10 Tenths Grand Prix Preview - Malaysia

[Super Tourer]

10 Tenths Grand Prix Preview – Malaysia 21.03.04

In the second of our race previews we look ahead to Malaysia - Part One.


2003 RACE RESULT. – 56 Laps


1. Kimi Raikkonen - McLaren – Mercedes I hr 32m 22.15 s
2. Rubens Barichello - Ferrari + 39.286
3. Fernando Alsonso - Renault + 1m 04.007
4. Ralf Schumacher – Williams-BMW +1m28.026
5. Jarno Trulli – Renault – 1 Lap
6. Michael Schumcher – Ferrari – 1 Lap
7. Jenson Button – BAR – Honda – 1 Lap
8. Nick Heidfeld – Sauber –Petronas – 1 Lap
9. Heinz –Harald Frentzen – Sauber-Petronas -1 Lap
10. Ralph Firman – Jordan-Ford – 1 Lap
11. Cristiano da Matta – Toyota – 1 Lap
12. Juan Pablo Montoya – Williams - BMW – 3 Laps
13. Jos Verstappen- Minardi -Cosworth – 4 Laps

Fastest Lap – Michael Schumacher – Ferrari – Lap 45 - 1:36.412

Fastest Pole to date – 1:35.220 – M Schumacher- Ferrari (2001)
Lap Record - 1:36.412 – M Schumacher Ferrari (2003)

Retirements

Pizzonia -Jaguar - Lap 43 – Spin
Wilson – Minardi - Lap 42 – Driver discomfort
Webber- Jaguar - Lap 35 - Engine
Panis – Toyota – Lap 12 – Fuel Pressure
Coulthard – McLaren – Lap 2 – Electrical
Fisichella –Jordan – 0 Laps – Electrical
Villeneuve – BAR – 0 Laps – Electrical

13 finishers – 7 retirements – finishing rate – 65%



2003 GRID TOP 10

1. Alonso – Renault – 1:37.044
2. Trulli – Renault
3. M Schuamacher - Ferrari
4. Coulthard – McLaren – Mercedes
5. Barrichello - Ferrari
6. Heidfeld – Sauber Petronas
7. Raikkonen – McLaren – Mercedes
8. Montoya – Williams – BMW
9. Button – BAR – Honda
10. Panis – Toyota.






KEY MOMENTS FROM THE 2003 RACE


Kimi Raikkonen scores his first race win

Fernando Alonso scores his first pole and podium placing, despite gearbox trouble and suffering from a fever.

Michelin were the tyres to have, taking four of the top 6 places.

Michael Schumacher ran into Trulli on the first lap, whilst trying to stay ahead of Coulthard. Schumacher has to pit for repairs to his front wing and then picks up a drive through penalty for causing an ‘avoidable accident’.

Montoya had to pit for a new rear wing after getting hit by Pizzonia in the melee.

One beneficiary of the chaos was Ralf Schumacher - who started 17th on the grid.

Fisichella lined up in the wrong grid slot and had to reverse into his actual position, but was left on the line anyway with launch control failure!

Read a report of the 2003 race here: http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr699.html


PAST WINNERS

2003 – Kimi Raikkonen – McLaren -Mercedes
2002 – Ralf Schumcher – Williams - BMW
2001 – Michael Schumacher - Ferrari
2000 – Michael Schumacher – Ferrari
1999 – Eddie Irvine - Ferrari


MALAYSIA FLASHBACK


2002 - Williams scored a 1-2 - A first corner clash with M Schumacher saw Montoya gain a (rather harsh) drive through penalty, losing a total of 30 seconds in the process, heralding a great come back drive to secure 2nd in the race. The two Jordan’s collided, Sato hitting Fisichella. M Schumacher dropped to 21st place on the 1st lap after his altercation with Montoya, but in his usual triumph over adversity style brought the car home 3rd in the end. Barrichello suffered a rare Ferrari failure to retire on lap 40. Button missed out on a podium for Renault, a suspension problem seeing the car run on only 3 wheels at some parts of the track – he nursed it home for 4th place, Michael overtaking him on the final lap….The result – R Schumacher from Montoya with M Schumacher 3rd.

2001 – The race moved from it’s previous last race on the calendar slot to 2nd spot , prompting concerns over ticket sales so close to the last running of the event. Michael Schumacher romped to an easy victory, (his 6th successive) at one point running on a wet track some 5 seconds a lap faster than the McLaren’s. Trulli in a Jordan topped the timesheets in free practice. Sweltering temperatures put attention onto the tyre makers, whilst monsoon conditions early on Sunday left the track awash for the start. The first start was aborted, instigated by Frentzen who initially sat on his 9th grid slot as the parade lap started, causing the whole left hand side of the grid to be delayed, then slipped down the order with a misfire, by the end of the lap Fisichella ended up out of position and found him self stopped across the track. On the second go at it Montoya was stranded on the green flag lap, he made it into the spare before the starting lights came on and was cleared to start from the pit lane under the new rules. In the end M Schumacher won from Rubens and DC. Paddock rumbling’s focused on traction control, who had it or who didn’t….

