Like Singapore two weeks ago, the Malaysian Grand Prix sees a return to a scene of celebration last year for Ferrari in arguably their greatest race since 2013.
Last year Sebastian Vettel emulated his childhood hero Michael Schumacher and took his first Grand Prix victory for Ferrari, and comfortably ahead of Mercedes.
A lot can change in 18 months, however.
Since the 2015 race (held in March, not September) Ferrari have gone from optimism to pessimism, from challengers to a “failure” and from a team full of hope to a team full of despair.
Like last year, they have the pace to win races in 2016 and Vettel in particular has seen a potential tilt at a fifth World Drivers’ Championship dashed by technical problems, clashes with other drivers and strategic calamities putting paid to any chances of that.
Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen are both winless this season, and the former has to win all of the remaining races to match his 2015 points tally. And that simply will not happen.
Ferrari’s main strength even through the distrust at board level and the errors on the pitwall has been the ability to look after tyres, although they are still behind Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship.
Had yet another mistake been avoided in Singapore, it might have landed 2007 World Champion Raikkonen with a podium around the Marina Bay circuit while Vettel’s Driver of the Day performance saw him climb from 22nd to fifth.
That will be key in the most physically demanding setting Formula One visits, despite the visit to Sepang now six months further into the season than had previously been the case.
Since the inaugural Malaysian Grand Prix back in 1999, Ferrari have won it seven times through Vettel, Raikkonen, Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine.
Vettel himself has won the race four times – three with Red Bull Racing, while Raikkonen took his first ever Formula One victory for McLaren back in 2003.
The omens are certainly looking good for the Scuderia, who have won the race four more times than any other team on the grid.
They will certainly need those omens to ring true if they are to have a strong weekend and get back in the running for second in the Constructors’ Championship.
The Malaysian GP has become something of a modern classic, the first track designed by Hermann Tilke provides one of the toughest challenges of the season. The heat and humidity is up there with Singapore as the hottest race of the year, the track is fast and easy to make a mistake on. It has been resurfaced for this year, so expect plenty of mishaps on Friday at least as the track rubbers in.
What makes the Malaysian GP unique has to be the weather: sudden rain showers are common in this part of the world and this has provided some exciting racing in the past, notably in 2001, when the leading Ferrari’s of Barrichello and Schumacher slid into the gravel and had to fight back through the field for a one-two. Most famously though was the 2009 event, where a sudden rain storm turned into a monsoon and the race was cancelled at half distance, resulting in half points begin awarded.
Williams’ history at this event is mixed. Their only win came with Ralf Schumacher in 2002, after a dramatic first corner crash between team mate Montoya and brother Michael Schumacher. Montoya managed to fight back from a harsh penalty for the aforementioned crash to finish second to complete a one-two for Williams. Montoya ran Schumacher close in 2004, the pair traded lap records for a large part of the race, but the Colombian couldn’t quite get close enough to Schumacher and finished second.
Nico Rosberg shook the paddock when he put his Williams third on the grid in 2006, but his engine gave up the ghost after a mere six laps at the beginning of a tough season for the team. Rosberg lead the first stint of the 2009 event, but strategic errors and an overall lack of pace meant he finished eighth. Bottas’ and Massa’s fifth and sixth places respectively are the best results for Williams in recent years.
This is a fast, hot race. Tyre wear is high here and the fast corners require downforce but the two long straights require engine power and a slippery chassis. A good overall car is very important here. The FW38 is a reasonably good overall car, but may not have the downforce to compete for the podium here. Bottas recently came out and said that a lack of understanding the tyres has cost the team this season, despite their massively impressive pit stop times. They will need to be on top of that here.
I sound like a stuck record on this point, but Williams need to beat Force India here. The team say they can’t afford to only focus on beating Force India. Fine, so focus on getting as close as possible to Red Bull or Ferrari, which I’m sure they are focused on, but getting close to those teams would ensure they beat Force India. Fourth in the constructor’s may well not go down well back at base but fifth would be that much worse.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo separated the Mercedes pair of Niko Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton as he continued his good form in Singapore.
This weekend’s racing comes in the form of the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.
