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Free Practice 2 - Times
Friday, 08 April 2011
FREE PRACTICE 2 TIMES
POS NO DRIVER   NAT ENTRANT     +Time
1 2 M. WEBBER AUS Red Bull Racing 01:36.9
2 4 J. BUTTON GBR Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 0.005
3 3 L. HAMILTON GBR Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 0.134
4 1 S. VETTEL GER Red Bull Racing 0.214
5 7 M. SCHUMACHER GER Mercedes GP Petronas 1.212
6 6 F. MASSA BRA Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 1.213
7 8 N. ROSBERG GER Mercedes GP Petronas 1.689
8 9 N. HEIDFELD GER Lotus Renault GP 1.694
9 5 F. ALONSO ESP Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 1.707
10 19 J. ALGUERSUARI ESP Scuderia Toro Rosso 1.97
11 12 P. MALDONADO VEN AT&T Williams   2.092
12 11 R. BARRICHELLO BRA AT&T Williams   2.311
13 10 V. PETROV RUS Lotus Renault GP 2.391
14 16 K. KOBAYASHI JPN Sauber F1 Team 2.522
15 17 S. PEREZ MEX Sauber F1 Team 2.727
16 15 P. DI RESTA GBR Force India F1 2.749
17 14 A. SUTIL GER Force India F1 2.933
18 18 S. BUEMI SUI Scuderia Toro Rosso 3.239
19 24 T. GLOCK GER Marussia Virgin Racing 3.99
20 21 J. TRULLI ITA Team Lotus   5.014
21 22 N. KARTHIKEYAN IND HRT F1 Team 6.321
22 23 V. LIUZZI ITA HRT F1 Team 7.115
23 20 H. KOVALAINEN FIN Team Lotus   8.01
24   J. D'AMBROSIO ITA Marussia Virgin Racing xxx

 
 
Pirelli Ready for a Wet Race!
Thursday, 07 April 2011
Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), April 7th 2011 - In Malaysia, it is never a question of if it will rain, but instead just a question of when. Today, temperatures in excess of 35 degrees centigrade were followed by torrential rain, which is to set the tone for the rest of the weekend.
For this reason, it is more than likely that Pirelli's intermediate and wet tyres will make their competitive debuts at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, which was inaugurated in 1999.
For the first time tomorrow, the teams will also try out an experimental compound of hard tyre. Two sets of this new version of the hard tyre will be given to the teams for Friday's two free practice sessions only, in order to evaluate feedback in the demanding conditions of Malaysia.
The remaining tyre allocation for the weekend is unaffected.
THE TYRES:
The hard and the soft tyre will be the prime and option choices for the Malaysia, as was the case in Australia, but with rain such a common feature of Malaysia, the intermediate and wet tyres are likely to take centre stage as well.
  • The intermediate tyre, distinguished by light blue markings, has a tread that is characterised by light grooves across the whole surface of the tyre.The grooves on the intermediate tyre are three millimetres deep, meaning that they can cope with standing water that is around two millimetres deep.Any more water than that and the wet tyre is required. The moment at which it becomes quicker to switch from the intermediate to the wet tyre and vice versa – the 'crossover point' – is of vital strategic importance, and will hold the key to the teams' tactics in Malaysia.
  • The wet tyre, with orange logos, has an asymmetric tread design. The pattern is denser on the outer edge of the tyre, while a centre channel and two smaller channels of the inside of the tyre help to disperse water more effectively. The amount of water displaced varies according to the depth of the grooves. The wet tyre has a tread depth of five millimetres and is able to cope with a level of standing water of up to five millimetres before aquaplaning sets in. One of Pirelli's wet tyres will clearup to 60 litres of water per second at 300kph, meaning that a Formula One car at full speed will clean up 240 litres of water per second.
    The intermediate tyres by contrast clear 20 litres of water per second, as opposed to a road car tyre that can only clear 10 litres per second – but at much slower speeds.