2000 – Red wigs were the fashion item at Malaysia, as Schumacher, Barrichello and Ross Brawn sported them on the podium in honour of winning both driver and constructor titles. M Schumacher had pole from Hakkinen, DC and Rubens. Wurz took the 5th grid slot for Benetton. William’s had a torid time in qualifying with Ralf 8th and Button 16th. It marked the last GP for Jonny Herbert, but not the end he would have wanted, a rear suspension failure pitching him off the track at high speed – bruising his knee in the process. Up front Hakkinen jumped the start and incurred a stop-go penalty, the melee occurred at the 2nd corner with a bunch of mid-field runners including Diniz, de la Rosa, Heidfeld and Alesi tripping over each other. Ralf, Trulli and Irvine fell over each other later on the first lap. When it all washed out, Haikkinen (due to stop for his penalty) led from DC who later went off track while leading, despite regaining the track, he lost the advantage he held over the Ferrari’s. At the finish it was M Schumacher from DC with Rubens 3rd – Irvine got a point for Jaguar in 6th


1999 - This race was notable as it was the inaugural Malaysian Grand Prix and Michael Schumacher’s first race back after his leg breaking accident at Silverstone back in July. In Schumacher’s absence it had been left it to Eddie Irvine to challenge Mika Hakkinen for the title. Schumacher promptly took pole, 1 second ahead of the McLaren’s. Irvine took 2nd spot on the grid. 5th was Herbert in the Steward, buoyed up by winning the recent European Grand Prix. What followed was the rare sight of Schumacher riding shotgun, after assuming the lead he allowed Irvine past and then covered his back from DC et al. However DC hadn’t read that part of the script passed Schumacher and set off in pursuit of Irvine, only to retire with mechanical failure.

There followed a period of gamesmanship, with Schumacher both slowing down to allow Irvine to build his lead, then speeding up to stay ahead of Hakkinen around the pit stops. McLaren gambled on a pit stop different strategy to counter this, that didn’t work, as Mika ended up back behind Schumacher and required an extra stop. In the end Schumacher slowed to see Irvine take the win, Hakkinen passed Herbert for 3rd. However after the race both Ferrari’s were found to be illegal by FIA officials and disqualified. Naturally Ferrari appealed and the court of appeal found in Ferrari’s favour - they were re-instated.


THE 2004 STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 1

Drivers

1. M Schumacher -10 pts
2. R. Barrichello – 8 pts
3. F Alsonso – 6 pts
4. 4. R Schumacher – 5 pts
5. J.P. Montoya – 4 pts
6. J. Button – 3 pts
7. J Trulli – 2 pts
8. D Coulthard – 1 pt

Constructors

1. Ferrari – 18 pts
2. Williams – BMW – 9 pts
3. Renault – 8 pts
4. BAR – Honda – 3pts
5. McLaren - Mercedes – 1 pt

10 Tenths Tyre maker standings

1. Michelin - 21 pts
2. Bridgestone - 18 pts



Number of Engine Penalties – 0
Driver Penalties - 0

[Super Tourer]

10 Tenths Grand Prix Preview - Part Two




10 Tenths Supergrid

20pts awarded for pole down to 1pt for 20th – drivers who don’t set a time 0 points

1. M Schumacher - 20
2. R Barrichello – 19
3. Montoya – 18
4. Button – 17
5. Alonso – 16
6. Webber – 15
7. Sato – 14
8. R Schumacher – 13
9. Trulli -12
10. Raikkonen – 11
11. Massa – 10
12. Coulthard – 9
13. Da Matta – 8
14. Fisichella – 7
15. Heidfeld – 6
16. Pantano – 5
17. Bruni – 4
18. Panis – 0
19. Klein – 0
20. Baumgartner - 0









Looking ahead to the 2004 Race

The new, universally unloved , qualifying format looks set to stay for at least Malaysia or until the FIA can come up with something better. Bernie Ecclestone favours a complete return to the 1 hour 12 lap limit sessions; it’s probable that in the short term they will revert to the timetable we saw last year with a Friday shoot out deciding the running order for the Saturday qualifying session.

