Vital Statistics - the Malaysian Grand Prix

This year sees Malaysia stage a Grand Prix for the 16th consecutive season, but which teams and drivers have performed best in the heat and humidity of Kuala Lumpur? And which former Williams star holds the lap record? Ahead of the 2014 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix at Sepang, we highlight all the important statistics, facts and figures about this popular race…

Circuit: Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur

Circuit length: 5.543 km

Number of corners: 15 (5 left, 10 right)

DRS zones: 2

Race laps: 56

Race distance: 310.408 km

2014 tyre compounds: Hard, Medium

Circuit lap record: 1m 34.223s - Juan Pablo Montoya (2004), Williams-BMW

First world championship Grand Prix: 1999, Kuala Lumpur (won by Eddie Irvine, Ferrari)

Number of races: 15 (all in Kuala Lumpur)

Number of races with at least one safety car appearance: Four 

Longest race: 2012 (2h 44m 51.812s)

Shortest race: 2009 (55m 30.622s)

Last year’s pole position: 1m 49.674s, Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull-Renault

Last year’s podium: 1 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 2 - Mark Webber (Red Bull), 3 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

Most appearances (current field): 14 - Jenson Button; 12 - Fernando Alonso; 11 - Kimi Raikkonen, Felipe Massa; 8 - Nico Rosberg; 7 - Lewis Hamilton

Most wins (driver): 3 - Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel; 2 - Kimi Raikkonen; 1 - Eddie Irvine, Ralf Schumacher, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jenson Button

Most wins (team): 6 - Ferrari; 3 - Red Bull; 2 - Renault, McLaren; 1 - Williams, Brawn

Most wins (engine manufacturer): 6 - Ferrari; 5 - Renault; 3 - Mercedes; 1 -BMW

Most pole positions (driver): 5 - Michael Schumacher; 2 - Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa; 1 - Giancarlo Fisichella, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber

Most pole positions (team): 7 - Ferrari; 3 - Red Bull, Renault; 1 - Brawn, McLaren

Most pole positions (engine manufacturer): 7 - Ferrari; 6 - Renault; 2 - Mercedes

Number of wins from pole: 8 wins from 15 races (53.3 percent)

Lowest winning grid position: 8th (Fernando Alonso, 2012)

Laps led (current field): 169 - Fernando Alonso; 129 - Sebastian Vettel; 75 - Kimi Raikkonen; 18 - Jenson Button; 16 - Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg; 15 - Lewis Hamilton; 4 - Sergio Perez

Most podium places (current field): 5 - Fernando Alonso; 4 - Jenson Button; 3 - Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton; 1 - Nico Rosberg, Sergio Perez

Number of Malaysians to have started an F1 Grand Prix: 1

Best finish by a Malaysian in Malaysia: DNF (Alex Yoong, Minardi, 2002)

(source: f1.com)

FIA press conference schedule - Malaysia

Amongst the drivers who will take part in the official FIA press conference in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday will be Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen who scored his first ever Grand Prix victory in Malaysia in 2003. And on Friday it is the turn of senior team personnel - including Lotus’s recently-appointed deputy team principal Federico Gastaldi - to answer questions from the press. The line-ups in full...

Thursday, March 27, 1500 hours local time (0800 CET)
Valtteri Bottas (Williams), Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham), Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso), Pastor Maldonado (Lotus), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)

Friday, March 28, 1600 hours local time (0900 CET)
Cyril Abiteboul (Caterham), Federico Gastaldi (Lotus), Paul Hembery (Pirelli), Monisha Kaltenborn (Sauber), Graeme Lowdon (Marussia), Franz Tost (Toro Rosso)

The qualifying and post-race conferences with the top three drivers will take place immediately after the respective sessions.

(source: f1.com)

2014 Malaysian Grand Prix preview

SEPANG, Malaysia - The official F1 page has predicted rain for the weekend.

We have seen the first race of the season and now it's time for the second GP-preview!

Sepang has become a very legendary track over the years.

Remember when Mika Häkkinen chased the Ferraris of Eddie Irvine and Michael Schumacher in the first race back in 1999? The Ferraris were dominating the race and Häkkinen was just barely behind them. After the race Häkkinen sat down on the podium because he was about to pass out. He said that it felt impossible to win them.

Later they found out that Ferrari was using illegal wings on the cars. The FIA said that they can't use them anymore but didn't give Ferrari a penalty. Maybe because that would have decided the championship as well? Häkkinen would have won Irvine in the championship with over 10 points before the last race.

In 2003 Renault showed their claws for the first time since the 80's by taking 1st and 2nd in the qualifying (Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli). It was also Alonso's first pole position.
Unfortunately for Alonso's sake he didn't finish first in the race. He took the third place which was his first ever podium in F1.

The hero of the very wet Malaysian Grand Prix in 2003 was in fact not Alonso but Kimi Räikkönen. He took his first ever victory and smiled more than he did when he won the championship in 2007.




I would also like to mention the shortest Malaysian Grand Prix in history: The 2009 Malaysian GP that lasted for 55 minutes. It was stopped with red flags because of the weather and it never continued. Jenson Button won that race with Brawn GP (now Mercedes GP).




Then I must mention the race from last year. WHAT? YOU FORGOT ALREADY? Let me give you a hint......


MULTI -21



Mark Webber decided to leave Red Bull and Formula One because of this race and Sebastian Vettel got even more haters than he already had. He ignored the team orders and put himself above the team.


So who has been most successful in Malaysia of the current drivers?

Podiums:

1. Fernando Alonso - 5 (1st x 3, 2nd x 1, 3rd x 1)
2. Jenson Button - 4 (1st x 1, 2nd x 1, 3rd x 2)
3. Sebastian Vettel - 3 (1st x 3)
4. Kimi Räikkönen - 3 (1st x 2, 3rd x 1)
5. Lewis Hamilton - 3 (2nd x 1, 3rd x 2)
6. Sergio Perez - 1 (2nd x 1)
7. Nico Rosberg - 1 (2nd x 1)

Let's also keep in mind that Button has been in F1 since the year 2000, Alonso and Räikkönen since 2001 (Alonso didn't compete in 2002 and Kimi didn't compete in 2010-2011), Rosberg since 2006, Hamilton and Vettel since 2007 and Perez since 2011.

The official Formula One page has stated that it will rain in Malaysia so that might get a bit confusing again when I have to guess the results! I'll give it a try.

Pole Position: Kevin Magnussen

The race:

1. Jenson Button
2. Lewis Hamilton
3. Valtteri Bottas

Fastest lap: Nico Rosberg

Surprise: Ferrari - They will be much better this weekend!

That was it for today. I'll see you guys around on the Facebook page ;) One more thing.....