2009 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang (04.05.09)

GRAND PRIX OF MALAYSIA - Sepang
(April 5, 2009 - 11:00 AM)

FIRST RACE: October 17, 1999
LAP LENGTH: 5,543 meters
TOTAL LAPS: 56 (193 miles)
FASTEST LAP: Juan Pablo Montoya - 1:34.223 (2004, Williams)
2008 PODIUM: 1. Kimi Raikkonen - 2. Robert Kubica - 3. Heikki Kovalainen

HISTORY:

The very first race at the Sepang circuit took place back in 1999. It was a massive showdown where everything was on the line—not just for the Drivers' Championship, but for the Constructors' title as well. The tension was through the roof because the gap between first and fourth place in the standings was a mere 14 points.


That penultimate race of the season in Sepang in 1999 marked the debut for many drivers on this track. The venue itself wasn't exactly new to the racing world, though, since it had been hosting motorcycle races since 1991.
Spanning 5,542 meters, the track was built right near the new international airport in Kuala Lumpur, making it one of the freshest racing complexes out there. However, for the drivers and teams stepping onto the asphalt for the first time in 1999, it felt pretty unpredictable. Up to that point, only three drivers had even had the chance to get some seat time on this new circuit, and their experience there was incredibly brief.


This inaugural race also signaled the return of Michael Schumacher following that nasty accident at Silverstone just a few months prior. The German driver was clearly in peak condition, which he proved by dominating the field. He led the entire race with ease, but in a calculated move, he handed the win over to Eddie Irvine to help him secure the championship—a title he’d been chasing after missing races due to his injury.

Fast forward a year, and he was back in the winner's circle at Sepang, delivering yet another stellar victory for Ferrari. That specific win essentially locked in Ferrari's second consecutive Constructors' title. As for Schumacher himself, he had actually clinched the World Championship a race earlier.

The Malaysian Grand Prix was slotted into the early season schedule starting in 2001, immediately following the opener in Australia. Just like the previous year, Michael Schumacher took the checkered flag, but in 2002, his younger brother, Ralf Schumacher, managed to snatch the win. That ended up being the only victory for the younger brother that season.

In 2003, Kimi Raikkonen grabbed his very first Formula 1 victory here. He was joined on the podium by Rubens Barrichello and Fernando Alonso, while Michael Schumacher had a rough outing; he was hit with a pit stop penalty after a collision with Jarno Trulli during the opening lap. That setback cost the German driver precious time, leaving him to finish in sixth place.



By 2004, Michael Schumacher had returned to the top step of the podium after two years of not seeing much luck. The German secured his third win in Malaysia, beating out Juan Pablo Montoya and Jenson Button, who notched his first career Formula 1 podium at this circuit.
The following year, Fernando Alonso took the glory at the Malaysian track driving for Renault. Jarno Trulli earned the first podium for the Toyota squad since they entered Formula 1, while the final spot on the podium went to the German, Nick Heidfeld, who had moved over to the Williams Racing team that year.


In 2006, Renault was simply untouchable. Giancarlo Fisichella and his teammate Fernando Alonso cruised to what was the second consecutive double win in the history of the French outfit. Joining the Renault duo on the podium was Jenson Button, driving for Honda.

Next year, McLaren pulled off a massive double victory with Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton leading the charge. They were joined on the podium by Kimi Raikkonen driving for Ferrari.

In the second race of the 2008 season, last year's world champion, Kimi Raikkonen, took the win for Ferrari. He was followed onto the podium by Robert Kubica in the BMW Sauber and Heikki Kovalainen in the McLaren-Mercedes.