After the Redwash we saw in Melbourne, Michelin runners are confident (hopefull?) that much higher temperatures in Malaysia will prove an advantage to them, or at the very least provide a benchmark of where they really are in relation to Ferrari. Track temperatures can reach 50 degree’s , which makes tyre performance a major issue. This race should show if either Bridgestone have really closed the gap, or if Michelin maintain a hot weather and particularly hot track temperature advantage. Some observers have offered the opinion that putting so much reliance on the weather to either close a gap or maintain an edge, is sheer folly, but for some teams leaving Melbourne with their tails between their legs, it was all they could offer as an immediate explanation!

Despite the one engine rule we saw very good reliability at the last race, the higher temperatures and humidity will stretch reliability to a different level at Sepang, although as we can see from the stat’s, most of last years retirements were caused by electrical gremlins rather than engine blow up’s.

Looking at the form guide, unless Bridgestone do wilt in the heat, it looks like we are heading for a similar race result to Australia. Schumacher and Ferrari hold the lap record at Malaysia and the fastest pole wining lap. Schumacher has also never been lower than 3rd on the grid and Ferrari has won 3 out of the 5 races held at Sepang.

As we can see from the flashbacks, Sepang has been notorious for first lap and especially first corner incidents, both Montoya and Michael Schumacher being involved in different incidents at the last two races.

The Malaysian race can also be a test of endurance for the drivers, with soaring temperatures and stifling humidity, this will be a new experience for the rookies on the grid!

On past performance at the track and Ferrari’s current form, you have to say that anything other than a Ferrari win would be an unexpected result – but first corner incidents can change the nature of a race and Schumacher has had his fair share at Sepang!


One rule change that may have some impact during the year is running 1st Qualifying in the order of the last race result as opposed to Championship positions; this may see some drivers out of sync as seen with Raikkonen below.

Running Order for 1st Qualifying Session.

1. M Schumacher
2. Barrichello
3. Alonso
4. R Schumacher
5. Montoya
6. Button
7. Trulli
8. Coulthard
9. Sato
10. Fisichella
11. Klien
12. Da Matta
13. Panis
14. Pantano
15. Massa
16. Heidfeld
17. Bruni
18. Webber
19. Baumgartner
20. Raikkonen




The Sepang Circuit.

http://www.malaysiangp.com.my/tracks/main.htm - Circuit Map

The Sepang circuit was opened in March 1999 and arguably set new standards for facilities at Grand Prix track. It was conceived as part of the Malaysian Government’s plan to regenerate the region as an industrial and technology centre and further showcase Malaysia’s high technology capability.

Circuit Stat’s

Track Length: 5.542 km
No. Of Turns: Left 5; Right 10
Race Distance: 56 laps - 192.88ml / 310.4km
Straights: 8
Width: 16m (T1:18m; T2:20m; T15: 25m)
Longest Straight: 928m {T15 toT1}
Gradient: T2>T3: -5.6% T9>T10: +3.67%
Widest Run-Off: T13-T14


Take a lap of the track with Jenson Button: http://www.pitpass.com/src/circuits/sepang.php




Race Weekend Timetable (local time) info: www.fia.com



Friday 19th March 11:00 to 12:00 – 1st Practice session

Friday 19th March 14:00 to 15:00 – 2nd Practice session

Saturday 20th March 10:00 to 10:45 – 3rd Practice session

Saturday 20th March 11:00 to 11:45 – 4th Practice session

Saturday 20th March 14:00 to 15:30 - Qualifying (in 2 parts with 2 minute gap)

Sunday 21st March 15:00 – Race. (Malaysia is 15:00 start)

This differs slightly from the tentative programme on the Malaysia F1 website, but is the official FIA version. Check out the Malaysia F1 version: http://f1-malaysia.com/f1/index.html


UK TV Viewing Schedule.

The Malaysian GP on ITV1 and ITV2 20-21st March
(subject to change)
Qualifying
Repeat Sat 13:30 - 15:30
Race
Live Sun 06:45 - 09:10
Repeat Sun 14:00 - 16:25
Race highlights
ITV2 Mon 19:00 - 20:00
All times are GMT

http://www.itv-f1.com/tv_schedule/






Follow the sessions with LIVE timing: http://www.formula1.com


Check the time differences. World Clock: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/


Weather Check: http://weather.cnn.com/weather/forec...p?locCode=WMKK



Betting Odds

World Championship
http://www.oddschecker.com/oddscheck...676x/sid/65842








Reminder of the new rules for 2004.


2004 Rule Changes Snapshot

Engines – One engine per driver to be used from the start of Friday Practice to the end of the race. Penalty – for changing an engine before qualifying, driver drops 10 places on the starting grid. For changing an engine after qualifying, the driver starts from the back of the grid

Driver Penalties – The controversial drive through penalties are scrapped in favour of a post race inquiry. Any penalty decided upon will be implemented at the next race. Should a driver incur three penalties, he may face a one race ban.

