Brawn GP - Malaysian GP - Preview

Following a sensational debut race weekend in Australia where Jenson Button led Brawn GP to its first Grand Prix victory, the team headed straight to Malaysia for round two of the championship.

This weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix takes place at the Sepang International Circuit close to Kuala Lumpur. The 56-lap race is one of the toughest on the calendar due to the punishing heat and humidity coupled with the challenge of the circuit's demanding corners, long straights and bumpy asphalt.

This year's race will be the 11th to be held at the Herman Tilke designed track which was built on the site of a 260-hectare swamp. The 5.54km (3.44 mile) circuit sees the cars average 210kph (130mph) around its 15 turns.

Brawn GP will be hoping to build on its successful weekend in Melbourne which sees the team leading the constructors' championship with 18 points and Jenson Button leading the drivers' championship with ten points.

Jenson Button
"After the amazing weekend that we experienced in Melbourne, the whole team was keen to get to Malaysia and start racing again. However the Malaysian Grand Prix is always one of the toughest races of the season and it will be a real challenge for our new car with so little testing under our belts.
Malaysia has a really hot and humid climate which really tests the car's durability and coupled with the frequent torrential downpours can make for an unpredictable race weekend."

"It's a tough place for the drivers as the heat in the cockpit can be unbearable and tests the limit of your fitness and concentration. You have to work hard to find a good balance for the car at Sepang and it can be challenging for the tyres to work well for the whole lap. Malaysia is a special circuit for me as I achieved my first podium here back in 2004 so I'm hoping that this weekend will provide some more happy memories!"

Rubens Barrichello
"The Malaysian Grand Prix is always a really tough race but if you can cope well with the heat and humidity, it is a track that the drivers enjoy. It's a real engineering challenge to find the right balance and you need to have a car with good aerodynamics to find time around the lap. The intense heat puts pressure on the engine, brakes and the drivers as the temperature can rise above 50 degrees in the cockpit so you have to be well-prepared and ensure you are fully-hydrated."

"Our team had a really good race weekend in Australia and the car performed as we expected, however we anticipate that our competitors to be closer this time so we will be working extra hard to improve on our performance from last weekend."

Ross Brawn, Team Principal
"The Australian Grand Prix weekend was a fantastic experience for our team and the one-two result for Jenson and Rubens went beyond our hopes and expectations for our very first race. We know that our competitors will not stand still however and that the challenge will become ever more difficult from here. We can rise to that challenge and we have a very good and stable car which should go well around the Sepang circuit."

"As in Australia, we will need to maximise the practice running that we have on Friday to develop the set-up, and we will be faced with the usual reliability concerns caused by the high temperatures that we expect in Malaysia. As the race is later than usual in the calendar and will take place later in the day, we are expecting some rain showers which will make the strategy for the weekend very interesting."

Honda Motor Co. saluted to Brawn GP

The Honda Motor Co. has congratulated its former Formula One team for winning last Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

Due to the global financial crisis, the Japanese carmaker announced its complete withdrawal from the sport late last year, handing over to Ross Brawn after a management buyout.

The Brackley-based team's efforts last year, however, laid the foundations of the now Brawn GP-branded BGP001 single seater, which with Mercedes power in Australia qualified and finished in first and second places.

Moreover, the bulk of Brawn's 2009 budget was pledged by Honda to ensure the team remained a going concern for this season.

Ross Brawn revealed at Albert Park last Saturday that Japanese executives had been in contact with him to applaud his success.

"We are incredibly delighted that our team-mates, with whom we worked until last season, have started from extremely difficult circumstances to earn this victory," Honda Motor Co. said in a statement.

It added: "Congratulations to the Brawn GP Formula One team."

3 teams confirm new diffuser in Malaysia

BMW, McLaren and Ferrari have confirmed that they have each commenced working on controversial 'double decker' diffusers.

We previously reported that Red Bull and Renault are going down the same path, despite their looming FIA appeal hearing against what they claim is a misguided interpretation of the 2009 rules.

Red Bull's Christian Horner said the team's design department began investigating the solution weeks ago.

BMW Sauber team boss Mario Theissen is now quoted in the German press as saying: "We cannot afford to wait until somebody says it is allowed or not allowed."