Both Ricciardo and Verstappen have opted for four hard, three medium and six soft compound tyres for the track that is known for its humid conditions.
The 18-year-old said:” The pace on the soft tyre felt decent, I feel like that tyre has potential on a long run and it allowed me to throw the car into the corners like I wanted to.
“The weather can vary quite a bit as well. We can get some pretty big storms, but then the track can dry up very quickly because of the high temperature.”
Red Bull have chosen a different strategy to Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton and Niko Rosberg have chosen eight sets of the soft tyre.
Which could mean Mercedes will aim to use the speed alongside the soft compound to make sure they are faster than the rest during the race.
For Christian Horner’s team this could be a case of using the hard tyre at the start so that they can use the soft tyre at the end of the race to gain more points if necessary.
“Malaysia physically is a hot one. We usually go there at the beginning of the season so it is going to be interesting going there now with a lot more development on the car and seeing how it performs.
“I checked the weather and it seems pretty constant all year round so that shouldn’t change much, but Sepang has been resurfaced so that could be interesting for tyre life,” said Ricciardo.
Formula 1 continues its tour in Asia. This time, it’s Malaysia’s turn to host a Formula 1 race.
In Singapore, Nico Rosberg took the chequered flag, whilst his team-mate, Lewis Hamilton, finished third. It was Nico’s third consecutive victory after the summer break, and he increased his lead in the drivers’ standings to eight points, from his main rival Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton couldn’t follow Rosberg’s pace. Mercedes decided to go on a three-stop strategy for the British. The three times world champion had to take fight for a place on the podium with Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn, was on a top form and with an impressive move at turn seven passed Hamilton and took the third position. Kimi didn’t manage to hold his position, and Lewis took it back after a good strategy plan from Mercedes.
Last season Sebastian Vettel, with Scuderia Ferrari, won in Malaysia. The German qualified second, but he finished about eight seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton and won his first victory with Ferrari. It was Vettel’s 40th victory in Formula 1. Nico Rosberg took the third place on the podium, while Kimi Raikkonen finished fourth, followed by the second Finn of the grid, Valtteri Bottas.
The high temperatures gave an advantage to Ferrari, can they repeat their success this year?
Sepang International Circuit
Laps: 56
Length: 5.543 km
Race Length: 310.408 km
Lap Record: 1:34:223 (Juan Pablo Montoya, 2004)
Available tyres: Hard (Orange), Medium (White), Soft (Yellow)
The circuit is located a few kilometres outside of Kuala Lumpur and it’s one of the most demanding and technical circuits in Formula 1. The track was designed by Hermann Tilke, and it combines long high-speed straights and tight twisting complexes.
Past summer I had the chance to visit the track, I travelled to Malaysia for a few days and as an F1 fan, I had to go and visit the circuit. I really enjoyed the hospitality and despite a misunderstanding with the guys in the reception, they offered me a great and unique tour, around the track.
It was a great experience for me, I went into the control room, enjoyed the view of the Sepang International circuit from the grandstands and also I had my moments on the podium (without champagne!).
I believe that Mercedes will win in Malaysia, Nico Rosberg is on top form and he needs this victory before the Japanese Grand Prix. From the other hand, Lewis Hamilton has to stop Nico’s form and show him that he will fight until the end for the title.
Ferrari will introduce their new aero packages in Malaysia, they will fight with Red Bull Racing for the second place. Daniel Ricciardo won’t gives up easily, Scuderia will have to fight hard for a place on the podium.
I’m expecting to see an interesting race between these three teams.
I would like to thank everyone at Sepang circuit for the hospitality and for the tour!
Toto Wolff has said that Mercedes is on the brink of a “very special” weekend in Malaysia, as it stands ready to take a third consecutive World Constructors’ Championship in front of a home crowd for partner Petronas.
Mercedes currently stands 222 points clear of Red Bull with 258 remaining on the table, and can wrap up the title in Sepang with just a win and any other points finish. While it is still mathematically possible for Red Bull to push back Mercedes’ celebrations to the next round at Suzuka – a 1-2 or a win and third for the Austrian team would do it – their chances of delaying the inevitable hang on Mercedes either missing out on the win or not bringing both cars home in the points – something that has not happened since May’s Spanish Grand Prix.
