F1 - Malaysia Grand Prix

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Next up, Malaysia in two weeks (3/30).

If RB gets Seb's car sorted, will he be right back where he was last year? Hope not but I think he could very well be.

Will McLaren continue to be strong with Magnussen and the new car they've been working on for so long?

How many [new] holes in the drywall are there in Maranello and Enstone?

Discuss!

WEEKEND SCHEDULE:

Fri 28 March 2014
Practice 1 (Thu) 22:00 - 23:30
Practice 2 (Fri) 02:00 - 03:30

Sat 29 March 2014
Practice 3 01:00 - 02:00
Qualifying 04:00

Sun 30 March 2014
Race 04:00

Circuit information

Lap data
Lap length 5.543km (3.444 miles)
Race laps 56
Race distance 310.408km (192.879 miles)
Pole position Right-hand side of the track
Lap record* 1’34.223 (211.783 kph) by Juan Pablo Montoya, 2004
Fastest lap 1’32.582 (215.536 kph) by Fernando Alonso, 2005
Maximum speed 303kph (188.275 mph)
DRS zone/s (race) Pit straight and final straight
Distance from grid to turn one 660m

Car performance
Full throttle 65%
Longest flat-out section 1029m
Downforce level High
Gear changes per lap 52
Fuel use per lap 2.4kg
Time penalty per lap of fuel 0.096s

Strategy
Quickest complete pit stop in 2012 22.163s by Mercedes (see full list)
2013 prime tyre**: Hard (2012: Hard)
2013 option tyre**: Medium (2012: Medium)
*Fastest lap set during a Grand Prix
**Pirelli’s compounds are softer than those used in 2012

Data sources: FIA, Williams, Mercedes
Hat tip to A2 on S2Ki for the circuit info.




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The heat may bring a few more cars down in Malaysia. I was surprised so many finished down under. Ferrari need to cut the gap to Mercedes - they are at least 1 second per lap slower now, maybe more. The 1.6 Turbo V6 era is interesting other than the terrible exhaust note. They sound like a Formula Ford with a broken header.
 
IIRC Melbourne was around 68-75 degrees ambient. I think they can add 20 degrees to that for Sepang. If I had to guess I'd say the things the teams learned from this race will be canceled out by the heat and the same number of cars will retire.
 
Red Bull and Ferrari both insist they will be faster in Malaysia but acknowledge they won't be up to Merc's pace yet. McLaren aims to be at Merc's pace by the Spanish GP and already has a significant update package ready for the car in Malaysia.
 
Originally Posted By: gofast182
IIRC Melbourne was around 68-75 degrees ambient. I think they can add 20 degrees to that for Sepang. If I had to guess I'd say the things the teams learned from this race will be canceled out by the heat and the same number of cars will retire.


Another thing to consider is that everyone (presumably) will be on their second race weekend with their power units. We might see wear and tear bring some of them down in this race. Heat issues aside.
 
Originally Posted By: gofast182
Red Bull and Ferrari both insist they will be faster in Malaysia but acknowledge they won't be up to Merc's pace yet. McLaren aims to be at Merc's pace by the Spanish GP and already has a significant update package ready for the car in Malaysia.


But these other teams seem to be forgetting that Mercedes isn't going to sit on it's laurels either, and will be making improvements as well. So even if they catch up to their current pace, they'll still have to make even more improvements to catch them, since Mercedes will have upped the ante even more. I think Mercedes is going to be near unstoppable this season.
 
One of these Asia/Australia races are going to end up cancelled someday.

Bernie starts them so late for European TV (4pm local time). If you ever have bad rain where they can't even be behind safety car, it gets dark quick when you start at 4pm, so you can't wait it out very long.

I dread the day that happens.

Otherwise, I am very much looking forward to the race!!
 
I heard that in Malaysia that people there for the missing plane are being kicked out of their hotel rooms because the F1 teams and fans are coming in and many of them booked those rooms almost a year in advance.

Not to sound rude but who cares about 4PM in Europe when the bloody things come on between 1AM-5AM in the US? Thank goodness for DVRs!
 
