Malaysia preview quotes - Red Bull, Mercedes, Virgin & more
With an overtaking-friendly track, combining long, high-speed straights with technical twisty sections, there’s more than enough for the drivers to get stuck into over the course of the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend. But this year there’s an additional curveball to contend with thanks to the new Pirelli tyres, which are as-yet untested in the kind of sizzling temperatures we tend to see in Kuala Lumpur. Key team personnel and, of course, the drivers discuss their chances of success at the challenging Sepang International Circuit…
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
2010 Qualifying - 3rd, 2010 Race - 1st
“Malaysia is the first real track we go to, as Australia is a semi-street circuit. It’s hot and rains every day, but the question is when and how much? It will be a tricky one. Circuit-wise you’ve got everything in there: Turn 14 requires you to brake the car while you’re still turning into the corner, which makes it quite challenging. Looking to China, we have good memories from there two years ago. We struggled to repeat it last year, but we will go back there and try again. I like the track and I’ve got some good points there in the past. Generally the overseas races are special, as you go there a few days earlier than usual, so you get to see different things. I enjoy that and am looking forward to it.”
Mark Webber, Red Bull
2010 Qualifying - 1st, 2010 Race - 2nd
“Malaysia is a sensational circuit. It always provides an interesting race, especially with the weather. It’s a great challenge for the driver too in terms of temperature and we’ll need to see how the tyres go there. We got a lot of information from the first race and we expect our car to be good in Malaysia - I want to get some champagne and up on to the steps. China will be similar to Australia, as it’s pretty cold when we go there. I think it will be an interesting race with the rear wing due to the long straights.”
Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP
2010 Qualifying - 8th, 2010 Race - DNF
"We consider Malaysia as one of our home Grands Prix, so it obviously gives us a big boost to go there and have the support of Petronas and the Malaysian people. The track itself is great as it gives you a wide variety of possibilities during every lap. You can take multiple lines through some of the corners, which is something you can do hardly anywhere else. I have always liked driving there, and I look forward to doing it again.
"There is absolutely no doubt we want to do better than in the opening race, which was a disappointment for all of us. We clearly see that as a challenge and it is much too early to write us off. Everybody in the team remains positive and is in a fighting mood. So I expect a better weekend for us to come; a weekend we can build on."
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP
2010 Qualifying - 2nd, 2010 Race - 3rd
"To be honest, Sepang is my favourite circuit on the Formula One calendar. It's fast and challenging with a nice layout and a real variation of corners which make it an exciting track to drive. Last year I qualified second and achieved the team's first podium of the season. I have a good feeling coming back here this year and hope to achieve a good result at the home race of our title partner Petronas.
"We had a tough weekend in Australia but the team has worked hard and we are confident that the car will be running reliably in Malaysia. Melbourne is a unique circuit and we know that we will have a much better understanding of our level of performance after the next races. I think we can surprise people next Sunday. We know that the car is fast from the last test in Barcelona, so now we have to work on proving that potential."
Ross Brawn, Mercedes GP team principal
"As the home race of our title partner, Petronas, the Malaysian Grand Prix is a very important and prestigious race for our team. The whole team enjoys our annual visit to both Kuala Lumpur and the Sepang International Circuit, and the unparalleled hospitality of our friends from Petronas and the Malaysian fans.
"We endured a difficult weekend at the first race of the season, despite having reasonable expectations after completing a successful testing programme in Barcelona. We suffered a number of problems which resulted in a far from optimum car for qualifying and the race, and then were unlucky to suffer a disappointing double retirement for Michael and Nico.
"Our priority since Melbourne has been to regroup back at our factories in Brackley and Brixworth, to review the weekend in detail, and to establish the best way to achieve the full potential of the car from Malaysia onwards. How we respond to the disappointment of Melbourne, and the challenges we faced, will be a true measure of our team."
Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"The Sepang circuit presents many challenges. It has a wide variety of corners with varying radii which demand good aerodynamic stability and efficiency from a Formula One car. There are four major braking events during the lap, and extreme climatic conditions are the norm in Sepang, with high temperatures and humidity - which create a high likelihood of rain in the late afternoon during both qualifying and the race.