Mercedes' Norbert Haug added: "Naturally you have to prepare in case it becomes fully legal. Every team that wants to win must work on it."

Media reports say the cost of Ferrari's work on accommodating a double diffuser, involving substantial revisions to the entire F60, has been estimated at 20 million (Euros).

"We are basically having to build a new car," an unnamed Ferrari team source is quoted by the Munich newspaper TZ as saying.

Renault - Malaysian GP - Preview

After a poor run in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix, both Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet were able to run in the points on Sunday afternoon with the former eventually being classified in fifth position. While the team know they need to work hard to improve the R29 package, both Alonso and Piquet are confident that they can improve their form this Sunday in Malaysia.

Fernando, Australia was a tough weekend for the team, yet you must be happy to come away with four points…
FA: "Yes, considering how our weekend went in Australia, we have to be happy to have come away with some points. I lost a lot of positions at the start of the race as I had to avoid the first corner accident in front of me and from then on I was at the back of the field and fighting to recover the lost ground. As usual the first race of the year was quite eventful and in the closing stages we were able to take advantage of the incidents to move up into fifth position. Although it’s nice to have the points, we know we must work hard to improve the car, but we have the belief that we can do that."

Looking ahead to Sepang in Malaysia, what areas do you feel you need to concentrate on?
FA: "In Australia we struggled in qualifying and our race suffered as a result. So we need to make sure we qualify well so that we can have a strong race.
We also need to make sure we get the most from our KERS at the start of the race as there is a long run to the first corner where it should make a big difference. We must also concentrate on understanding the tyres because Melbourne showed that the two compounds play a major role in determining the performance of the car. This will be particularly important in Malaysia where the track temperatures will be very high so we need to see how the tyres perform in these conditions."

What are your expectations for the race this weekend?
FA: "Sepang is totally different to Melbourne and so I expect our car to be more suited to the circuit. It’s a special track for me as I’ve won there twice and it’s probably my favourite circuit so I always enjoy racing there. There are lots of fast, sweeping corners and it’s a circuit where you can really appreciate the performance of a Formula 1 car. In terms of our competitiveness, I hope we will be stronger there, but as we saw in Melbourne all the teams are very closely matched and we will have to fight hard to finish in the points."

Nelson, your race in Melbourne ended early, but until your retirement you were looking competitive…
NP: "Yes, I had a really good start to the race and made up a lot of ground on the first lap, but after the safety car came out I started having some problems with the brakes. When the race restarted I was fighting with Rosberg and managed to get passed him, but when I touched the brakes they were totally gone, which caused me to spin into the gravel. Fortunately I didn’t hit anything and there was no damage to the car, but it was a real shame because I was well placed and I think we could have had a strong finish in the points."

Tell us about the Sepang circuit and what it’s like to race there…
NP: "It’s a very wide and open track which offers several good overtaking opportunities and usually produces close and competitive racing. There are two long straights where our KERS should make a difference and help us to overtake. In terms of the hot temperatures, it is always a very physical race for the drivers as well as the team, but I’ve been training hard over the winter to prepare for the season and so the heat and humidity should not be too much of an issue."

How will you approach this weekend’s race in Malaysia?
NP: "I’ve already put Melbourne behind me and I’m fully focussed on coming back with a strong weekend in Sepang. We know we need to improve our performance, but we also learnt a lot about the R29 in Melbourne and we will use that information during free practice to try and find a better balance with the car. As a circuit Sepang will also give us a better idea of our competitiveness as it’s a more conventional track than Melbourne and I’m looking forward to driving there."

Williams aims another strong performances in Sepang

Sam Michael is predicting a strong weekend in Malaysia for the Williams team.

Although the Grove squad is traditionally cautious rather than optimistic, Technical Director Michael was buoyed by the new FW31's form on the Albert Park circuit last weekend.

Nico Rosberg topped every timesheet at the 2009 season opener except in qualifying, and the German even set the fastest lap of the race before finishing sixth.

"If Nico had a clear track in front of him, only the Brawn was faster," Australian Michael is quoted as saying by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

"On fast tracks we might even keep up with them," he predicted, then referring to this weekend's venue at Sepang which boasts "many more fast corners" than Melbourne.

