2008 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team has relocated to Malaysia
this week for round two of the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship.
Following Lewis and Heikki’s strong performances in
Australia the team head the Constructors’ Championship
with 14 points. Lewis and Heikki lie in first and fifth respectively
in the Drivers’ table with 10 and four points.
The first Grand Prix at the Sepang Circuit on the outskirts
of Kuala Lumpur was held in October 1999. This year's race
is the 10th Malaysian Grand Prix. The 15 bends of the Sepang
Circuit, initially named after tourist destinations, have
meanwhile been numbered in the conventional way.
The 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix saw the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
team score the first victory of its partnership, with Fernando
Alonso and Lewis Hamilton finishing one-two. Heikki Kovalainen
took his first point in Formula 1 at the event last year.
In 2003, Kimi Raikkonen scored his first Grand Prix victory
in Malaysia driving for the McLaren Mercedes team. Juan Pablo
Montoya holds the record for the fastest lap. His time of
1:34.233 was set in 2004.
The Malaysian Grand Prix is one of the most physically demanding
events of the season with extremely humid conditions and ambient
temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees centigrade leading
to a cockpit environment of over 50 degrees. This level of
heat can lead to dehydration, which in turn can cause loss
of concentration and performance. This can see the drivers
lose up to 4 litres of fluid during the race. In order to
stay hydrated, Lewis and Heikki will drink a fluid rich in
electrolytes to replace the minerals and salts lost. The process
of remaining hydrated starts before the race weekend to get
the body used to taking on more fluids.
LEWIS HAMILTON
Following the performance of the team in Australia,
what are your expectations going into Malaysia?
"The race at Melbourne was the perfect start to the season
for me, although it would have been that bit better to have
Heikki on the podium as well. As I said over the weekend,
the MP4-23 felt fantastic and I do feel we can go quicker,
but Malaysia is a tough race. We are going to Sepang aiming
to get another great result, but it is likely to be hotter
again so it will be a big challenge. There is not much we
can do with the cars between Australia and Malaysia as there
is so little time, but we will keep pushing hard."
You enjoyed the race last year and had some great
battles on track, what are the key characteristics of the
Sepang circuit that lead to exciting racing?
"Sepang is a fantastic track, but the climate plays a
major role making it very tricky for all of us, everyone is
really on the limit and so is the car. The track is very high
speed with some great overtaking opportunities, but in some
places it is quite difficult to stay close enough to the car
ahead. The Malaysian Grand Prix with our double victory last
year was one of the best races of the season for the team,
we had a great car and great pace. The race with both Kimi
and Felipe was good fun, hopefully the race will be as entertaining
again this year!"
Can you outline the physical preparations you have
made specific to the heat and humidity of the Malaysian race?
"For Malaysia it is very difficult to prepare physically
for the race, even more so this year, you cannot begin to
imagine how hot it gets in the car. Last season we had the
test session and a couple of weeks off so we were able to
go to a hot country and train there to get acclimatised. This
year we are going straight from Melbourne to Sepang, which
gives us a couple of days to get used to the extreme heat.
We have had a bit of a head start with the temperatures in
Melbourne. The focus is always on making sure you are well
hydrated, last year I was drinking up to four litres a day
in the days building up to the race. It was the hardest race
I have ever competed in last year, even with all that preparation
and really trying to look after your energy beforehand."
How are you spending your time between Australia
and Malaysia?
"We don’t really have much time, I left Australia
on Monday and flew straight to Malaysia. The focus in the
early part of the week will be training and acclimatisation;
this also includes adjusting to the time difference. We will
make sure we are eating at the right time and so on. Otherwise,
I have nothing else planned. The hotel is quite far away from
the Kuala Lumpur, as it is located very close to the track,
so I plan to stay in the city for a couple of days. I didn’t
see it at all last year, so I will take a look around, try
some Malaysian food."
HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
Following the performance of the team in Australia,
what are your expectations going into Malaysia?
"My target is to build on the fifth position from Melbourne.
We were really competitive all weekend, and I was making sure
I kept relaxed and didn’t put any additional pressure
on myself. I now have my first race with the team under my
belt, apart from the safety car it went really well and we
are now going to push harder in Sepang. The car was really
quick and we now have to work hard to take that performance
to Malaysia."
You scored your first Grand Prix point at Sepang
last year; does the track layout suit your driving style?
"I hope so! I think your driving style has to suit all
the tracks if you want to be winning races and fighting for
the Championship. I consider Malaysia last year my first proper
race in Formula 1, so I have some good memories from there.
It is a very interesting track, very wide with some great
corners. It is a cool place to go and I am looking forward
to the race."
What are the key areas you have focused on in training
prior to this race and how will you manage the conditions
over the weekend?
"The main process is getting your body used to the heat,
and we were able to start that in Melbourne as the conditions
were pretty warm, so it was another step up in the heat. When
we are training we try to stay out in the heat and keep hydrated.
We also focus on my diet, what I am eating and when. I am
working very closely with my trainer and the team doctor to
ensure I am fully prepared.
How are you spending your time between Australia
and Malaysia?