"The Malaysian Grand Prix is one of our home races, with our title partner Petronas headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, and Nico scored the first podium for our team last year at this circuit with a third-place finish.
"Since the first race in Australia, we have worked hard in Brackley and Brixworth to analyse the reasons behind, and to solve, the reliability and performance problems which hampered our first race weekend of the season. Our target is to be in better shape in Malaysia."
Timo Glock, Virgin
2010 Qualifying - 16th, 2010 Race - DNF
“I feel like I have got back on track very quickly with the fitness side of things and I am spending the time between Australia and Malaysia making sure I am fully acclimatised and ready for the challenge. Malaysia is one of the hardest races on the Formula One calendar and one for which fitness is very important. The heat and humidity are really punishing and so this is where the physical training really pays off. I feel like I have got back on track very quickly with the fitness side of things and I am spending the time between Australia and Malaysia making sure I am fully acclimatised and ready for the challenge. I have lots of good memories from Malaysia - I finished on the podium in 2009 after chasing the leader, Jenson Button, before the race got red-flagged due to the big rainstorm. The Sepang track has a lot of character and it’s very physical, with Turn 14 being one of the toughest corners of all. It’s a race I will enjoy so we will try to make the best of our current package and aim to get both cars to the finish.”
Jerome D’Ambrosio, Virgin
2010 Qualifying - n/a, 2010 Race - n/a
“I really learned a lot in Melbourne and I was very happy with the weekend as a starting point. I really enjoyed the whole experience of my debut Grand Prix. I learned a lot in Melbourne and I was very happy with the weekend as a starting point, so I’m looking forward to more of the same in Kuala Lumpur. I do know this track - the Sepang International Circuit - as I competed here in GP2 Asia. It’s a really interesting circuit layout and the challenge of racing in these tough conditions gives you a lot of satisfaction because it’s the best way of finding out just how fit you are. I think our focus will be on trying to do a better job in qualifying and getting both cars home again. Small but important steps for us until we get to Europe.”
John Booth, Virgin team principal
“Our focus for now is on gathering as much data as possible to plough back into the development cycle to ensure we can go on to make those bigger steps through the season. This round of long-haul races means there are few developments we can bring to the car until the next significant upgrade for Turkey. Our focus for now is on gathering as much data as possible to plough back into the development cycle to ensure we can go on to make those bigger steps through the season. This time last year we were struggling with reliability issues that were preventing us from finishing races. This year we’ve demonstrated that we are on top of that and that is a much better starting point to build upon. We know what we have to do, so whilst that work is taking place behind the scenes, the best job we can do is to keep bringing cars home and focusing on smaller incremental steps. After the cool temperatures in Australia, we now move on to Kuala Lumpur where the fierce heat and humidity are a major challenge for cars and drivers up and down the grid. The Monsoon-type downpours that we see - and which we have stopped races in the past - also represent a good opportunity as they displace the usual order and turn things into a bit more of a lottery - good for us and good for the fans. The Sepang International Circuit has two very long straights, an elevation change and fast corners which make the racing good fun for the drivers. Of course nobody has run the Pirelli tyres in the kind of temperatures we are likely to experience in Sepang. In Melbourne we did not have the degradation levels we had been expecting after the tests in Spain, and it may well be that there will be another surprise in store in Malaysia. Timo is an old hand here but it will be Jerome’s first time at Sepang, and not only will he have the circuit to learn - which he has been doing on the simulator - he will also have his first experience of driving a full Grand Prix distance in the Malaysian heat and humidity.”
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
2010 Qualifying - 20th, 2010 Race - 6th
“Sepang is a circuit I really love. It’s big, fast and wide with some really demanding high-speed corners where you can find a lot of time if you’re really able to get the car working to its full extent. After the pace we showed in Melbourne, I think we can have another good race in Malaysia. Albert Park is a great track, but a circuit like Sepang is where the differences between the cars will start to become clearer. I’m really looking forward to using KERS Hybrid and the DRS too - the rapid change of direction you experience when the car is really in the groove is phenomenal around here, and I think both systems will make the cars look sensational, especially in qualifying. The team have looked into the floor failure we experienced in Melbourne: it seems like the bond between the bib and the chassis was damaged so the damage looked quite bad by the end of the race. It was good to see that the car could withstand that sort of punishment, but, even so, I’m looking to give it an easier ride in Malaysia next week!”
