Malaysia 1999: Previews
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Arrows |
Benetton |
BAR |
Ferrari |
Jordan |
McLaren |
Minardi |
Sauber |
Stewart |
Prost |
Williams |
Bridgestone
]
Arrows [start]
Not present at this time
Benetton [start]
Pat Symonds, Technical Director of the Mild Seven Benetton Playlife team:
Preparation
Obviously with the Sepang circuit being new to all the teams, it is impossible to do specific preparation for this race. However, eventhough we are now entering the last two races of the season, development doesn't stop and the team has been testing in Barcelona for three days last week with two cars and all three of our drivers. This testing has consisted of a mixture of car development and trying some new suspension parts which may be used in the last two races. On top of this, intense work is being carried out at the factory on the design of the B200 so as we approach the end of the season we are busier than ever.
The Circtuit
These days our simulation techniques are sophisticated enough to give us a good idea of how to set the car up for a brand new circuit. In order to do this we feed into our computer programmes data from surveyors' maps of the circuit together with our normal car data. In spite of this there are always factors that we cannot account for until we see the circuit itself, such as the composition and texture of the tarmac. However our simulation has shown that Sepang will be an interesting circuit with 3 very slow corners, 4 3rd gear corners, 4 4th gear corners and 2 high speed 5th gear corners. In addition there are two quite long straights of around 800m each. These will present an interesting challenge for the engineers as speed on these straights will be essential because they both lead to overtaking opportunities whereas much of the rest of the circuit will require high downforce and maximum grip. We estimate that the optimum downforce level is in the medium to high range, some! where close to Silverstone and Barcelona, although this is largely dependent upon circuit grip available from the tyres.
The start / finish straight is over 800m long, about the same length as Barcelona, and there follows turn 1 and 2 which although tight have quite high positive camber, so this should provide a good overtaking opportunity. Turn 3 should be flat out (in the dry at least) but as it's only about 300 metres before you brake for the 3rd gear turn 4 there probably isn't time to make a passing move. Turns 5 and 6 are quite demanding high speed corners and they are followed by 7 and 8 which are effectively one double apex 4th gear right hander. After the hairpin turns 10, 11 and 12 are fairly straightforward, however the cars will be quite nervous as they brake and turn at the same time into 13. The back straight is just slightly shorter than the main straight, and the two are joined by a 2nd gear hairpin which could give another overtaking opportunity for drivers who have well balanced cars into 13.
The Race
One of the primary factors effecting the race will be the choice of tyres. Bridgestone are bringing the same tyres used at Nurburgring and hence the teams will probably be trying to make the most of the super soft tyre. This may lead to two stop strategies, however a variation may be made be some teams running the slightly harder tyre and trying one stop. This will very much depend on the nature of the track surface. Of course, in Malaysia at the moment we are just entering the rainy season and therefore the chances of a wet race are reasonably high. The nature of the circuit is such that there should be at least two very good overtaking opportunities which should add to the excitement, however the first two turns after the start appear to be very tight so they may play a significant part in the outcome of the race.
British American Racing [start]
Rubber plantations and rain forests compared with modern, bustling cities and world-class resorts; the Chinese Market compared with the Petronas Towers: Malaysia and its major city, Kuala Lumpur, provide a series of fascinating contrasts. It is fitting that this country of visually dramatic backdrops is to provide the stage for the first Formula One World Championship event to be staged in southeast Asia. For world motorsport's governing body, the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, the Malaysian Grand Prix also marks another significant step on the journey to making Formula One motor racing a truly global sport.
The penultimate round of the 1999 World Championship takes place at the breathtaking Sepang Circuit, 60 km south of Kuala Lumpur and about 15 km from the city's gleaming new international airport complex (KLIA).
Built at a cost of $120 million U.S., the 5.542-km/2.09-mile, 15-turn track is notable for an on-site shopping mall, a spectacular, double-sided grandstand capable of accommodating 30,000 spectators, and a pit complex that has Formula One mechanics drooling in anticipation. The 30-garage layout, which boasts pit boxes measuring a spacious 200 sq/m, incorporates air-conditioned offices, glass-walled hospitality units and the latest telecommunications equipment. In short, the Sepang Circuit, designed by German architect, Hermann Tilke, is likely to set a new standard for the sport. At the same time, this year's Malaysian Grand Prix also poses an intriguing challenge for all Formula One teams. Whereas race engineers normally have a detailed bank of chassis set-up information for each of the established circuits at which their teams compete, Sepang is currently a conspicuous blank on the data sheets.
