while Webber loses positions by not using the KERS. On lap 11 it is the Australian who opens the pit-stop dance, while a light rain begins to fall on the track which, however, does not affect the decisions of the teams, which are not fitted with tires law. Almost everyone is on soft tires after the first change, except Hamilton and Petrov (Renault). Vettel, still in the lead, was unable to use the Kers due to a malfunction which occurred on lap 30, but this would not affect his performance. On lap 45 Alonso attempts to overtake Hamilton, but damages the front wing (while the rear one was out of order due to a fault); returning to the pits to replace her, he finished the race sixth. After 56 laps Sebastian Vettel wins for the fourth consecutive time ahead of Jenson Button and Nick Heidfeld; Hamilton was only eighth and penalized twenty seconds following contact with Alonso.

2012 edition: debut for Valtteri Bottas, who replaces Bruno Senna in Friday's free practice. In FP1 and FP2 the fastest was Lewis Hamilton (McLaren – Mercedes), while in FP3 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) set the best time. In Saturday's qualifying, the McLarens were the most competitive with Hamilton poleman ahead of Button, followed by Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) and Mark Webber (RBR – Renault). On Sunday the cars start on intermediate tyres, given the uncertain weather conditions, proving to be a good choice: after a few laps the intensity of the rain will increase along the entire track. At the start Hamilton leads everyone, while immediately behind Schumacher comes into contact with Grosjean, both ending up at the back of the group. On the sixth lap, SC takes over following a decision by the stewards, as the rain has become a danger factor for the single-seaters. Sergio Pérez (Sauber), who had anticipated the pit stop, took advantage of this, moving into third position while the others entered for their respective supplies. Three laps later the red flag is displayed: the race is temporarily suspended. You have to wait 50 minutes before you can leave again, always under normal conditions Safety car. Literally anything happens: Hamilton loses the lead due to carelessness on the part of the mechanics in the pits, while Button breaks his front wing due to a contact. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) takes advantage of this, distancing himself from the Mexican Pérez and the whole group, while the track is drying out. After a final pit stop, Alonso wins ahead of an amazing Pérez and an unlucky Hamilton.

2013 edition: double DRS zones announced by the FIA, while in 2012 there was only one; Both Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber are celebrating their 200th GP. In FP1, FP2 and FP3 we have three different leaders: Webber (RBR – Renault), Räikkönen (Lotus – Renault) and Sebastian Vettel (RBR – Renault) respectively. The winner at the end of Saturday's qualifying was once again Sebastian Vettel, who with intermediate tires - due to bad weather - preceded the two Ferrari drivers, Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso; Räikkönen was penalized three places for obstructing Rosberg during his fastest lap, thus starting from tenth place. Race: very humid track which, starting from the formation lap, leads some riders to go off-track; at the start Vettel gets off to a good start followed by Fernando Alonso, who attacks him but damages his own front wing. The Spaniard still tries to continue but the high speed on the straight causes the piece to break and, getting stuck under the car, forces him to retire. Also worth remembering is the first pit stop session: Hamilton by mistake visits his old team, McLaren, then going to the right pit stop, the Mercedes one. The new leader is now Webber, ahead of Vettel, Hamilton, Rosberg and Button, while both Force Indias are forced to retire due to wheel fixing problems. Meanwhile Vettel begins his comeback after a hasty first tire change which forced him to lose precious time. On lap 48 he caught up with the race leader and his teammate, overtaking him and going on, eight laps later, to win for the second time in his career on the Malaysian circuit. In third place Lewis Hamilton precedes his teammate Nico Rosberg and Felipe Massa, who also made important overtakings in the final laps against Pérez and the two Lotuses.

