The second round of the Formula 1 2015 season takes place at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
The race is undoubtedly one of the toughest on the calendar due to the demanding circuit, high temperatures and humidity.
The weather always plays an important part in the race weekend, with torrential rain often making an appearance. The 2001 race was spiced up by a heavy showers, the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix was red flagged due to horrendous conditions and last year’s qualifying session was delayed due to rain.
The Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne hosted the 2015 season opener, giving us a glimpse of the competitive order. Mercedes looks set to dominate once again, while Ferrari and Williams are in a close battle to be best of the rest.
Behind, the midfield looks tightly packed, with Sauber, Red Bull, Lotus and Toro Rosso all showing decent speed in Australia. Force India struggled for one-lap pace but had a more positive race, while McLaren’s new partnership with Honda got off to a tough start.
The FIA confirmed on Thursday that Fernando Alonso will return to the cockpit of the MP4-30 in Malaysia, after passing the final assessments. Valtteri Bottas was also cleared by the sport's governing body to compete at Sepang.
The track is a tricky one to master, with a mix of slow and high-speed corners and long straights. There are several strong overtaking opportunities and a number of heavy braking zones, which caused plenty of lock-ups and off-track excursions over last year’s race weekend.
A lap of the 3.444 mile circuit begins on the long start/finish straight, which is where the first DRS zone will be positioned. It is one of the widest on the calendar, which allows for plenty of side-by-side racing in the early laps. The pit lane exit is to the right.
The first corner is a long, slow right-hander that is swiftly followed by the even tighter left-hander of Turn 2. It is a particularly difficult corner to master in the wet, as Fernando Alonso found out in 2013 after he hit the back of Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull on lap one.
Because of the quick change in direction, a driver who has lost a position and has the outside line for the opening corner can then attempt to reclaim the place into the Turn 2. A good exit is crucial for the run through the flat-out Turn 3 and the following straight. The first sector ends just before the braking zone for the fourth corner, which is a 90 degree right-hander.
The left-right, high-speed complex of the fifth and sixth corners are challenging and lead on to the medium-speed, double-apex right that makes up Turns 7 and 8. Despite the largely smooth track surface, there is a bump through this section of track that can unsettle the car.
Another straight is next up before the heavy braking zone for the left-hand hairpin of Turn 9. This is a good overtaking opportunity and leads on to the right-hand kind of Turn 10, which where the second sector ends. The 11th corner is a tricky right-hander, with drivers braking and turning simultaneously. Turn 12 is a flat-out left-hander and is followed by one of the hardest sections of track on the F1 calendar.
Turns 13 and 14 make up a long and gradually tightening right, with braking and turning taking place at the same time once again. Expect plenty of mistakes here during practice. A good exit from this corner is crucial for the long back straight that leads to the final turn: a tight and slow hairpin with the pit entry to the right. This is a good overtaking opportunity and is where the second DRS zone is located.
Due to the warmer weather conditions in Malaysia, the more abrasive track surface and the challenging mix of corners, Pirelli will bring the orange-banded hard and the white-marked medium compound tyres to the race. Teams usually run with similar downforce levels to Australia due to the difficult nature of the track, compromising top speed on the many straights for an advantage in the corners.
The higher temperatures will once again test the cooling and reliability of the new 2015 machines and the V6 Turbo power units. The humidity means drivers are pushed to their physical limits. All of their winter fitness training is focused on tackling this race. The already skinny drivers can lose up to 5% of their body weight in fluid loss during the 56-lap event.
Vettel and Alonso are the most successful drivers at the track on the current grid, having both won the Malaysian Grand Prix three times. Michael Schumacher has also taken victory at the Sepang International Circuit on three occasions, with Kimi Raikkonen standing on the top step of the podium twice. Lewis Hamilton’s 2014 win was his first at the track.