The track layout suggests a medium-speed course with an estimated maximum velocity for a Formula One car of 315 km/h, likely to be achieved on the 928-metre "home straight" between turn 15 and turn 1. World Motorcycle Championship riders, who competed at Sepang in April, reported a wide track - up to 22 metres in places - with a smooth, non-abrasive surface.
"The fact is, none of the teams knows exactly what it's going to find when it gets to Malaysia," observes British American Racing Chief Engineer, Steve Farrell.
"We've done a considerable amount of computer simulation work on Sepang using circuit data provided by the organisers as well as Bridgestone, which also supplied a number of the motorcycle teams who raced there earlier this year. This has allowed us to work out theoretical chassis settings and gear ratios, and although we have developed a good correlation between our in-house simulations and real-world conditions, we won't know for sure how close we are until we start running there. As far as specific technical issues for this race are concerned, the obvious ones relate to the climate of Malaysia - high ambient temperatures and the likelihood of tropical downpours. The new 'aero' kit introduced in Hungary has made for much-improved cooling, so we're not worried about running into temperature problems. As far as rain is concerned, we've done considerable wet-weather running this year and feel that we are as ready as we're ever going to be on that front. The most interesting aspect of this first Malaysian Grand Prix is that the competition will be more even for all the teams than would normally be the case. Those with the best computer simulations will still have a small advantage, but I think it's going to be a case of thinking quickly on your feet during the race weekend and using your initiative. It should make for a very interesting Grand Prix."
The long-haul, or so-called "flyaway" races, inevitably present a major logistical challenge for the Grand Prix teams. BAR personnel, for instance, are busy packing three cars plus 20 tons of freight ready for transport from Brackley to the Far East for the final two Formula One races of the season. As for the Malaysian Grand Prix, Team Manager, Robert Synge, has no doubt what the team's goal has to be. "We were encouraged that both our cars were classified finishers at the Nurburgring," he says. "The next step is to get both of them into the points. In fact, our aim for the last two races must be to score as many points as we can. The Malaysian event is the first F1 race in a long time where none of our rivals has the benefit of prior knowledge of the circuit. Sepang looks like a very impressive facility and we've done a lot of simulation work to make sure that, as a team, we are as prepared as we possibly can be. We have also scheduled an additional test day at Barcelona later this week to make sure we have done everything to ensure a strong, reliable performance in Malaysia."
Jacques Villeneuve is no stranger to racing in the Far East and is also looking forward to the final two races of the 1999 Formula One season. "I don't know anything about this new circuit as I've never been to Sepang before," he says, "but I'm really looking forward to driving on a new track. I've been quite competitive on new circuits in the past, such as the A1 Ring in Austria two years ago, and I hope to do the same again. I'm sure that Malaysia will be interesting, as it seems very different from the other countries we visit. From previous experience, plus visits to Hong Kong, Macau and China, as well as living in Japan, I know that I like Asia, so I hope that it will bring me luck and we will get positive results in our last two GPs this season."
Ferrari [start]
Not present at this time
Jordan [start]
Eddie Jordan
"The way I see it, we have everything to win, and nothing to lose," says Jordan Grand Prix's Chief Executive as his team heads for the penultimate race of the 1999 F1 World Championship.
"The European Grand Prix was a huge disappointment for us, for Damon and particularly for Heinz-Harald, but we have put that behind us. Heinz still has a shot of improving on his third place in the Drivers' Championship and I believe we can consolidate our 3rd place in the Constructors Championship. I also believe Damon will have two very good races. They will be the last two of his F1 career, and I would not be surprised if he pulled off something special, in Suzuka particularly."
Mike Gascoyne
Not since Austria 1997 has the Formula One circuit raced at a new track. A new circuit, however, does not impose as big a challenge as many people expect, as he explains. "We are used to flying away to races, so the logistics are no problem. From an engineering point of view, we use very detailed circuit maps to do computer simulations and predict the driving line. We know the optimum level of downforce and with that downforce we can find out speeds at each point on the track and then optimise gear ratios. So we will travel to Malaysia with a good knowledge of the type of track; it will be a medium/high downforce circuit which will be quite heavy on braking."