PREVIOUS WINNERS:

2008: Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2007: Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
2006: Giancarlo Fisichella (Renault)
2005: Fernando Alonso (Renault)
2004: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
2003: Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren)
2002: Ralf Schumacher (Williams)
2001: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
2000: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari)
1999: Eddie Irvine (Ferrari)

let the race begin🙂

While this track has belonged to Ferrari in years past, the current power dynamics suggest we might see a different story unfold this time around. The heavy hitters looking to take the win are Toyota, Brawn GP, and Ferrari... though personally, I’m rooting for an underdog to pull off the upset.☕

This is easily one of my all-time favorite tracks. Honestly, if you just take a look at the list of past winners, it becomes immediately obvious why this place holds such prestige. 😁

Thinking back to the 2003 race in Kuala Lumpur, I still vividly remember young Alonso’s start. He lined up way back in 20th, but by the time they hit that first corner, he had already sliced his way up to 11th.

He shot off like he was launched from a catapult. If anyone happens to have a video link for that, please share it—it is absolutely worth every second of your time. 🙏

As for the upcoming race, my expectations are undeniably high. I’ve already been daydreaming about seeing Alonso take the top spot, with Piquet following him in second. 🙏

I have a hunch that Renault might have intentionally played it safe during their performance in Australia, perhaps just to keep the competition off balance while they quietly prepared the car for a decisive victory here.

Go Renault! 🙏

Did Rubens Barrichello start this one?

Of course, I’d love to see Kimi or Massa take the win, but let’s be real—that's a long shot. I'm giving the edge to Brawn GP and the rest of the smaller teams this time!

Roger Wright94 said:Did Rubens Barrichello start this thread?

Yes☕ I believe so😕

Kudos to Ice Nigrutin for the username, the ban, and for kicking off this whole thread 🙏

I’m under the impression that Renault intentionally tanked their performance in Australia just to throw the competition off the scent, allowing themselves enough breathing room to prep the car for this win.

YES☕

Morgan Murphy7 said:I honestly think Renault tanked their performance in Australia just to throw everyone off their game so they could focus on setting up the car perfectly for this win.

And then everything went south... 😁

Check out the weekend forecast on 🤣 🙏

http://www.autosport.com/f1/

alright

1.22 Brawn GP

3, 4, 5, 6 are Williams Racing and Toyota mixed together... I guess

7 Kubica

.....everyone else

since this track really demands high-performance cars... I think that's about it

If this rain keeps up, I guess it'll be either Vettel or Kubica taking the win... Hamilton's probably not even walking away with points...

I wouldn't go making any bold predictions 😎 not until Saturday

One thing's for sure, some idiot is going to screw up Kubica's win again.😁

Bradley Nelson2 said:One thing is absolutely certain: some idiot is going to blow Kubica's victory right out of his hands again. 😁

It is truly unfortunate.😢

Well, we shall see.☕

I don't see any major shifts in the power rankings happening anytime soon, honestly... they're still busy tinkering with diffusers while waiting for some old guys in suits to make a call... so it’s looking pretty much like Brawn GP is just going to sweep this race too.

Morgan Murphy7 said:This stands out as one of my absolute favorite tracks on the calendar. Honestly, you don't even need me to explain it; just take a quick look at the list of winners over the years and any sane person will immediately understand exactly why this circuit holds such legendary status. 😁

I still find myself thinking back to that race in Kuala Lumpur back in 2003, specifically when young Alonso took the green flag from 20th on the grid and somehow managed to slice his way up to 11th before he even hit the first corner.

He took off like he was launched from a catapult, honestly. If anyone happens to have a link for that, please just paste it here; it’s going to be worth every single bit. 🙏

When it comes to the upcoming races, I have to say my expectations are incredibly high. Honestly, I’ve already envisioned Alonso crossing that finish line in first place, with Piquet right there behind him taking second. 🙏

I’m convinced that Renault intentionally tanked their performance during the Australian Grand Prix just to throw their competitors off the scent, all so they could quietly dial in the car and cruise toward this victory without anyone seeing them coming.

My Renaults. 🙏

If I’m being completely honest, I actually thought one of your predictions from last year was absolutely spot on.

I’m sitting here thinking about the upcoming season, and frankly, I expect nothing less than a 1.22 Renault performance. 🙏 🙏

Since when have we actually seen anything resembling a win from Piquet? It feels like we've been waiting forever for a moment that might never actually materialize. 🙏

Alright, let's cut all the nonsense and get down to brass tacks...

