McLaren Mercedes - Malaysian GP - Preview

It wasn't the best of races for the McLaren Mercedes team in Australia, with 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton starting from the rear following bad qualifying pace and a gearbox change penalty.

Come race time on Sunday, Heikki Kovalainen was hit by Mark Webber's spinning Red Bull at the first corner; a punctured tyre and broken suspension sent the Finn back into the pitlane as he retired from the race.

Despite struggling with an off-pace MP4-24, Hamilton was aiming for points and pushed his way from beginning to end as he embarked on an aggressive strategy, reaching a remarkable fourth position at the finish line.

However, the stewards considered that Toyota's third-placed Jarno Trulli committed a mistake while the Safety Car was on track late in the race and called a 25-second penalty. The Toyota team intends to appeal the decision, but in the meantime Hamilton is promoted to the final step of the podium.

With the eventful Australian race behind them, the McLaren Mercedes team members now head for the fearsome heat and humidity of Malaysia, where the second round of the 2009 season will take place this upcoming week-end at the Sepang circuit.

Lewis Hamilton:
"Firstly, we shouldn't get carried away by our podium in Australia. Yes, we had a fantastic race but we're all aware that our car isn't capable of repeating that sort of performance on sheer pace alone.
And Sepang is one of the tougher tracks on the calendar, one where we will probably be further from the frontrunners than we were in Albert Park. The track is both fast and technical so requires good mechanical and aero grip. It's much more aero-dependent and rear-limited than Melbourne so it may highlight some of the shortcomings in MP4-24. Nevertheless, we're all really encouraged by the progress we've made and I know we'll be pushing as hard as ever to put more points on the board in Sepang."

Heikki Kovalainen:
"The Sepang track is a challenge because it requires several compromises to get the best set-up. There are plenty of long straights, where you ideally need lower downforce, but that gives the car a tendency to slide too much through the high-speed corners. The best corners are Turns Six and Seven – the fast left-right esses behind the pits. In the car, you've not only got to find the optimum balance, but also make sure the brakes and cooling are efficient, otherwise you'll be in trouble before you get to the end of the race. The only difficulty for me is the heat; coming from Finland, we often see the same temperature-readings – but with a minus in front!"

Martin Whitmarsh, Team Principal:
"Despite a good result in the race, our performance in the Australian Grand Prix was not what we would like it to be, and the reality is that this weekend's race in Malaysia is unlikely to offer a significant improvement in fortunes. Nevertheless, we are still pushing to introduce performance to the car – the close proximity to the opening race means there won't be many large changes to the car but there will be several upgrades to existing components. For us, the mission is clear: we must introduce laptime to our car faster than our rivals to enable us to, firstly, catch the leading runners and then to be able to compete against them. It's a task we take incredibly seriously and are confident that progress will be made sooner rather than later."

Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
"With Lewis in third place, the season opener in Melbourne ended much better for us than we had expected after his 18th grid position. Compared to our test results in Barcelona two and a half weeks ago, we made a good step. This result was mainly due to Lewis' perfect drive and a good strategy by our team. Moreover, some of the incidents in the race went in our favour. However, we cannot expect the same again this coming weekend in Malaysia. We all will work flat out to improve our technical package further – that's a promise."

BMW Sauber - Malaysian GP - Preview

The Australian Grand Prix did not provide the points the BMW Sauber team wished for: Nick Heidfeld claimed 10th position, while Robert Kubica's almost-assured podium expectations came to an abrupt end three laps from the finish when Sebastian Vettel collided with his car.

The BMW Sauber F1 Team now travels to the home of its premium partner Petronas for the second round of the 2009 World Championship. The Twin Towers, the company's head office, are a major landmark of Kuala Lumpur.

The Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang circuit normally takes place in extreme heat, making it one of the toughest races of the season for drivers, team personnel and the cars.

Robert Kubica:
"We have a lot of fans in Malaysia and it is really a special feeling to drive there. The race went extremely well for me last year. Of course I hope that we can get a strong result again this time around. I'm really looking forward to this GP, as this is a unique track with a wide variety of corners; some are seriously quick, but others are very slow. And in some places you can choose different lines, which makes it particularly interesting. The final sector is very different from the other two, as it has just two long straights and a hard braking area.
This track really offers everything, and that means it demands a lot of the car. The later start time means there is a pretty strong chance of rain. I'm sure that we are in for an extremely interesting weekend."

Nick Heidfeld:
"For me Sepang is a nice, challenging circuit. Last year I managed to pull off some good overtaking moves there. The heat is always an issue, coupled with a high level of humidity. However, I've never had a problem with it and am particularly fit this year. We've often experienced cloudbursts in Malaysia in the late afternoon and early evening. This year's schedule increases the chances that we will still be on the track at this time. Hopefully it will still be light enough. I always feel very much at ease in Malaysia."