Malaysian Grand Prix Fact File:
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Track Length: 3.44 miles
Direction: Clockwise
Turns: 15
Laps: 56
First race: 1999
Lap record: Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams, 2004, 1m34.223
Tyre compounds: Hard and medium
2014 race winner: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2014 pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:59.431
2014 fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:43.066
Live on: Sky Sports F1 and BBC One (both available in HD)
 |
| © Williams Martini Racing/LAT |
The weather always plays an important part in the race weekend, with torrential rain often making an appearance. The 2001 race was spiced up by a heavy showers, the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix was red flagged due to horrendous conditions and last year’s qualifying session was delayed due to rain.
 |
| © Mercedes AMG Petronas |
The Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne hosted the 2015 season opener, giving us a glimpse of the competitive order. Mercedes looks set to dominate once again, while Ferrari and Williams are in a close battle to be best of the rest.
Behind, the midfield looks tightly packed, with Sauber, Red Bull, Lotus and Toro Rosso all showing decent speed in Australia. Force India struggled for one-lap pace but had a more positive race, while McLaren’s new partnership with Honda got off to a tough start.
The FIA confirmed on Thursday that Fernando Alonso will return to the cockpit of the MP4-30 in Malaysia, after passing the final assessments. Valtteri Bottas was also cleared by the sport's governing body to compete at Sepang.
The track is a tricky one to master, with a mix of slow and high-speed corners and long straights. There are several strong overtaking opportunities and a number of heavy braking zones, which caused plenty of lock-ups and off-track excursions over last year’s race weekend.
A lap of the 3.444 mile circuit begins on the long start/finish straight, which is where the first DRS zone will be positioned. It is one of the widest on the calendar, which allows for plenty of side-by-side racing in the early laps. The pit lane exit is to the right.
 |
| © Scuderia Ferrari |
The first corner is a long, slow right-hander that is swiftly followed by the even tighter left-hander of Turn 2. It is a particularly difficult corner to master in the wet, as Fernando Alonso found out in 2013 after he hit the back of Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull on lap one.
Because of the quick change in direction, a driver who has lost a position and has the outside line for the opening corner can then attempt to reclaim the place into the Turn 2. A good exit is crucial for the run through the flat-out Turn 3 and the following straight. The first sector ends just before the braking zone for the fourth corner, which is a 90 degree right-hander.
The left-right, high-speed complex of the fifth and sixth corners are challenging and lead on to the medium-speed, double-apex right that makes up Turns 7 and 8. Despite the largely smooth track surface, there is a bump through this section of track that can unsettle the car.
Another straight is next up before the heavy braking zone for the left-hand hairpin of Turn 9. This is a good overtaking opportunity and leads on to the right-hand kind of Turn 10, which where the second sector ends. The 11th corner is a tricky right-hander, with drivers braking and turning simultaneously. Turn 12 is a flat-out left-hander and is followed by one of the hardest sections of track on the F1 calendar.
 |
| © Sahara Force India F1 Team |
Turns 13 and 14 make up a long and gradually tightening right, with braking and turning taking place at the same time once again. Expect plenty of mistakes here during practice. A good exit from this corner is crucial for the long back straight that leads to the final turn: a tight and slow hairpin with the pit entry to the right. This is a good overtaking opportunity and is where the second DRS zone is located.
Due to the warmer weather conditions in Malaysia, the more abrasive track surface and the challenging mix of corners, Pirelli will bring the orange-banded hard and the white-marked medium compound tyres to the race. Teams usually run with similar downforce levels to Australia due to the difficult nature of the track, compromising top speed on the many straights for an advantage in the corners.
The higher temperatures will once again test the cooling and reliability of the new 2015 machines and the V6 Turbo power units. The humidity means drivers are pushed to their physical limits. All of their winter fitness training is focused on tackling this race. The already skinny drivers can lose up to 5% of their body weight in fluid loss during the 56-lap event.
Vettel and Alonso are the most successful drivers at the track on the current grid, having both won the Malaysian Grand Prix three times. Michael Schumacher has also taken victory at the Sepang International Circuit on three occasions, with Kimi Raikkonen standing on the top step of the podium twice. Lewis Hamilton’s 2014 win was his first at the track.
 |
| © Formula 1 |
Malaysian Grand Prix Fact File:
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Track Length: 3.44 miles
Direction: Clockwise
Turns: 15
Laps: 56
First race: 1999
Lap record: Juan Pablo Montoya, Williams, 2004, 1m34.223
Tyre compounds: Hard and medium
2014 race winner: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2014 pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:59.431
2014 fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:43.066
Live on: Sky Sports F1 and BBC One (both available in HD)
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