Michael rejects his rivals' suggestions that teams like Brawn and Williams are only showing strong form because of their controversial rear diffuser designs.

"McLaren and Ferrari had to develop their 2008 cars right up to the end of the season, while Brawn and ourselves could concentrate early on the new rules," he said.

He also sounded hopeful that Ferrari, Renault and Red Bull's diffuser appeal later this month will fail.

"If they are not able to state better arguments than they did in Melbourne, they have no chance," said Michael.

Rosberg - Malaysian GP Weather Forecast

Nico Rosberg's fears about fading light combined with heavy rain look set to be realised at the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend.

"If the monsoon comes down, the race is going to have to be stopped," the German driver said this week.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department is predicting thunderstorms at Sepang all week, worsening between Friday and Sunday.

Combined with the 5pm start, to better suit the bulk European TV audience, there is a risk the skies above the Sepang circuit could be very dark.

"I hope for a safe race but on Monday it rained heavily during the predicted race duration," track boss Razlan Razali told the local Star newspaper.

Toyota confirm to drop appeal Trulli podium

Toyota has decided to drop its appeal against Jarno Trulli's confiscated Melbourne podium.

The Italian's third place at the 2009 season opener became twelfth after stewards ruled he illegally overtook Lewis Hamilton behind the safety car.

Trulli and Toyota argued that he only passed the McLaren "as there was nothing else I could do," and indicated its intention to appeal.

We reported earlier this week, however, that post-race 25-second penalties are usually not admissible by the FIA Court of Appeal, and that Toyota was therefore considering whether to proceed.

Last year, McLaren's appeal against a 25-second penalty relating to Hamilton at Spa Francorchamps was ruled inadmissible by the Court.

"It is believed that any appeal will be rejected on a procedural point," an excerpt of a statement issued by Toyota on Wednesday said.

Toyota said it has therefore decided "it would serve no benefit" to lodge a formal appeal.

Lewis switch to Brawn GP?

In a surprise statement issued shortly after midnight on this date, the highly competitive Brawn GP team shocked the F1 community by announcing that Lewis Hamilton is switching to the Brackley-based outfit for the remainder of the 2009 season.

The reigning World Champion will therefore leave the McLaren Mercedes team with immediate effect, and will be wearing the Brawn operation's white overalls at this week-end's Malaysian Grand Prix.

“It was a logical decision to make when considering the situation both our teams are facing at present,” Ross Brawn stated. “Everyone is very confident in regards to our potential in both the drivers' and constructors' championships.”

It seems that Brawn GP's current budget, combined with the lack of performance provided by McLaren's new single-seater, provoked an important brainstorming session within the Mercedes camp which ultimately resulted in pushing the daring plan forward and putting the best chances on their side.

“You have to look at the numbers,” explained Norbert Haug, VP of Mercedes-Benz Motorsports. “By switching Lewis and part of our budget to Brawn – which is already Mercedes-powered – statistically we can manage to win both championships this season.”

“I know there's only been one race so far this year,” Haug admitted, “but it adds up.
”

“This is really a wonderful gesture,” said a smiling Hamilton. “This is the best way for me to help my regular team move forward. With the spotlight on me at Brawn while I win all these races, McLaren don't have to worry about having a World Champion aboard and all that pressure.”

“Really,” he added, “I don't know why I hadn't thought of this myself!”

Ron Dennis, Martin Whitmarsh and Anthony Hamilton issued a joint statement which reads: “We have raised this child to be a World Champion again and again (…) this is a bold step in preserving that goal.”

The situation means that either Jenson Button or Rubens Barrichello will have to move aside to make place for Hamilton. The decision regarding who will sit in the vacated McLaren car has not yet been made, but the news was obviously badly received.

“I think not,” said Button. “You see, I'm spotted to be the next Brit F1 star.”

Reached by phone, Barrichello's response was more direct: “I told them I was through with making way for champions!”

It is unknown at present if the changes announced today will affect the Brawn team's expected title sponsorship with the Virgin empire, but it has been reported that a portion of the money previously tagged for F1 will now be used to purchase a fleet of small fishing vessels off the coast of Newfoundland.