Toyota - Malaysian GP - Preview

The Malaysian Grand Prix has been a fixture on the Formula 1 calendar since 1999, with Sepang hosting its 11th Grand Prix this year. Prior to that the Malaysian Grand Prix was an event for other racing series, running intermittently from 1962-1995.

Toyota Racing is quickly in action again with the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, following just days after the season got under way in Australia. Heat and tremendous humidity await the team this coming week-end.

Toyota has proud memories of Sepang, which was the scene for its first Formula 1 podium back in 2005 when Jarno Trulli finished second. Last year the Italian again showed his mastery of Malaysia by finishing a superb fourth place while Timo Glock suffered an unlucky retirement when another car caused an accident.

Jarno Trulli:
"I generally go really well in Malaysia and I have had some strong results there so I am approaching this race with great confidence. We achieved a great breakthrough in Malaysia in 2005 when I got the team's first podium in Formula 1 so I have good memories which will inspire me this weekend. Of course one of the big topics in Malaysia is the heat and humidity, which is quite a challenge for the drivers. It's not easy but that's why I train so much over the winter; I'm fit and it will be fine. Australia was a weekend of highs and lows but we showed that we are very competitive and I hope we can do that again this weekend."

Timo Glock:
"I don't have much experience of racing in Malaysia because I was taken out so early last year, but from the practice and qualifying I know the conditions are quite extreme. It's also pretty tough on the cars and tyres as well but I can adapt quickly to different conditions and different tracks so I'm ready for the challenge. I said before the season started that our car looked pretty good and the performance we showed in Australia proved that. It's great to have good points on the board already this season and my goal is obviously to add to that this weekend. We have every reason to be optimistic."

John Howett, President:
"Australia was a very challenging weekend for the team but we responded extremely well to it and the performance was a credit to everyone. We showed extremely strong pace in the race and all our work has clearly delivered a competitive car which we expect to show again in Malaysia."

Bruno Senna on Force India list

Vijay Mallya has admitted interest in Bruno Senna, the 2008 GP2 runner-up who narrowly missed a seat on this year's Formula One grid.

25-year-old Senna, the nephew of the great Ayrton Senna, was a favourite for the cockpit alongside Jenson Button in 2009, until Ross Brawn completed the management buyout of the former Honda team and opted instead for Rubens Barrichello's experience in completing the Brawn GP line-up.

Indian billionaire Mallya is the owner and team boss of the Force India operation, who reportedly considered making a driver change for 2009 but instead opted for stability in keeping Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil.

"There were too many changes I was making with the team," he told the British Sunday newspaper the Observer.

"We had management changes and I wanted to have some stability and continuity," explained Mallya.

But he indicates that a change next year is on the cards, given that 36-year-old Italian veteran Fisichella is closer to the end of his career than the beginning.

"I know that Giancarlo is reaching the end of his racing career, it may not be next year but he is certainly at the tail end," Mallya said.

"There are youngsters waiting in the wings -- one of them is Bruno Senna and we all thought he would be signed by Brawn GP but they went with Barrichello. We will look at the youngsters at the appropriate time," he added.

Abu Dhabi ready for Formula 1

Organisers of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix have rubbished reports the Yas Marina circuit will not be ready to host the 2009 season finale.

Rumours last weekend, and subsequent reports in the Canadian press, suggested the defunct Montreal race could be revived in order to substitute for Abu Dhabi, whose project may be delayed by the global financial crisis.

But Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management (ADMM) said tickets for the November 1 race went on sale on Monday.

"Progress on the construction of Yas Marina Circuit (...) is on track and there are no concerns regarding delivery deadlines," a statement issued by ADMM read.

"Abu Dhabi is excited to host the world on November 1st and we would love for Canadians to visit us and enjoy our country and hospitality, and to experience the thrill of motorsports with us," the press release added.

Italy dissapointed by Ferrari performance

The Italian press reacted with surprise and disappointment following Ferrari's terrible start to the 2009 championship.

The double retirement in Australia was reportedly the Maranello team's worst start to a season since South Africa in 1992, when both scarlet cars expired with engine failures.

"The Ferrari was slow and fragile," Corriere dello Sport summarised of the Albert Park race, where Felipe Massa stopped with a mechanical problem and Kimi Raikkonen was asked to retire with a few laps to go, having survived a spin into the wall.

Also referring to the F60 single seater, a standout of the winter test season, Tuttosport added: "It was much slower than expected."

Tyre management and poor strategy choices no doubt contributed to Ferrari's performance, and team boss Stefano Domenicali revealed to reporters that engineers will be looking closely at how the weight implications of the KERS system played a role.

"In my opinion, apart from the Brawns, we are competitive.
The solution for Malaysia is to work, work, work," said Felipe Massa, who was seventh fastest in qualifying.

While Ferrari is hoping for better this weekend, F1's other 2008 title protagonist McLaren knows it faces an even harsher challenge on the long curves of Sepang.

