Malaysian GP 2007

[Dyno247365]

Because I couldn't wait, sorry Dinan. What are your predictions for this race? If you know the track, what areas do you think will be a handful? What Team are you rooting for? Just post until the real day comes!!

Here's a layout of the track:


http://www.malaysiangp.com.my/

I'm seriously rooting for Ferrari at the front, and Red Bull in the middle.

[CassiesMan]

Who will win? Dunno. Who will I route for?

Ferrari all the way baby.

[DinanM3_S2]

Looking like it will be a rain race, which should make things interesting. Last time it rained, Jenson Button won! There are also some interesting trends coming in from last year.

Last year's scorers-
1. Fisichella (Renault)
2. Alonso (Renault)
3. Button (Honda)
4. Montoya (McLaren-Mercedes)
5. Massa (Ferrari)
6. M. Schumacher (Ferrari)
7. Villeneuve (BMW-Sauber)
8. R. Schumacher (Toyota)

I didn't expect the drivers with new teams (Kimi, Alonso, Hamilton) to do as well as they did in Australia, but driving in a new car when its wet is a whole different thing. I will give the edge to drivers that have been with their teams for at least a year. So drivers like Fisi and Heidfeld will hopefully be looking forward to a great race, while Alonso, Kimi, and especially Hamilton might not display the same stregnth that they did in Australia. I didn't mention Massa as a return driver because I doubt his ability in the rain. He just didn't seem to be very good in the rain last year, but I want him to prove me wrong.

Hamilton will have to be especially careful. In Australia he dropped a tire off of the track about 3 times, do that once in the rain and you might find yourself in a spin or in a wall. I'll also give a slight edge to the more experienced drivers, like David Coulthard, Rubens, Ralf Schumacher. I doubt we'll see them on the podium, but they could very well score points.

Button has shown himself to be a bit of a rain-miester (Hungary 06') and he did well in Malaysia last year (4th), but the damned earth-mobile seems to be so slow, especially in Button's hands. Might as well give him an Aguri, he obviously likes the 06' Honda more then the 07' one.

My crazy, probably won't come true, but if they do I'll look like a genious... predictions

1. Nick Heidfeld
2. Fisichella
3. Kimi Raikkonen
4. Fernando Alonso
5. Felipe Massa
6. Robert Kubica
7. Jenson Button
8. Ralf Schumacher

dnf-
Hamilton
Heikki cantspellhislastnameoleinen


Probably more likely prediction
1. Alonso
2. Kimi
3. Massa
4. Heidfeld
5. Fisichella
6. Hamilton
7. Kubica
8. Ralf Schumacher

I'm rooting for the crazy lookin one.

[DinanM3_S2]

I just remembered that Kimi might have to swap engines meaning a 10 spot penalty from the start. I guess Kimi's engine had a water leak of some sort. They might take the risk and hope it doesn't break, or they might give him a new engine. Or the engine will make up their minds for them by breaking down in practice or qual.

[Dyno247365]

Did anyone else notice that the Champ Car race at Las Vegas is on the same day as the Malaysian GP? Is Champ Car competing this badly with F1? Who decides they should be on the same day??

[DinanM3_S2]

Originally Posted by Dyno247365

Did anyone else notice that the Champ Car race at Las Vegas is on the same day as the Malaysian GP? Is Champ Car competing this badly with F1? Who decides they should be on the same day??

While the two races may be on the same day, they are at very different times of the day. The F1 race IS in Malaysia after all.

Qualifying in 1 hour, I'll post again with updated predictions and completely amateur analysis. Looks like no rain and no new engine for Kimi at the moment, but Hamilton has looked pretty good in practice.

[DinanM3_S2]

Fairly interesting qualifying.

1) Felipe Massa
2) Fernando Alonso
3) Kimi Raikkonen
4) Lewis Hamilton
5) Nick ("Quick") Heidfeld
6) Nico Rosberg
7) Robert Kubica
8) Jarno Trulli
9) Ralf ("the unloved brother") Schumacher
10) Mark Webber
11) Heikki K.
12) Giancarlo Fisichella
13) David Coulthard
14) Takuma Sato
15) Jenson ("my cars too slow") Button
16) Vitantonio Liuzzi
17) Scott Speed
18) Anthony Davidson
19) Rubens ("my old car is at the front") Barrichello
20) Alex Wurz
21) Christijan Albers
22) Adrian Sutil

Front runners were no suprise, but I think there are a few stories to be told. The first big story is Alonso's Q2 time. Since fuel loads in Q2 don't carry over to the race, they may be better indicators of overall pace. Alonso was almost .4 seconds a lap faster then the next guy, Massa. It could be that Alonso was all out on that lap while Massa, Hamilton, and Kimi (the only cars that could catch him) were being conservative and knowing that being in the top 10 is the only important thing, didn't push all out.