Jenson Button, McLaren
2010 Qualifying - 17th, 2010 Race - 8th
“When I started in Formula One, the Malaysian Grand Prix was one of the newest events on the Grand Prix calendar, but it now feels like an old favourite. I think Sepang’s a circuit that’s definitely improved with age: it’s always been a great track, but it feels like it’s grown into its own skin now, and is all the better for it. This is a track where you need a very efficient car - the corners here are big and will punish any car that lacks downforce. After Melbourne, when I really felt like I had a very solid car beneath me, I’m looking forward to getting out in practice to see how our package can adapt to this circuit. Obviously, one of the main considerations for the drivers is to ensure we’re properly hydrated throughout the race weekend. Until you’ve been to Malaysia, you really can’t appreciate what an oven it is - it’s the toughest race of the year physically, and a place where good base fitness carried over from the winter will stand you in good stead for the race. I won here in 2009 in some of the worst conditions I’ve ever experienced in a racing car - it was like driving through a river at some spots. Whatever the weather throws at us this year, I think we can have another strong weekend.”
Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal
“Sepang is a demanding, high-speed circuit that is likely to showcase the performance of those cars with the best levels of grip and downforce, and which can best manage the tyres at what will be their hottest and toughest test so far. It goes without saying that Malaysia will be hot. It’s not only a severe test of each car’s cooling solutions, and with track temperatures expected to be between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius higher than anything else we’ve seen this year, tyre management will also be crucial. As with every season, we’re pushing hard to bring developments to the car for every race. We don’t think Melbourne showed us the best of our competitors’ pace, so that only makes us more motivated to bring as much performance to the table as possible. On paper, it looks positive: we were pleased that our Melbourne upgrade worked as expected, and the car’s performance around the high-speed elements of Albert Park suggests it will be able to cope around Sepang. Despite this, the reality is that there was a gap to pole position, and we finished second and not first. Our target is to close that gap and get Lewis and Jenson into a position where they can win.”
Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber
2010 Qualifying - 9th, 2010 Race - DNF
“I have good memories of the Sepang circuit since it was there I managed to get into the final qualifying session last year for the first time. After our good performance in Melbourne we are, of course, very motivated for the next race. The guaranteed higher temperatures in Malaysia, though, will make a big difference. I especially expect the tyre degradation to be significantly higher there, so this might result in different race strategies. Another challenge could be if we get a wet race, as this happens quite often in Malaysia. But we are now very confident about our performance after what we did in Melbourne. I hope we can continue like that with our pace. The circuit is nice with a couple of high speed corners, and the layout offers more overtaking opportunities than we had in Albert Park.”
Sergio Perez, Sauber
2010 Qualifying - n/a, 2010 Race - n/a
“Of course I’m very motivated and looking forward to what will be my second Formula One race. I think we have a good car. It is quick enough to aim for points and it was reliable. I hope we can keep this consistency and do more good races. Now after I have my debut Grand Prix weekend behind me I know a lot better what to expect in qualifying and the race, and this gives me even more confidence. I know the Sepang circuit from a GP2 Asia race in 2009. It is physically very demanding and also quite technical. Because the circuit is long it is difficult to get a lap right there.”
James Key, Sauber technical director
“It’s going to be an interesting event in Malaysia after the excitement of the first race. The weather conditions could well play a significant role during the weekend. It may be very hot with another step up in track temperature, and this will be new to everyone and the tyres. Or it could be wet, which would be a completely unfamiliar situation. So we have to see what happens and try to get the best out of whatever we face. Sepang is more of a typical F1 circuit compared to Melbourne with sweeping high speed corners and some long straights that will make it interesting for overtaking. There are also some tight corners like one and two, as well as the hairpin at the end of the lap. They are all quite tricky corners. The car will have some updates with some new bodywork at the rear and some new brake duct developments. We are looking forward to a strong result.”
More to follow
Credit: Formula One Administration Ltd (www.formula1.com)
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