"I flew out to Kuala Lumpur on Monday, I visited the
city last year, so I went straight to the hotel to focus on
my training. It will be much the same as just outlined, staying
out in the heat, which for me coming from Finland is very
unusual. We have 40 degrees but it is always minus not plus!"
MARTIN WHITMARSH, CEO FORMULA 1, VODAFONE McLAREN
MERCEDES
What are your thoughts going into the second race
of the 2008 season?
"It was an encouraging start to the season for the whole
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, however naturally we are not
resting on our laurels. The race in Australia demonstrated
clearly how competitive the 2008 season is and therefore we
need to continue to push forward and develop our performance
across the board. Both Lewis and Heikki were fantastic throughout
the weekend and they will push even harder in Malaysia. The
team has won many Grands Prix during the past ten years but,
frankly, we haven’t won enough titles. We feel it is
time we put that right and the drive is there in every member
of the team to try and achieve this."
Can you please outline the specific preparations
the team takes for the Malaysian Grand Prix, from both a personnel
and car perspective?
"Obviously the dominant factor of Malaysia is temperature
and humidity. Dealing with people first, it is imperative
that all members of the team from the drivers through to the
mechanics are hydrated to allow them to perform at their maximum.
The McLaren Lab team work with the drivers to ensure that
during the course of the weekend they remain hydrated and
in peak physical condition. In the race itself we take measures
to ensure there are sufficient fluids on board the car for
the drivers, but still whatever you do it is still very tough
environment for everybody in the team to operate under those
conditions. With regards to the car, the cooling is all important
and ordinarily the design team don’t like to have excessive
cooling on the car because of the performance costs. Heat
is a big factor on drivers and cars, whilst you also have
the humidity that makes it harder on the drivers, but not
on the car. As it has turned out, Australia this year was
a pretty severe test of cooling for both driver and car. Ordinarily
Malaysia has been the first hot race, but this year we have
benefited from the experience of the high temperatures in
Australia."
With only a week between the races, is it possible
for the team to make any developments to the cars?
"The timeframe does allow for various minor modifications
as we respond to the circumstances after Australia. The calendar
this year will see the first large scale set of upgrades at
Barcelona. We are planning to have a significantly revised
aero package and a range of other components on the car, and
it is likely to be the same for the other teams. It is a pretty
difficult start to the year. We have transported cars, equipment
and people to Australia and then three and a half days later,
we have to have shipped everything quarter of the way round
the globe. It is a tough start for the year and we are geared
up for the intensity of it."
NORBERT HAUG, VICE PRESIDENT, MERCEDES-BENZ MOTORSPORT
How have the Mercedes-Benz engines been transported
to Malaysia?
"The engines Lewis and Heikki used in Friday’s
Free Practice in Melbourne were installed in the two MP4-23s
on Sunday evening after the race and were brought to Malaysia
with the cars. They will be used again in Friday’s practice
in Malaysia. The engines from qualifying and race which will
be used again at the Sepang Circuit on Saturday and Sunday,
have been inspected and certified and were shipped in special
boxes.
What are the challenges for the engines in Malaysia
and how have they been prepared?
"With ambient temperatures like in Australia of 40 degrees
Celsius, or even above, and a very high humidity, the Malaysian
GP will be a real challenge for the entire technical package
and for the engines in particular, because they will be used
for the second race weekend in a row. In these difficult conditions,
almost more than two thirds of a lap in Malaysia will be run
under full throttle. As the engine rules allow only minor
changes, there is no special preparation for the Malaysian
race. Only the intake trumpet length can be changed if the
ambient conditions in Malaysia warrant it. Any other potential
changes required must be done with the permission of the FIA,
and under FIA supervision. This would only be in exceptional
circumstances apart from routine preparation work. "
What is key for a good lap time at the Sepang Circuit?
"In Sepang we will race with medium to high downforce.
We need good grip for the slower corners, such as the complex
at turns 14 and 15, to reach the best possible speed at the
following straights. Under braking as well as with the fast
direction changes, stability is crucial. Although the circuit
allows a good rhythm, it is quite challenging for both drivers
and cars. The width of up to 15 metres allows partially different
racing lines, which also makes overtaking possible. Even after
our first victory I do not see us in the role of favourite
in Sepang. We will focus on continuing to improve our technical
package and thoughts of a win or of the role of being favourite
will distract us."
How is the balance of power after the first Grand
Prix?
"It would be a big mistake to underestimate Ferrari after
Australia and we definitely won’t do that. For sure
we had a head start and we all work hard to keep this advantage
in the forthcoming races, but our competitors will not try
less hard."
VODAFONE McLAREN MERCEDES STATISTICS
Lewis Heikki Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
Race Starts 18 18 632
Race Wins 5 0 157
Pole Positions 7 0 134
Points 119 34 3191.5
Podiums 13 1 416
Fastest Laps 2 1 136
SEPANG CIRCUIT INFORMATION
Circuit length 5.543 km / 3.444 miles
Race distance 310.408 km / 192.887 miles
Laps 56
Number of corners 15
Inaugural race 1999
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