The McLarens seem to be going for a heavier start strategy compared to the Ferraris. Alonso lost ~1.3 seconds between Q2 and Q3 and Hamilton lost ~1.4 seconds. The Ferraris seem to have lost less time, indicating more fuel, or a strategically confusing slow Q2. Massa lost ~.6 seconds while Kimi lost ~.8 seconds. My guess is that Ferrari will try to build Massa a good early lead on less fuel that will allow him to run away from Alonso and the rest of the pack, while Alonso will try to pass in the pit stops. I could be very wrong though. Kimi starting behind Alonso messes my theory up a bit.

Overall, great job by Massa. .3 seconds is a big gap for qualifying at the front end. I've always thought that he has a good chance of beating Kimi this year, and I mean in WDC points. I'm hoping for some good racing in the front. Kimi and Alonso need to look out for Hamilton from the starting line, as well as Heidfeld, who started well in Australia.

Moving back a little bit... Heidfeld seems to be in no mans land. .5 behind Hamilton and .3 ahead of the man of the day before the race- Nico Rosberg. This guy came on very strong early last year and he seems to be repeating his great first few races. He has, by far, the biggest gap in qualifying vs. his teammate, Alex Wurz who only managed 20th place (scared of DC phantoms?). I didn't expect anyone to beat a BMW other then a possible Renault, but the Williams is an unexpected suprise. Now, he could be light on fuel, but beating a BMW in a Williams is a great feat none-the-less.

Kubica just barely beat Trulli by .006 seconds. Too close for what should be a very fast car. I'm a little worried that he will slide a bit this season, but I wish him the best. Please, for the love of god, someone needs to beat the Toyotas out of the points. I don't like their drivers (mostly Ralfy) and I don't like their company. Normally Renault and Honda would have this task, but it looks like Webber and his RBR might be the man to do it tomorrow. Webber beating both Renaults and DC was a performance eclipsed only be Rosberg's brilliance. The man is great at qualifying, now lets see him place in the points.

Another big story from qualifying is the halarious lack of pace by the Renaults. Flavio must be sooooo annoyed with his drivers and his engineers. Fisi is especially dissapointing, losing a place to Heikki. Who would have thought that Mark Webber could out-qualify both Renaults last year? No Alonso, no Renault.

Yet again, Aguri > Honda. At least in qualifying. I want so badly for Jenson to turn this season around and at least compete with the BMWs. An emberassing season so far. Nick Fry has said that the car won't be very competitive till Spain.

Also yet again, the STRs and Spykers are mysteriously slow for having the same engine as the guy in the front of the pack.

I'll be rooting for Massa to win, Webber in the middle, and Button in the back. Mostly hoping for a good race.

[CassiesMan]

I'm behind Massa on this one, I'm really starting to build up hopes for him. And damnit, I've been saying it for a year now...Its not Renault, its Alonso. Good to see someone agrees with me.

[drunken monkey]

as much as I want honda to do well, I can't help but find it amusing that Super Aguri are outperforming them....

[DinanM3_S2]

Ugh... Massa....

Whole race happened at the start and when Massa made his error. Hamilton was annoyingly slow in the 1st and 3rd stint. Kimi and Massa didn't have a chance as long as they were stuck behind. 6 of my probable top 8 managed were right, if not in the right order.

Kubica needs reliability, Massa needs to calm down, Hamilton needs to speed up or move over.

[RallyRaider]

Gotta love a McLaren one-two.

[Dyno247365]

What a race...damnit Ferrari, damnit to Hell!! I'm amazed at what the rookie has accomplished in only the first 2 races, he's the one to watch, because he's learning almost too quickly. Damnit Ferrari...

For all the times someone slipped up, it might have been the heat got to them. That was a crazy course, when they showed one of the the cars pulling 2.5Gs.

I have a new found respect for JPM, he's a hotlapping fiend and no one could touch his record.