But despite the odds being stacked vastly in its favour, Mercedes is still erring on the side of caution ahead of what is traditionally one of the most demanding and unpredictable races of the season.
“It’s a very challenging weekend,” said Paddy Lowe. “The heat and humidity make life tough for the drivers, team and cars alike, while the track action can often be affected by rain.”
Lowe also noted Mercedes’ “hugely disappointing” 2015 visit to Sepang – in which Sebastian Vettel beat both Silver Arrows to the win – as something that will likely be on Mercedes’ mind this weekend, with Toto Wolff adding that the team “will need to push hard” to avoid another such defeat.
However, the biggest threat to a third Mercedes crown this weekend could in fact come from the team itself, as the pitching title battle between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton enters its final, gruelling phase.
After Rosberg’s three wins on the go in Belgium, Italy and Singapore, many have begun to tip the German as the new championship favourite, and even Hamilton himself has admitted he has “no idea” if he’ll be able to reclaim the title momentum if Rosberg maintains his current run of form.
But with only eight points separating him from his teammate, the prospect of Hamilton conceding the championship with six rounds still to go is unthinkable. Neither he nor Rosberg will be prepared to yield so much as a single point at this late stage – all Mercedes asks is that the pair keep their battle clean until the Constructors’ Championship is safe.
Alex Zanardi is the guy who never gives up. He is a person which inspires generations and has become the idol of the many young kids. Alex has taught to all of us that life is hard, but we must never give up. He is a true inspiration.
Born in Italy on 23 October 1966, Alex Zanardi had the chance to race in Formula 1 for Jordan, Minardi, Lotus and Williams. In 1991, the Italian driver made his debut in Formula with Jordan, where he remained only for one year. The following year, Zanardi raced for Minardi, but again the next year he changed a team and signed a contract with Lotus.
In Lotus, Alex had his best moment of his F1 career. He scored his first point in the Brazilian Grand Prix in 1993. Alessandro qualified 15th, but after a tremendous race, he managed to finish sixth, behind two British drivers, Johnny Herbert and Mark Blundell. Despite the good result that Alex had in Brazil, 1993 was not a good year for the Italian driver. Zanardi had an accident with his bicycle, but that was not enough to hold him of the sport. Alex raced in Germany with several broken bones, but a spun didn’t let him finish the race.
Zanardi’s injuries forced him to postpone his racing in 1994, Alessandro had to wait to fully recover from his injuries. Hence, he missed the season premiere, but he returned in the Spanish Grand Prix, where he replaced Pedro Lamy, who at that time was racing for Lotus.
In 1999, Zanardi raced for his last time in Formula 1. At that time he was driving for Williams and his last race was in Suzuka. The Italian, qualified 16th, but he forced to quit the race due to electrical issues.
That was the end of his career as an F1 driver.
15 September 2001
Zanardi continued his career as a driver in another series, in Indy Car. At the EuroSpeedway Lausitz September 15, Zanardi had a terrible crash which it could cost him his life. During the final laps he was leading the race, his team decided to call him for a late pit-stop, when he re-joined the race, Alex had spun and lost control of his car, while he returned to the track, unable to control his car, his car was avoided by Patrick Carpentier, but Alex Tagliani crashed on Zanardi’s car. Tagliani’s car crashed on the side of Zanardi’s car, behind the front wheel. From the crash, the Italian lost both his legs and lot of blood. The doctors managed to stabilise his condition and save his life.
After his surgery, the Italian joined a rehabilitation program, he even designed and built his own custom legs. Zanardi continued to race in European Touring Car Championship. Alessandro won his World Series race in August 2005, he also won in Istanbul in 2006 and won twice in Brno in 2008 and in 2009. At the end of 2009, the Italian decided to quit the WTCC series.
In 2006, BMW Sauber gave a chance to Alex to drive a modified Formula 1 car, where he could control it with his hands. Zanardi knew that he would never sign a contract with an F1 team, but still, it was very special for him.