THE TRACK:
Malaysia presents a stark contrast to the first Grand Prix of the year in Australia, with hot and humid weather matched to a much more aggressive surface. This should lead to three or four pit stops during the race.
The Sepang circuit is 5.543 kilometres long, with the total of 56 laps that total 310.408 kilometres. The circuit is well known for being tough on tyres, and that is evident from the very first hard braking area into turn one.
The second turn is even tougher: the unevenness of the surface and the stiff suspension means that the inside wheel often lifts, putting all the load on the outer front tyre.
After the opening complex of corners there is a long right-hand bend taken at 250kph, which tends to result in understeer, forcing the driver to make a correction. The front left tyre, which does all the work here, is subjected to a vertical load of 830 kilograms.
As well as the two main straights, unusually separated by a hairpin bend, there is a quick succession of fast corners that impose a lateral acceleration of more than 3G on the car and tyres. The left-rear tyre temperature gradually rises to a peak of 150 degrees on the inner edge while accelerating out of the corner. The famous hairpin bend between the two straights is not only crucial, but a key area of stress for the tyres, combining braking, turning and acceleration at the same time.


PIRELLI’S MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR SAYS:
Paul Hembery: “Australia went very well for us but this will be another type of race entirely. About the only thing you can rely on here is the fact that it will rain hard in the afternoon and because of this we expect our wet tyres to play a key role here. When it's dry, we expect the hard tyre to be well-suited to the conditions, as ambient temperatures are going to be a lot hotter than they were in Australia. Due to the aggressive surface that we have in Malaysia and the hot weather, we expect to see more pit stops: about three, which could increase to four if the teams have to change between wet tyres, which is more than likely. Before the race, the teams will have a chance to try out a new hard compound tyre during Friday's free practice session. This tyre represents a new philosophy in the compounding and it will be interesting to hear the teams' feedback. Generally speaking it's a more durable tyre but we need to be careful not to be too conservative: the emphasis is still firmly on entertainment and putting on a great show for the crowds.”
 
2011 MALAYSIAN GP TIRES
Wednesday, 06 April 2011
HOT AND HUMID: PIRELLI SAYS IT FACES THE MOST CHALLENGING CONDITIONS YET
Milan, April 4th 2011

WHAT’S THE STORY?
Following a successful debut in Australia, characterised by plenty of on-track action and
a wide variety of race strategies, Pirelli heads next weekend to the Malaysian Grand
Prix: a completely different type of challenge. The Sepang circuit is one of the hottest
and certainly the most humid venue of the year, with temperatures in the region of 35
degrees centigrade and 80% humidity. The track is demanding on the tyres due to its
aggressive surface, heavy braking areas, long straights and wide variety of speeds and
corners.


Once again Pirelli has nominated the hard and soft compound PZero tyres as the prime
and option rubber respectively for Malaysia, as was the case in Australia last weekend.
But the ever-present humidity in Malaysia makes rain almost inevitable at some point
over the weekend. In 2009, the race had to be red-flagged after 31 laps due to torrential
rain, while last year a number of drivers were caught out by a downpour during
qualifying. This means that Pirelli’s intermediate and wet tyres stand a strong chance of
making their competitive debut at Sepang.


During the two free practice sessions on Friday, Pirelli will be providing an extra two sets
of dry-weather tyres for the teams to assess. The new tyre is an experimental hard
compound that could be used in the future, in keeping with Pirelli’s philosophy of
combining entertainment with cutting-edge technology. The tyre allocation for the rest of
the weekend, from Saturday onwards, is not affected.


PIRELLI’S MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR SAYS:
Paul Hembery: “We were absolutely thrilled by our grand prix debut in Australia, but
we’re aware that Malaysia should be a very different proposition, with higher
temperatures and increased degradation. We said all along that we would be seeing two
to three pit stops in Australia, but in Malaysia I think that figure is likely to increase to
three to four. They say that it’s never a question of if it rains at Sepang but when, so the
performance of our wet tyres could be crucial this weekend and we’re certainly looking
forward to seeing them out on track. We never believe in standing still at Pirelli, which is
why the teams will have two extra sets of slick tyres available to them during Friday’s
free practice sessions for evaluation purposes. With testing not allowed during the
season, this gives us a valuable opportunity to gather more data and feedback, while it
also gives the teams an interesting taste of what could be coming in the future.”


