After a breathtaking Australian Grand Prix the Grand Prix teams move on to Malaysia.The Sepang circuit near Kuala Lumpur is the venue for the second round of the 2009 Formula 1 World Championship.
Malaysian GP History
The Malaysian Grand Prix made its first appearance as part of the Formula 1 World Championship in 1999, with the race victory going to Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine. Since then the Sepang circuit has been very good for Ferrari, with the Italian team scoring four further victories. The most recent of these came last year when Kimi Raikkonen won.
There had been talk of making the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix a night race, but this came to nothing. Instead, the race will start later than usual, at 5pm local time (9am GMT).
2009 Malaysian GP Guide
The opening race of the 2009 Formula 1 World Championship in Melbourne produced a historic victory for Brawn GP on the team’s debut. Despite only existing for a few weeks the new team must be considered serious title contenders. They have the most experienced driver pairing in Formula 1, with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.
Several other teams also showed strongly in Australia. Red Bull, BMW-Sauber, Toyota and Williams have all produced quick cars and should provide tough opposition for Brawn in Malaysia. Ferrari also ran well at Albert Park until Kimi Raikkonen crashed and Felipe Massa was forced to retire.
One of the standout performances of the Australian Grand Prix came from Toro Rosso rookie Sebastien Buemi, who outqualified and outraced his more experienced team-mate Sebastien Bourdais. The young Swiss driver scored two points on his Formula 1 debut.
Defending World Champion Lewis Hamilton heads to Malaysia with renewed optimism. His McLaren finally showed some real pace in Australia after struggling throughout pre-season testing and qualifying. The Englishman progressed from 18th on the grid to third by the flag.
Malaysian GP Statistics
Race date: Sunday 5th April, 2009
Race distance: 56 laps
Circuit length: 3.444 miles (5.543 km)
Lap record: 1 minute, 34.223 seconds (Juan-Pablo Montoya – Williams, 2004)
Weather forecast: Heavy rain showers predicted on Saturday and Sunday.
Sepang Grand Prix Circuit
The Sepang circuit celebrates its 11th year as a Formula 1 venue in 2009. The track features 15 corners and two long straights. The first corner is particularly demanding. After a high speed entry it progressively tightens through more than 180°.
There are several good overtaking places around the Sepang circuit. With the new generation of Formula 1 cars apparently able to follow each other more closely than their predecessors it should provide for some exciting racing in Malaysia.
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