"There probably will be a bigger difference between us and the Brawn car (in Malaysia)," World Champion Lewis Hamilton admitted. "We'll be a little further behind."

"Hopefully by China and from then on we will be a little bit closer," he added.

Toyota appeal for Trulli podium

Toyota faces an uphill battle to appeal its lost Melbourne podium, but the Japanese team does have a valid case to argue.

Jarno Trulli's third place and champagne celebrations became twelfth on the official classification, after stewards ruled he illegally overtook Lewis Hamilton behind the Safety Car.

The Italian had been running third when the Safety Car came out late in the race, but he dropped behind the McLaren driver in an off-track moment.

"Trulli took back the place under the Safety Car," said McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh at the time of the investigation.

The stewards of the meeting agreed, promoting Hamilton to third, but Trulli insisted that he only passed the Briton because he had "suddenly slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road."

"I thought he had a problem," the 34-year-old said, "so I overtook him as there was nothing else I could do."

The rules permit overtaking under the Safety Car in such circumstances.

The problem for Toyota is the inadmissibility of appeals for post-race 25-second penalties, because if the incident had occurred earlier in the race, the penalty would have taken the form of a drive-through, which is not subject to appeal.

Toyota snuck in its appeal through a loophole, by lodging it not with the stewards of the meeting, but with the local clerk of the course.

The team has two days to formalise its appeal in writing.

If it allows the procedure, the Court of Appeal would be faced with a difficult decision. Hamilton has been quoted by Speed TV as admitting that - after passing Trulli following the Toyota's off - he was then "told (by McLaren) to let him back past."

Hamilton presumably then pulled over and slowed, which would seem to corroborate Trulli's explanation that he only passed the Briton because "there was nothing else I could do."

Fernando Alonso was unimpressed with KERS

Fernando Alonso was unimpressed with the performance of his KERS system in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

The Spaniard's Renault was one of just seven cars fitted with the controversial new energy re-use technology in Melbourne.

"It was not very useful," he told Spain's AS sports newspaper. "In terms of lap time we knew it doesn't give us an advantage, but I used it when I was right behind Glock - without a KERS - and the truth is that it was no help at all."

"At this circuit there was no benefit," Alonso added. "But let's see what happens at tracks with very long straights, like Bahrain, or Monza."

However, Toyota's Timo Glock reported during the race that he was unable to pass Alonso's Renault because the Spaniard kept using his KERS system to reopen the gap between them.

"It was difficult to overtake," said Glock, whose car was not KERS-equipped in Australia.

Schumacher not agreed with Vettel penalty

Michael Schumacher in Australia questioned the stewards' decision to penalise his countryman Sebastian Vettel.

Vettel, driving for Red Bull, apologised to his team and BMW's Robert Kubica for the crash near the end of the 2009 season opener.

The 21-year-old was also quoted by media as calling himself "an idiot", and it is believed he was equally as frank during the stewards' inquiry.

However, not everyone agreed that Vettel was entirely to blame, as he tried to defend his second place to the charging Kubica.

"He (Vettel) was on the inside - he couldn't make his car dissolve into thin air," Ferrari advisor and seven time world champion Schumacher said at Albert Park, according to Germany's Bild newspaper.

1982 world champion Keke Rosberg remarked that Vettel may have been penalised because he is an overly "honest chap".

Stewards ruled that he caused the crash and ordered Vettel to start ten places lower than his qualifying position in Malaysia this weekend.

"I think it's hard but we just have to accept it," Sebastian said.

Alonso - Brawn GP could win every race this season

If the design of the 2009 Brawn car does not change, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello could win every race this season.

That is the suggestion of double world champion Fernando Alonso, whose Renault crossed the finish line sixth in Sunday's season opening Australian grand prix.

The Mercedes-powered BGP001 car - and also the Toyota and Williams - is the subject of high controversy, with many teams questioning the legality of its so-called 'double diffuser' at the rear.

The piece is the subject of a hearing on April 14 of the International Court of Appeal.

"They (Brawn) are on another level to everybody else," Spaniard Alonso told his native country's AS sports newspaper. "They're running rings around us because they are playing in another division. If the Court does nothing on April 14, you can assume that they will win 17 races."

It was rumoured that McLaren might be set to join or actively support the appeal, but Mercedes' Norbert Haug told Germany's SID news agency that the team instead needs to put all its energy into making the MP4-24 more competitive.

But he said: "We agree totally with the protesting teams that a wrong interpretation of the regulations has been done."

Haug pointed out, however, that only four per cent of cases before the Court of Appeal succeed.

Former triple world champion Niki Lauda said it is simplistic to put the speed of the Brawn car entirely down to its diffuser. "It has many precise, innovative and detailed solutions that altogether makes the car very strong," the Austrian told Germany's Sport Bild.

"To say that the diffuser alone is the secret is complete rubbish," he added. "That's a cheap excuse. The fact is, Ross Brawn has simply done the best job."