Zanardi’s new chapter
In 2007, Zanardi decided to try something different and started practising with a handcycle. His aim was to enter the Italian Paralympic team. Zanardi managed to fulfil his dreams. In 2011, Alex won a silver medal at the UCI Paracycling.
It was not long before his first race in London’s Games. In 2012, the Italian lifted with his hands his handcycle above his head. It was a very memorable moment at Brands Hands race circuit, it was the moment where Alex Zanardi celebrated his first gold medal in Paralympic games.
Alex won a gold medal in the individual road race H4 and a silver medal in the mixed relay team H1-4.
The Italian made himself known to everyone, he was awarded the Best Male at the 2013 Paralympic Sport and Media awards.
“This is a great accomplishment, one of the greatest of my life.” Zanardi said about his gold medal in London.
Rio 2016
Zanardi travelled to Brazil with the thought to win more medals and inspire the world.
“Even my accident, what happened to me, became the biggest opportunity of my life, all the things I am doing today are related to my new condition.” He said.
“When you find yourself in a certain situation you have to identify where you want to go and focus on what you can achieve on that given day.Whether it is a small thing or big one, step-by-step you can make things happen.” Zanardi added.
In Rio, the Italian claimed his third gold medal in Paralympics. He won the H5 time trial at Pontal in Rio de Janeiro. It was a hard race for Alex, he passed Tripp over the second half of the route and won the gold medal by 2.74 seconds.
“It has been a long journey, which basically started the day after the London games when I decided that I would focus on a new horizon in my life and that this would be Rio. After the exciting years of preparation and coming here to a course that was not really my kind of course, it is just fantastic to finally enjoy the taste of gold once more.” Said Zanardi.
Fifteen years has passed since Zanardi’s terrible accident, but the Italian is still racing and he never gave up. During his hardest moments in his life, Alessandro found the courage and he didn’t give up.
He is a legend for me, and he is the idol that all the generations must have. I don’t want to underestimate any Paralympic athlete, every each of them has a history which is admirable.
Never give up.
(Images are courtesy of BMW)
Victor Archakis @FP_Passion
Red Bull have performed well in Singapore in previous visits to the Marina Bay circuit and this weekend was no different.
Daniel Ricciardo began the race on the front row in second behind Niko Rosberg and despite starting the race on softer tyres the Australian was incapable of passing the German in the Mercedes who subsequently went on to win the race and leapfrog Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship.
“I pushed so much at the end on the supersoft and really tried to do something but it wasn’t close enough. I don’t really leave here with any regrets. Obviously we came here to win and we didn’t but I felt we left it all on the track, “said the 26-year-old Red Bull driver.
Despite completing the race in second, Ricciardo’s podium finish means it was the third year in a row that the Australian has exceeded expectations in Singapore:
“We did everything we could and I thought it was pretty much a perfect race. The only thing that would have been better was to get Nico at the start.”
Verstappen had yet another meagre start and the Dutchman had an intriguing battle with Daniil Kyvat but he ended the race in sixth to extend Red Bull’s lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship:
“I had a bad start, it wasn’t as bad as Monza but it wasn’t good, which is disappointing. I had a lot of wheel spin and then with Hulkenberg spinning in front of me,
“I had to brake even more which compromised my whole start. I got stuck behind slower cars in front of me and after three or four laps you lose the advantage and it completely destroys the tyres,“ said the 18-year-old.
Team Principal Christian Horner was happy with his team’s performance over the exciting circuit in Singapore:
“A really exciting finish to a long and hard grand prix but tyres and strategy were always going to be key.
“Overall a positive weekend, we’ve extended our lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship, we’ve scored another second place finish and produced an enthralling end to the grand prix.”
Mercedes has taken its first double podium in Singapore with Nico Rosberg winning from pole and Lewis Hamilton holding onto third, despite questions over reliability and late pressure from Ferrari and Red Bull.
Rosberg and Hamilton were both warned about brake wear early in the race and given precautionary lift and coast orders to ensure they got both cars to the end, in what seemed to be further evidence that Mercedes has yet to master Singapore’s unique demands.
