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Race Name: Malaysian Grand Prix
Circuit Name: The Petronas Grand Prix Circuit, Sepang
Circuit Length: 3.3453 miles
Race Length: 183.9913 miles 55 laps
Lap Record: Michael Schumacher 1m36.412s

Ralf Schumacher's View

"The season opener in Melbourne clearly demonstrated that there is still quite a lot of work ahead of us if we want to fight for the World Championship this year. Even if we can’t close the gap to Ferrari straight away, we must do better in Malaysia. The car and the Michelin tires are better suited to Sepang and Malaysia’s hot weather, but we can’t rely on this alone.

From the physical perspective, I feel well prepared for the heat despite what happened last year. When I was climbing up the field from 17th to 4th place, the device that drives the air into my crash helmet was ripped off by accident. As a result, the temperature in the helmet was stiflingly hot, making it hard to drive. Hopefully though, I’ll have a better experience this year."

Fernando Alonso's View

"The Malaysian Grand Prix is full of fantastic memories for me: I scored my first ever pole and podium for Renault at the circuit last year. I think it is the best circuit we go to in terms of facilities — they really did a great job on the paddock and garages — and the track itself is very challenging. I can't wait to start running. Honestly, I think Sepang is perhaps the most difficult circuit of the year, and it is certainly one of the most technical that we go to. When I say technical, I mean that your car needs to be strong in every area: all the corners tend to be high-speed, so you need a perfect car balance and good aerodynamics. The long straights mean good performance on the brakes is an absolute must. The corners open out, so you need to be careful with tire wear. Everything has to be absolutely spot on to go quickly at Sepang. And of course, it's fun for the drivers: lots of high speed corners and overtaking opportunities are what we look for from every circuit."

The Track's F1 History

The Sepang circuit staged it's first race in 1999 and the event is already a favorite on the calendar even though this is only its sixth race. It's layout is very similar to that of Donnington Park though at 3.33 miles is a fair bit larger! Petronas (the petrochemical company) built the circuit and is made up of a number of different corners with the overall nature of the corners being similar to those at Silverstone or Montreal (though a slippery track means downforce is much more of a requirement).

The monsoon conditions in 2001 led to a topsy turvey race and, after the melee in Australia, there is a good chance that similar could happen this time — especially as it is currently monsoon season. This race is the most humid of the season and the drivers can expect to lose around 3.5 litres of sweat.

This circuit has probably the most variety seen in a new Grand Prix circuit since the introduction of the "Senna chicanes" brought in in 1994 (2nd gear 70 mph chicanes that seem to be everywhere in F1 these days and are usually named after Ayrton Senna). In 1999 there was a good race with a revitalized Schumacher winning the race for Irvine and generally being the class of the field. Even so Coulthard still managed to get ahead of Schumacher in the best move I have yet seen from the Scot.

In 2000 Sepang was the last race of the season after Schumacher had already won the driver's championship. The race itself was another demonstration from Schumacher as he disappeared into the distance while the McLarens were beset by a string of niggling problems which awarded Ferrari the constructor's championship as well. The race also saw the end of Johnny Herbert's career with a disappointing crash for the Brit.

In 2001 the race was moved to the start of the season and was dominated by the weather. A downpour just after the start saw mayhem in the early part of the race as numerous cars skidded off allowing Trulli to lead a few early laps (the only time last season that a car outside the top 3 teams managed to lead a grand prix). In the end Schumacher asserted himself and comfortably won from Barrichello with Coulthard third. Jos Verstappen was, however, the star of the race running as high as third in his Arrows before fading to finish 7th.

2002 was a Williams 1-2 as Raf Schumacher and Montoya dominated the podium in what would turn out to be one of only two races not won by Ferrari. A coming together between Montoya and Schumacher led to the German having to pit whilst Montoya was later forced to take a drive through penalty (despite the coming together being at best blameless. Michael Schumacher finished third. Jenson Button was cheated of a maiden podium in the Renault after a storming race was ruined by a late puncture while Allan McNish was cheated of a point when his Toyota' rear suspension collapsed on the last lap allowing Felipe Massa to get his first point as Sauber finished 5th and 6th. Last year saw Kimi Raikkonen take his first and (so far) only grand prix win. The Renaults of Alonso and Trulli started on the front row but for once their launch control let them down and it was David Coulthard who seemed well set until his electronics let him down. Raikkonen took over and sailed on serenely to a classy debut win.

2003 Malaysian Grand Prix Results

Circuit Name:  The Petronas Grand Prix Circuit
Location:  Sepang, Malaysia

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