Aero – Rear wings change from three upper elements (2003) down to two, aimed at reducing down force. To increase surface area for sponsors logo’s, both the engine cover and rear wing endplate are increased in size.

Electronics – Launch control and automatic gear shifting banned, driver must ‘paddle’ change.

Pit lane - speed limit is increases to 100 Km/h which may have some implications for pit stop strategy at circuits where a 2/3 stopper was previously a marginal call.

Qualifying – Saturday: two sessions (14:00 to 15:30) with 2 minute gap in between.

1st Q Session – Driver’s run in order of the previous race result.
2nd Q Session - Drivers run in reverse order of times set in the previous session.

[Super Tourer]

10 Tenths Grand Prix Preview - Part Three



Form Guide Malaysia

Driver- 2003/2002/2001/2000/1999

M Schumacher - G3:P6/G1:P3/G1:P1/G1:P1/G1:P2
Barichello - G5:P2/G3:R/G2:P2/G4:P3/G6:P5
Montoya - G8:P12/G2:P2/G6:R/NE/NE
R Schumacher - G17:P4/G4:P1/G3:P5/G8:R/G8:R
Coulthard - G4:R/G6:R/G8:P3/G3:P2/G3:R
Raikkonen - G7:P1/G5:R/G14:R/NE/NE
Trulli - G2:P5/G12:R/G5:P8/G9:P12/G18: DNS
Alonso - G1:P3/NE/G21:P13/NE/NE
Button - G9:P7/G8:P4/G17:P11/G16:R/NE
Sato - NE/G15:P9/NE/NE/NE
Fisichella - G14:R/G9:P13/G16:R/G13:P9/G11:P11
Massa - NE/G14:P6/NE/NE/NE
Webber - G16:R/G21:R/NE/NE/NE
Klien - NE/NE/NE/NE/NE
da Matta - G11:P11/NE/NE/NE/NE
Panis - G10:R/G18:R/G10:R/NE/G12:R
Heidfeld - G6:P8/G7:P5/G11:R/G19:R/NE
Pantano – NE/NE/NE/NE/NE
Bruni - NE/NE/NE/NE/NE
Baumgartner – NE/NE/NE/NE/NE

Key
Grid Position- G
Finish Position - P
Retired - R
Non Starter-DNS
Not Entered - NE



Inter-Team Qualifying

M Schumacher 1 - Barrichello - 0
Montoya 1 - R Schumacher - 0
Coulthard - 0 - Raikkonen - 1
Trulli - 0 - Alonso - 1
Button - 1 - Sato - 0
Fisichella - 0 - Massa - 1
Panis - 0 - da Matta - 1
Webber -1 - Klien - 0
Heidfeld - 1 - Pantano - 0
Bruni - 1 - Baumgartner - 0

[ralf fan]

OMG ST.... great job.... howd you get all this stuff anyways... FANTASTIC...

[Ryo28]

Sorry to knitpick...

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Super Tourer
[B]10 Tenths Grand Prix Preview - Part Two


10 Tenths Supergrid........

17. Baumgartner – 4
18. Panis – 0
19. Klein – 0
20. Baumgartner - 0

Minardi don't need 2 Hungarian pay drivers, just the one is fine...

Fantastic preview, though!

[Super Tourer]

Corrected!

[Wrex]

Fantastic effort ST

[Super Tourer]

New Graphic

[Kirk]

Is this your full time job ST? If so, I suspect you're underpaid. Thank-you

[Led ZeppF1]

Great effort, ST

[ljakse]

I'm amased!!!
ST, you are making TV commantators' life easy!!!

[Pitstop]

All I need you to do now ST is:

Give me the pole sitter before the race starts,,,,,,,,,,,,

AND

The first 8 over the finishing line.

Please pm me - I don't want all these other bods around here messing up my chances of winning the pedictions comp.

I am open to reasonable bribes.

Brilliant information!!

Well done.

[Adam43]

Just to remind everyone there are a couple of predictions competitions in F1:
Predictions Competition Rounnd 2 entries
Fans Competition Round 2

[bluebeard]

amazing ST but on your supergrid who's the new driver.... 'KELIN'

[Panzer]

Well done ST fantastic. Thank you.

[Adam43]

You can discuss this in the chat room in the preview chat on Wednesday night and also during the Q and the race.
http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...threadid=51606

[Ryder]

I am a Williams (Montoya) fan, but I just pray that someone steps up to challenge Ferrari this weekend. Sepang is a great circuit though, dont you think? Those two straights down the middle are sensational.