But even as the tone of the Mercedes pitwall grew ever more anxious, their instructions seemed for the most part to be more caution than cause for concern, as Rosberg continued to build on a three second gap over Daniel Ricciardo and Hamilton ran a steady third.
However as the race went on this brake management phase started to hurt Hamilton, whose grip was already compromised running in the dirty air behind Ricciardo, and after changing to the slower, more durable soft tyre in his first pit stop the Briton fell back into the clutches of Kimi Räikkönen.
When the ultrasoft-shod Räikkönen swept past Hamilton on lap 33, Mercedes was forced to press Ferrari’s weakness on the pitwall: switching Hamilton to a three-stop strategy freed the Briton up to burn through as much of his second set of softs as he need to keep touch with Räikkönen, before bringing him in late on lap 46 to perform the undercut.
As Hamilton left the pits on scrubbed supersofts Ferrari urged Räikkönen to push ahead of his own stop a lap later, but despite the Finn’s best efforts he could not make up the necessary time and emerged from the pits in fourth and back behind Hamilton.
“A difficult day and a difficult weekend,” Hamilton reflected. “The brakes were near critical temperature for the most of the race, so I kept having to back off to cool them down. I then made a mistake and ran wide which let Kimi past.
“Fortunately, with the car a bit lighter I was able to bring the temperatures down, push a bit more on fresh tyres and get back past him. Pace and strategy weren’t the issue – it was all down to the brakes.”
But although Hamilton’s late stop was successful in restoring him to the podium, it almost ended up costing Rosberg the race win.
Reacting to Hamilton’s strategy, Red Bull pulled in Ricciardo on lap 48 to ensure the Australian had the tyre life to defend his second place, only to then target the lead as Ricciardo’s pace carried him away from one Mercedes and towards the other.
As Ricciardo slashed the gap to the front on his new supersofts, Rosberg was forced to sit tight and watch him come as there was not enough time for the German to pit without relinquishing track position. His lead, which had been over twenty seconds after Ricciardo’s stop, was dwindling at such a rate that Red Bull predicted their driver would catch the Mercedes with four laps to go.
But this ultimately proved too optimistic, and by a combination of keeping calm in front and getting the better hand when passing traffic, Rosberg managed to hold on by four tenths of a second to take his 22nd career victory and his first in Singapore.
“In the past the Singapore track has not treated me so well, so this win is a very special one,” said Rosberg. “The weekend started perfectly with a good qualifying session. Then, I had a good start and was able to keep the Red Bulls and Ferraris behind me.
“It was a bit tight at the end after Daniel did a clever pit stop timing wise. If I would have also pitted I would have come out behind him because I was stuck in traffic on my in-lap, so we chose the best strategy to stay out and a big thanks to the team for that.”
Rosberg’s victory – his eighth of the season – sees him retake the lead of the championship by eight points, and along with Hamilton’s third place moves Mercedes 222 points clear of Red Bull, meaning the Silver Arrows could mathematically clinch a third consecutive Constructors’ Championship at the next round in Malaysia.
Singapore is one of the few races that has come along in the last few years that has become something of a classic.
The first night race in F1 history always looks incredible, the light reflects off the cars to create some stunning shots, sparks fly off the undertray’s and the race organizers always put on a spectacular show. Despite running in Asia during the rainy season, there has never been a wet Singapore GP. This could change this year, the weather forecasts have been very unpredictable and rain could mix up proceedings.
The track is a tight and twisty street circuit, the heat is more of a challenge here, rather than G forces. The race is a longer one, 55 laps takes around 2 hours and the safety car could well make an appearance, should anyone get it even slightly wrong here.
Success for Williams here has been limited, but Rosberg could have won the inaugural race in 2008, had he not had to refuel under the safety car, when the pit lane was closed. He finished second, 2 seconds off race winner Alonso, who himself benefited from the infamous “crashgate” scandal. Rosberg was again at the sharp end in 2009 but oversteered on pit exit, crossed the white line and got a time penalty. He had to take the penalty under the safety car, dropping him to the back of the field. He finished eleventh. Massa took fifth place in the 2014 race and Bottas also finished fifth at last year’s race.