Originally Posted By: gofast182
Not to sound rude but who cares about 4PM in Europe when the bloody things come on between 1AM-5AM in the US? Thank goodness for DVRs!


I blame part of nascar's popularity on this. Not many people are exposed to f1 over here. So, less of a chance for them to appreciate right turns.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: gofast182
Not to sound rude but who cares about 4PM in Europe when the bloody things come on between 1AM-5AM in the US? Thank goodness for DVRs!

I guess I'm lucky I'm a major night owl. This part of the season is timed perfectly for me.
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Malaysia Grand Prix

Friday, March 28 - 2:00 a.m. -- Malaysia Grand Prix - Practice #2 (NBCSN)
Saturday, March 29 - 4:00 a.m. -- Malaysia Grand Prix - Qualifying (NBCSN)
Sunday, March 30 - 3:30 a.m. -- Malaysia Grand Prix - Race (NBCSN)
 
Quali. was a washout and the race was a bit boring. The positions of some of the teams was interesting. Also with the new fuel percentage graphic I couldn't help but notice that the Williams team was doing notably better than any other team with fuel. Considering they were mid-pack I expect them to show us more speed soon.
 
The F1 teams have done a very good job getting most of the cars to run race distance considering all the new technology. I was expecting more than half the field to drop out due to failures, but only about 30% of the field failed to finish, and many of them were crashes. If they have survived the heat and the rain in Malaysia, the cars must be pretty well-built.
 
I thought it was a decent race, I like how the cars slide around a bit more now as well. There is still a ton of rubber chunks all over the track, even at the ends of the straight aways that seems to restrict close racing near the end. Maybe next year pirelli can fix that somehow?
 
I wish they would, heck even this year. Drivers feel discouraged from passing because that stuff is everywhere except the racing line.
 
Yeah, the cars are getting sorted out and all that but.....

I HATE THE WAY THEY SOUND!!

The old Formula was just so much better. Now they sound like a bunch of Subaru WRXs. And rules like getting disqualified for haveing too high of a fuel flow is just crazy. Is it racing or an economy run.

I've been following F1 since 1962 and this has to be it lowest point yet.
 
Originally Posted By: Reggaemon
Yeah, the cars are getting sorted out and all that but.....

I HATE THE WAY THEY SOUND!!

The old Formula was just so much better. Now they sound like a bunch of Subaru WRXs. And rules like getting disqualified for haveing too high of a fuel flow is just crazy. Is it racing or an economy run.

I've been following F1 since 1962 and this has to be it lowest point yet.


That's an insult to WRXs man!
grin.gif
I'm still undecided on the sound myself. It certainly is a more complex noise, with turbo and drivetrain noises in the new formula. But for anyone that insists that sound isn't important as long as the racing as good, then those people have clearly never stood trackside when an ear splitting car(s) raced by and chilled your spine to the core. Sound does matter. Not just volume, but the type of note matters too. I still grin all stupidly whenever I watch youtube videos of the early 90's F1 v12 era...
crazy2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Klutch9
Originally Posted By: Reggaemon
Yeah, the cars are getting sorted out and all that but.....

I HATE THE WAY THEY SOUND!!

The old Formula was just so much better. Now they sound like a bunch of Subaru WRXs. And rules like getting disqualified for haveing too high of a fuel flow is just crazy. Is it racing or an economy run.

I've been following F1 since 1962 and this has to be it lowest point yet.


That's an insult to WRXs man!
grin.gif
I'm still undecided on the sound myself. It certainly is a more complex noise, with turbo and drivetrain noises in the new formula. But for anyone that insists that sound isn't important as long as the racing as good, then those people have clearly never stood trackside when an ear splitting car(s) raced by and chilled your spine to the core. Sound does matter. Not just volume, but the type of note matters too. I still grin all stupidly whenever I watch youtube videos of the early 90's F1 v12 era...
crazy2.gif



That's going a bit far, I think they sound better than WRX's.
My favorite F1 engine sound was the 2000 season Honda V10. I saw the USGP in Indianapolis that year, and the Honda nearly disintegrated my skull.
 
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