"There are some things we cannot know until we arrive, such as whether the drivers can use the kerbs or not. This information will affect the mechanical set up. At Monza for example you have to use the kerbs to be quick and so you run the car very soft to be able to do that. In Malaysia it might be that the kerbs are too high or too slippery to use, but we will have to wait until the drivers go out on Friday morning. The track surface is a little of an unknown as well so we cannot really tell how the tyres will wear. This is not a major issue, however, as it happens at other circuits during the year, such as Brazil, which is resurfaced annually."
"The detailed mechanical set up will have to be done at Sepang, but the cars are very adjustable and we have run a lot of different types of set ups at the different circuits throughout this season, so it should not be a too difficult to adjust the car to find the right balance. All the drivers will go out early on the first day to find their way around the track, but within 20 laps they will find the racing line. The hot, humid weather will be the biggest problem, as it will make cooling the car very difficult and some teams might suffer reliability problems. We believe our car will do well in Malaysia. It has been running very competitively and there is no reason to believe this will not be the case at Sepang."
Heinz-Harald Frentzen
The Jordan team had a very productive two-day test with Heinz-Harald in Barcelona on 6th and 7th October. "The car ran very competitively. I think we had put the disappointment of Nurburgring behind us. The two day test was not only productive, but actually hugely enjoyable. I kept checking to see how much time we had left each day to see what testing we were still able to fit in."
McLaren [start]
Malaysia's stunning new Sepang racing circuit stages the country's first ever Formula One grand prix this weekend. Mika Hakkinen and the McLaren Mercedes team will fly to Asia for this penultimate round as respective leaders of the drivers' and constructors' world championships. Construction of this modern racing complex, which features impressive state-of-the-art facilities, was only completed last year and is conveniently located near the new Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The 3.4-mile circuit presents a unique challenge as it is the only track on this year's calendar where Formula One teams and drivers have never tested or raced before.
In such an instance, where West McLaren Mercedes has yet to run on a circuit, the team uses computer-based simulation techniques to make their initial preparations. This allows a preliminary assessment to be made of circuit characteristics prior to arriving in Malaysia. From this it is possible to generate information to give gear ratios and a car set-up which the drivers will use to start. On-site evaluation of the circuit in the few days before Practice will provide further details, including the influence of kerbs and the relative "smoothness" of the track. The circuit profile of Sepang indicates that car set-ups will require high downforce levels with severity of brake usage expected to be above average. The average lap speed is also expected to be similar to those achieved at circuits such as Magny-Cours and Imola.
The purpose-built circuit was designed with the intention of being regarded as a benchmark for future tracks and aims to maximise spectator viewing and racing excitement. The latter should be ensured by three obvious overtaking opportunities, where drivers can attempt to outbrake their opponents going into tight hairpins: at Turn 1, at the end of the start/finish straight; Turn 9; and Turn 15, the final corner which is a hairpin leading onto the home straight.
Mika Hakkinen
"I'm really looking forward to the challenge of racing on a brand new track. Last year I was able to have a very brief tour round the new Sepang circuit in a Mercedes-Benz road car, but I think I will be going just a little bit quicker this weekend."
David Counthard
"While a new circuit will level the playing field somewhat, I still believe we will have a slight edge come the weekend as we have had a very competitive package at every circuit this year. The track has been created with the intention of producing exciting racing, and the circuit map certainly suggests a number of overtaking possibilities."
Ron Dennis
"A new circuit inevitably presents an element of the unknown, but we have made the necessary preparations to try and ensure we are competitive and will respond to the forthcoming challenge."
Minardi [start]
Not present at this time
Sauber [start]
Not present at this time
Stewart [start]
Johnny Herbert
What effect has the victory in the European Grand Prix had on you?
I’m still feeling really pumped up. The win has done an enormous amount for my confidence and I can enter the last two races of the season feeling good about myself and eager to end the season on a high. I have been inundated with messages from well-wishers which make it all worthwhile. I knew I had to win races and now I’ve had another taste, I’m keen to do it again.
What are your prospects for this weekend?
I think there’ll be a familiar look to the grid despite Seepang being an untried circuit. The Barcelona test went well although it was cut short on the last day with a wheel bearing problem. I was fastest on the second day and I made as much progress on improving the set-up of the car as I had all season. It all bodes well for Malaysia.