I don't know, I could swear that during Q2 in Australia, the gap between the guy in first and twelfth was only about eight-tenths of a second... and that twelfth spot went to Alonso, though if he hadn't botched that final flying lap, he easily could have shaved off another tenth.

Look, there’s no way around it—Renault was fighting against two massive handicaps, much like what McLaren and Ferrari were dealing with at the time. They were essentially hamstrung by the lack of a double diffuser, and then you have the KERS system, which honestly seemed to do nothing but get in their way during qualifying sessions.
Honestly, looking back, the BMW was significantly faster without that KERS setup dragging it down. You have to consider the weight penalty—we're talking about an extra 30 to 40 kilograms added to the car, which is massive, yet the system only provides about six seconds of deployment. It feels like such a short window to justify carrying all that dead weight around the track.

It looks like the decision regarding whether KERS actually brings anything to the table at all will finally be hammered out during the upcoming race in Kuala Lumpur.

I honestly expect to see a massive amount of technical maneuvering and aggressive engineering tweaks coming from Ferrari, Renault, McLaren, and even BMW over the next few races; they're all going to be scrambling to find any kind of edge through new technical solutions.

hollowhawk412 said:Honestly, one of your predictions from last year was spot on for me.

I’m expecting 1.22 Renault from 🙏 🙏

Since we haven't seen a prediction from Piquet's actually come true more than once, maybe this time will stick 🙏

without all the usual nonsense...

I don't know, it felt to me like during Q2 in Australia, the gap between first and twelfth was only about eight-tenths... and that twelfth spot was Alonso, though he messed up his last flying lap, so he probably could have shaved off another tenth if he hadn't...

But Renault was dealing with two major setbacks (just like McLaren and Ferrari did)... the lack of a double diffuser and that KERS system which seemed like nothing but a nuisance during qualifying...
BMW without KERS was significantly faster... I mean, you're carrying an extra 30 to 40 kg just for something that only gets used for about 6 seconds. It's barely enough time to make a difference.

By the time we hit Malaysia, they'll probably finally decide whether KERS is even worth the headache or not...

Over the next few races, I'm expecting to see a lot of tinkering from Ferrari, Renault, McLaren, and even BMW as they scramble to find new technical solutions...

hollowhawk412, just wanted to say hey 👍 You've been missing from the forum for months now...

hollowhawk412 said:look, Renault was fighting two major disadvantages (just like McLaren and Ferrari)... they lacked the double diffuser, and KERS was basically just getting in their way during qualifying...
BMW was significantly faster without KERS... at the end of the day, you're carrying an extra 30 to 40 kg just to use it for maybe 6 seconds per lap. It's barely worth it.

By the time we get to Kuala Lumpur, they'll probably finally decide if KERS is actually worth the headache or not...

Over at Ferrari, they're claiming KERS caused some unexpected issues with rear tire degradation, tearing them up. Honestly, I don't get how they didn't catch something like that during testing.
The best comparison is BMW, who ran the same strategy but was clearly a class above.
Using KERS remains a massive question mark.
So, it'll be more of the same in Malaysia, and then we'll see what decisions get made. They're going to have to make adjustments on the fly, and fast.

Roger Wright94 said:Over at Ferrari, they're claiming that using KERS caused some unexpected issues with the rear tires, basically eating them alive. I honestly can't wrap my head around how they didn't see this coming during all their testing and prep.
They’re drawing comparisons to BMW, who ran the exact same strategy but managed to be a class above them.
The whole KERS situation is still a massive question mark.
So, it's more of the same in Malaysia, and then we'll just have to wait for the fallout. They're going to have to fix this on the fly, and they'll need to move fast.

Look, there are so many rule changes flying around that it's almost impossible to be certain about anything working the way it should, regardless of how much testing or computer simulation you throw at it.
I'm with you on Malaysia... everything's just going to stay messy for now.