THE MEN BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL SAY:
Jenson Button (McLaren): “The tyres will be the same in Malaysia as they were in
Australia: the hard and the soft compounds. But Sepang will be much hotter, with much
higher track temperatures, maybe as much as 45 degrees centigrade, and the track
surface is very abrasive, particularly in comparison to Albert Park, which is very smooth.
Sepang really requires a lot of high-speed stability from the tyre. So all of these factors
will make the tyre situation a bit trickier – I think we’ll see higher degradation and more
pit stops. It’s a highly abrasive track, so the fronts and rears will suffer. In terms of overall
wear and durability across all the tracks we visit this year, Sepang probably sits
somewhere in the middle.”


TECHNICAL NOTES AND TYRE CHOICES SO FAR:
* The Sepang circuit, located south of the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, hosted its
first Formula One race in 1999 and has remained on the calendar ever since.
* There are eight right-hand and five left-hand corners on the 5.543-kilometre layout.
With 56 laps scheduled the total distance is 310.408 kilometres.
* Michael Schumacher holds the record for the most number of Malaysian Grand Prix
wins with three victories. The German also tops the list pole sitters with five fastest
qualifying laps to his name.
* The highest number of pit stops in the history of the Malaysian Grand Prix was in 2004.
There were a total of 56 stops, the equivalent of 2.8 pit stops per driver. In 2009 there
were 50 pit stops in the space of just 30 laps before the race was red-flagged.

F1Junkie Feature: More about Pirelli Tire Colors with Images


THE TYRE CHOICES SO FAR:

GP Super Soft Soft  Medium Hard
Australia Option Prime
Malaysia  Option Prime

 

 
PIRELLI IN MALAYSIA:
* Pirelli has had a presence in Malaysia for more than 30 years, via its Singapore base.
* Pirelli tyres were winning in Malaysia through supporting the Motor Image Racing
Team in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship from 2007-2009.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 06 April 2011 )
 
2011 Malaysian GP-McLaren preview
Tuesday, 05 April 2011
2011 Malaysian Grand Prix preview 
Image
Lewis Hamilton
“Sepang is a circuit I really love. It’s big, fast and wide with some really demanding high-speed corners where you can find a lot of time if you’re really able to get the car working to its full extent.

“After the pace we showed in Melbourne, I think we can have another good race in Malaysia. Albert Park is a great track, but a circuit like Sepang is where the differences between the cars will start to become clearer.

“I’m really looking forward to using KERS Hybrid and the DRS too – the rapid change of direction you experience when the car is really in the groove is phenomenal around here, and I think both systems will make the cars look sensational, especially in qualifying.

“The team have looked into the floor failure we experienced in Melbourne: it seems like the bond between the bib and the chassis was damaged so the damage looked quite bad by the end of the race. It was good to see that the car could withstand that sort of punishment, but, even so, I’m looking to give it an easier ride in Malaysia next week!”

Jenson Button
“When I started in Formula 1, the Malaysian Grand Prix was one of the newest events on the grand prix calendar, but it now feels like an old favourite. I think Sepang’s a circuit that’s definitely improved with age: it’s always been a great track, but it feels like it’s grown into its own skin now, and is all the better for it.

“This is a track where you need a very efficient car – the corners here are big and will punish any car that lacks downforce. After Melbourne, when I really felt like I had a very solid car beneath me, I’m looking forward to getting out in practice to see how our package can adapt to this circuit.

“Obviously, one of the main considerations for the drivers is to ensure we’re properly hydrated throughout the race weekend. Until you’ve been to Malaysia, you really can’t appreciate what an oven it is – it’s the toughest race of the year physically, and a place where good base fitness carried over from the winter will stand you in good stead for the race.

“I won here in 2009 in some of the worst conditions I’ve ever experienced in a racing car – it was like driving through a river at some spots. Whatever the weather throws at us this year, I think we can have another strong weekend.”

Martin Whitmarsh
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Sepang is a demanding, high-speed circuit that is likely to showcase the performance of those cars with the best levels of grip and downforce, and which can best manage the tyres at what will be their hottest and toughest test so far.

“It goes without saying that Malaysia will be hot. It’s not only a severe test of each car’s cooling solutions, and with track temperatures expected to be between 20 and 30degC higher than anything else we’ve seen this year, tyre management will also be crucial.

“As with every season, we’re pushing hard to bring developments to the car for every race. We don’t think Melbourne showed us the best of our competitors’ pace, so that only makes us more motivated to bring as much performance to the table as possible.