Best Edition For Authors:

1999 edition: Michael Schumacher returns to this race aboard the Ferrari after his injury in the British GP. The German himself went on to win pole position, inflicting a very heavy gap on everyone, including his teammate who was almost a second away, albeit second. At the start the Ferrari duo started well, with Schumacher who on the fourth lap allowed himself to be overtaken by Irvine, in full battle for the world championship with Häkkinen (McLaren – Mercedes), thus facilitating the escape of the Northern Irishman. Coulthard managed to overtake him in a short time, only to have to retire on lap 14 due to technical problems. The two contenders for the world title opt for a two-stop strategy, in which the Finn comes out on top, finding himself fourth and managing to grab third position with just three laps to go, to the detriment of Herbert (Stewart – Ford). However, after the awards ceremony, the two Ferraris were excluded due to irregularities in the flow diverters: with this Häkkinen would officially be world champion, as would McLaren the constructors' championship. Ferrari is not long in coming and presents an appeal demonstrating that the length of the diverters, 10 mm shorter according to the regulation, according to the Malaysian inspectors, is permitted by one of the paragraphs of the regulation. A week later the FIA ruled in favor of the Italian team, effectively reinstating Irvine to the fight for the drivers' title and Ferrari for the constructors' title.

Best Edition For Readers:

Premise: in truth, the 2012 edition would be the one chosen by you readers, however since it was already present we opted for the second classified. We would also like to remind you that starting from tomorrow there will be a survey on F1GrandPrix.it which will allow you to choose your favorite edition of each Grand Prix, to be included in the previews.

2000 edition: in the previous Grand Prix Michael Schumacher had won his first world title with Ferrari, while the constructors' title was still missing, contested with McLaren. In the three free practice sessions the fastest were Schumacher, Häkkinen and Coulthard; at the end of qualifying on Saturday it was once again the German who prevailed, taking pole position against the two McLaren drivers, while his teammate Barrichello was fourth. Race: at the start Schumacher was overtaken by his two pursuers, with the Finn however suffering a penalty for an early start. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, a multiple accident occurs triggered by Diniz (Sauber – Petronas), making it mandatory for the car to enter the track. Safety car. After Häkkinen's stop & go, Coulthard is in command, but the overheating of the radiators and the need to change tires lead him to let the two Ferrari drivers pass, with Schumacher setting a series of fast laps and after the pit stop still leader of the race. Coulthard tried until the end to overtake the German, who however defended himself admirably from the various attacks to win the Grand Prix. Furthermore, the third place of the other Ferrari driver, Rubens Barrichello, allows the Italian team to also win the constructors' title. This race is also remembered as the last race by the English driver Johnny Herbert, which however was not rosy: his Jaguar broke a suspension with eight laps to go, intentionally forcing him to retire after a violent impact, although without consequences for the driver

Predictions from F1GrandPrix.it

You can't change a winning engine. The Mercedes powered ones are the masters of this start of the championship, as seen in Australia, barring any inconveniences (Hamilton). Therefore Mercedes AMG, McLaren, Force India and Williams did well. Teams like Ferrari and Red Bull are lagging behind, on which we leave a big question mark: no comforting news seems to be arriving from Maranello regarding the car, while the drivers assure that the tune will change. As for Red Bull, however, little to add, Vettel unlucky in Australia and Ricciardo disqualified for car irregularities: we await answers in Malaysia.. Toro Rosso: what we saw in Australia is not bad, we would like to see more top ten performances from the Italian team with French engine. For the rest, there are still many difficulties for the other Renault-powered teams, we remain on stand-by for further news but at the moment fighting for the positions that count is difficult (Lotus case: we hope to see the two drivers at the finish line, we're not asking for much).

RECORD

Test lap: 1:32.582 – F Alonso – Renault - 2006
Race lap: 1:34.223 – J Montoya – Williams BMW - 2004
Distance: 1h30:40.529 – G Fisichella - Renault - 2006
Driver victories: 3 – M Schumacher ̶ F Alonso – S Vettel
Team victories: 6 – Ferrari
Driver pole: 5 – M Schumacher
Pole team: 7 – Ferrari
Best driver laps: 2 – M Schumacher, M Hakkinen, J Montoya, M Webber
Best team laps: 4 – McLaren
Driver podiums: 5 – M Schumacher
Team podiums: 12 – Ferrari

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