Rubens Barrichello
How much do you know about the Seepang circuit?
I’ve been learning the circuit on the PlayStation. From what I’ve seen it looks quite difficult – a lot of hairpins and hard braking areas. All of us will be starting from scratch because we don’t have any data to rely on so we have no accurate read on downforce levels for instance. I’m told the facilities are fantastic. This could be our track.
With the weather likely to be humid, how are you prepared physically?
I know we can expect hot and humid weather so I’ve trained accordingly. Back home in Brazil I have been doing a lot of jogging at midday when the temperature is high. It’s important to be conditioned to the heat particularly on a circuit which looks physically demanding.
Prost [start]
Motivated by the good result of the European Grand Prix and excited by the discovery of a brand new track in Malaysia, the Gauloises Prost Peugeot team has taken it's flights at the beginning of the week to go overseas for the Asian Tour which will put an end to the 1999 Formula 1 Championship.
In order to get prepared the best possible way to a Grand Prix on which neither the cars nor the drivers have ever driven, the race organisation sends a detailed map of the track to all the teams.
With this "tool" the engineers have the opportunity to imagine and analyse a theoretical car path and simulate the car behaviour, mostly concerning the aerodynamics and the downforce as well as the gearbox ratio. This means it is possible to prepare, but the teams still always will encounter a good number of unknown elements, such as the grip of the track, the real car path or the car behaviour on the bumps. The real and final set-up of the cars will be done during the very first practice session on Friday.
Both Prost Peugeot AP02 will be equiped with an improved Evolution 7 Peugeot engine for the qualification session and for the first time with the Evolution 5 engine for the race.
Williams [start]
The penultimate round of the 1999 FIA Formula One World Championship takes place at Sepang, Malaysia's first International Formula One circuit. The track, which took only 15 months to complete, was opened on 9th March 1999 by the Malaysian Prime Minister. All of the teams are in the same position as there have been no F1 tests at this track. One thing they can all be sure of though is that it will be HOT!
Circuit Characteristics
A brand new track with two long straights connected by a tight hairpin. A good variety of tight and flowing corners.
Ralf Schumacher
It's difficult for me to speak about the Malaysian Grand Prix because we have not raced there before. From the layout the racetrack looks quite interesting with some fast and mid-speed corners, and I hope we are able to set up the FW21 as well as possible to be competitive.
Alessandro Zanardi
I haven't heard much about this track. I just know that it's very likely to be a bumpy circuit as it's new. It will probably be humid which will make it a hard race. However, towards the end of the season the cars are more reliable and the drivers are more fit so it shouldn't be a problem.
Bridgestone [start]
With the 1999 Drivers' and Constructors' World Championships still undecided, the inaugural Malaysian F1 Grand Prix at the Sepang circuit on October 17 is assured of excitement and high tension. Malaysia is no stranger to international motorsport, having staged its first Grand Prix event - for motorcycles - at Shah Alam in 1991. In April this year the motorcycle GP was the first international event to be staged at the new layout.
The 5.542 km (3.443 mile) Sepang circuit, situated close to the new Kuala Lumpur International Airport, has been widely hailed as the most up-to-date racing complex in the world. However, as far as the F1 teams - and Bridgestone are concerned, it represents a step into the unknown. "Having no previous experience of the circuit conditions with F1 machinery, we turned to our colleagues from the Motorcycle Division who had attended the bike race at Sepang earlier this year," said Yoshihiko Ichikawa, Technical Manager of Bridgestone Motorsport.
"The data provided to us indicated that lap speeds will be similar to those achieved at circuits like Imola and Magny-Cours," says Ichikawa. "It also appears that the surface will be quite abrasive, although this is a characteristic which can change as a circuit beds in."
For Sepang, Bridgestone has decided to take the Soft and Extra Soft compounds offered to the teams at Monaco and Hungary earlier this year. "Given that we expect to see higher speeds than at those two tracks, this selection may seem surprising," admits Ichikawa. "However, it is clear that at this stage of the season the drivers and their engineers are confident about their ability to minimise understeer on the softer compound. Although we expect quite high air temperatures of around 30/33 degrees this is unlikely to be a problem," added Ichikawa.
"As usual, the choice of compound will have to take into account not only the way the teams set up their cars to suit the tyres but also the added durability of the harder tyre, which may be a factor if it is very hot on race day."
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