This track shouldn’t suit the FW38 theoretically, the car struggles in slower speed corners, of which Singapore has a lot. The potentially high rate of attrition could help the team here; the two drivers could well take advantage of this but it will still be a tough race. Williams jumped back ahead of Force India at the Italian GP last time out, to stay ahead of Force India after this event will be a good result for Williams.
I have hundreds of pieces of motor racing memorabilia, photos and….well….stuff, in my writing studio and I have decided to pick one each week to write about in a new feature called “The Friday Vault”. Here is your first article:
CANADIAN GRAND PRIX, 1968 – CIRCUIT MONT-TREMBLANT
The above photograph shows John Surtees in his Honda RA301 leading Jackie Stewart in the Matra and Jack Brabham in the background, just coming around the curve as they compete in the 1968 Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant. It is the first photo that sits on the wall in my writing studio.
It was Jochen Rindt who took pole position, demonstrating the power of the latest Repco engine of the Brabham but he would not go on to win the actual race, this honour fell to Denny Hulme in the McLaren who finished a lap in front of his team mate, Bruce McLaren.
The circuit is just over two and a half miles long and is sometimes referred to as St. Jovite, but this no longer is the case. The track surface is known to be very bumpy and due to the terrain was a very difficult circuit to negotiate and to get the car home safely.
During qualifying, Rindt, set a average speed of 101.711mph, he found himself on the front row with Ferrari’s Chris Amon and Jo Siffert who was driving a Lotus 49B. Dan Gurney sat on the second row in his McLaren with the Lotus of Graham Hill and then behind them were Hulme and Bruce McLaren who sandwiched the sole Honda entry of John Surtees. It was during qualifying that Jacky Ickx had a terrible accident after his throttle stuck open and the crash caused him to suffer a broken leg which meant he would take no part in the Grand Prix.
The race would be 90 laps and it was Chris Amon in the Ferrari who took the early lead and stayed in front until lap 72 when he suffered a transmission failure. Siffert, who had been challenging Amon also suffered problems when he had an oil leak. Graham Hill had overtaken Gurney who found the circuit causing him problems and he dropped away with a broken radiator. Surtees was forced to retire due to gearbox issues and this left Rindt in second place, but this was short lived as he too was forced to retire with an engine failure.
Cars were dropping out at a ferocious rate. Graham Hill moved up to second and again the circuit took another victim and his Lotus began to drop away with serious vibration problems, eventually seeing the British driver overtaken by Pedro Rodriguez and Johnny Servoz-Gavin, who himself a few laps later would spin out of the race.
The three drivers depicted in the photograph above had a very difficult Grand Prix with Stewart being the last of the six finishers, seven laps behind the winner Denny Hulme. Brabham retired on Lap 31 with a suspension problem and Surtees retired on lap 10.
This circuit was renowned for taking casualties and it was proven with six out of twenty starters actually finishing the race. Formula One only raced at this circuit twice, they returned two years later in 1970 when Jacky Ickx would win in his Ferrari.
CLASSIFICATION
1st – Denny Hulme – McLaren-Ford – 2:27:11.2
2nd – Bruce McLaren – McLaren-Ford – +1 lap
3rd – Pedro Rodriguez – BRM – +2 laps
4th – Graham Hill – Lotus-Ford – +4 laps
5th – Vic Elford – Cooper-BRM – + 4 laps
6th – Jackie Stewart – Matra-Ford – +7 laps
RETIRED/NOT CLASSIFIED
Jean-Pierre Beltoise – Matra – Lap 77 – Gearbox
Chris Amon – Ferrari – Lap 72 – Transmission
Johnny Servoz-Gavin – Matra-Ford – Lap 71 – Accident
Lucien Bianchi – Cooper-BRM – Lap 56 – Not Classified
Henri Pescarolo – Matra – Lap 54 – Oil Pressure
Jochen Rindt – Brabham-Repco – Lap 39 – Overheating
Jackie Oliver – Lotus-Ford – Lap 32 – Halfshaft
Jack Brabham – Brabham-Repco – Lap 31 – Suspension