SimHQ.com - Motorsports Zone - Preview: 2004 Malaysian Grand Prix

I will be taking the course during the 2004 season using EA's F1 Challenge '99-'02. To make it more contemporary I will be applying Ralph Hummerich's excellent carset to it as soon as it is ready. I have chosen Ralph's carset as, in addition to him being a thoroughly top notch person, in my opinion his carsets are the best available and it is an honor for SimHQ to have an exclusive Beta version to be able to use for its screenshots. Many thanks Ralph! If you wish to try his 2003 add on please use this link to his page.

A Virtual Lap of the Petronas Grand Prix Circuit

Going at pretty much full pelt over the start finish straight I look to the left and see the hibiscus shaped awning stretching over the huge grandstands and the pitwall to my left as the track slowly starts to climb to Turn 1. I brake down to second gear feeling the back end squirm and wishing that EA could model the brake dust you see flying out of the cars when to see them on screen!

Taking a late apex in order to set myself up for the slow left hander. There is often a crash here (or a brave overtaking move) in the early laps as the corner is a tight downhill left hander and is vaguely reminiscent of a miniature version of the corkscrew found at Laguna Seca in the US. Accelerating away from that around the sweeping left hander the traction control is really cutting in and the car is again snaking around as the deficiencies of the Toyota aerodynamics are being exhibited for all to see! The Toyota is similar to the FW24 I saw testing at Silverstone a couple of years ago — coming out of Woodcote it would be half way down the pitlane before you could here the engine running without traction control because of the lack of grip!

Moving over to the right of the track and passing the point where Coulthard retired last year (was it me or was anyone else wondering if he'd get bitten by a snake trampling to the pits through the long grass?!). I swing through the first sweeping bend with barely a lift before entering the right hander. Another straight follows before heavy braking (Herman Tilke designed this track — as he has all the modern grand prix circuits — and every single one features at least one straight with a heavy braking area). Coming into the corner it is easy either to carry too much speed, lose the back end under braking or miss the apex but somehow (more through luck than judgment) I scrabble through, traction control chattering again as I swing through the left hand kink before hitting the long S curve left-right that frames turns 5 and 6. This section feels a little like a faster version of the Brooklands Maggotts sweep at Silverstone and the forces are building on my Microsoft wheel as I finish powering through them. When you consider the incredible heat and the drivers having to wear three layers of Nomex one can only imagine how exhausting the G-forces there must feel after nearly two hours of racing!

Turns 7 and 8 follow quite quickly and braking down to third gear and popping the car through doesn't seem too tricky though it is amazing how quickly you can run out of track on the second corner if you don't take the first part well! Another charge down a straight and more grandstands come into view. Though based on a similar design to the main grandstands you can tell that these must be the cheap seats as they seem smaller and slightly stuck away! Another heavy braking area and probably the tightest corner on the track. Unlike on TV it seems incredibly easy to spin here yet you rarely see drivers having to apply opposite lock let alone swapping ends which seems strange!

Turn 10 is entered and taken flat out but it tightens into turn 11 which requires some practice to get right and although I flick down a couple of gears I still find myself running out of track and brake further ending up below my optimum revs in 4th rather than having been sensible and selected third.

Accelerating again through the left hand turn 12 I hit turn 12 and 13. Once again the turn has a fast entry and tightens and, like I suspect most simmers and real life drivers, always feel I could take it faster until I end up in the gravel! Coming out of turn 14 the enormous grandstands appear to the left and the absence of anything on the right seems a little strange as I zip down the straight.

Most real world drivers say that they find braking for this final hairpin difficult due to the width of the track (a combination of factors that makes this point one of the main overtaking points on the circuit). Personally I find staying to the right hand side of the track allows me plenty of marker points for braking down and gives lots of space for turning through the apex and back onto the main straight thereby giving me a chance to try a slingshot overtaking move onto the main straight. Once again the traction control cuts in and my speed builds up as I rocket into another lap...

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