“On paper, it looks positive: we were pleased that our Melbourne upgrade worked as expected, and the car’s performance around the high-speed elements of Albert Park suggests it will be able to cope around Sepang.

“Despite this, the reality is that there was a gap to pole position, and we finished second and not first. Our target is to close that gap and get Lewis and Jenson into a position where they can win.”
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 05 April 2011 )
 
AT&T Williams Malaysian GP Preview
Tuesday, 05 April 2011
MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
When: Friday 8 to Sunday 10 April, 2011
Where: Sepang, Kuala Lumpur
Round: 2 of 19


Sam Michael, Technical Director: 

Sepang is dominated by two high-speed corner combinations as well a number of slow-speed corners. There are three long straights at Sepang so set-up is geared towards those high speed sections as efficiency is well rewarded. We expect the moveable rear wing to have a greater influence on overtaking here, even more than it did in Australia.
We have some aero upgrades for the front end of the FW33 that we will be bringing to Malaysia, while we will also have some improvements on the KERS together with solutions for the transmission issues we experienced in Melbourne. It will be interesting to see how the FW33 performs on this medium to high-speed circuit. Our target for the race is to finish with both cars in the points. 


Rubens Barrichello: 

Malaysia is a really nice place to visit and a track that I really enjoy racing on. It is a real test for the drivers though due to the heat and humidity. Malaysia will be hard on the tyres so it will be important to have a good car set-up. I am looking forward to getting there and to driving on such an incredible track. I hope to do well and my aim is to bring home some points.


Pastor Maldonado: 

After a difficult start to the season in Melbourne, I'm more than ready to get to Malaysia. Despite the result in Australia, I am now feeling more confident with both the car and within the team. Sepang is a very technical circuit, but I already know the track as I raced there in the 2009 GP2 Asia race, finishing second. I think that we will be able to get more performance out of our car there as there is a lot of potential if we keep working hard. 
Looking ahead, our objective is to continue to improve race after race. I would like to be in the top ten in both qualifying and the race, and I think we can achieve that. Of course, it would have been better if we had been able to finish the race in Melbourne, but the positive is that I'm now more experienced and feel confident with how a Formula One weekend unfolds and all the procedures involved. 


From Cosworth’s perspective: 

Malaysia is all about heat and humidity, which has a big implication on engine power output. We run specific engine settings to counteract these effects where possible, as we do at other venues with this sort of climate, such as Singapore. The high water vapour content displaces air which could otherwise be combusted with fuel, thereby reducing the power of the engines. 
Cooling can be an issue, mainly due to the high ambient temperatures. In this instance the humidity actually helps, because the high water content acts to increase the coolers’ efficiency. The circuit has an interesting blend of corners, some quick and some slow, with two very long straights. The driver spends over 10 seconds at full throttle along each. As such, it is a good test of the overall engine package, as well as driveability, in terms of both useable torque and engine map robustness.


From Pirelli’s perspective: 

We were very pleased with our Grand Prix debut in Australia, and we’ll be using the hard and the soft tyres again as prime and option in Sepang, just like we did in Melbourne. Malaysia however is a very different type of track with distinctly different ambient conditions and an aggressive surface, so it’s going to be even harder on tyres and cars. We’ve been able to appreciate from working with Williams just how much strength in depth there is to the whole outfit, so Malaysia is bound to present several opportunities for the team capitalise on.
 
AustraliaGP From Pirelli's Perspective
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
THRILLING RACING AT PIRELLI’S DEBUT IN AUSTRALIA


Melbourne, March 27th 2011 - Pirelli’s first race of its three-year agreement to supply
Formula One has provided close competition, two to three pit stops per car, and a total
race time that was three minutes quicker than last year underlining the performance of
the PZero tyres.


This year’s PZero tyres have been designed to combine technology with entertainment,
contributing some breath-taking duels from the start to the finish of the Australian race
and plenty of overtaking.


Prior to the race Pirelli predicted two to three pit stops for most runners, and this proved
to be exactly the case. Eleven of the 16 classified finishers, including race winner
Sebastian Vettel, stopped twice, with five finishers stopping three times and one driver –
21-year-old rookie Sergio Perez – stopping only once en route to seventh place.
The podium finishers, from three different teams, all stopped twice. All the top three
finishers started the race on soft option tyres and ended it on the harder prime, having
completed their first two stints on the option tyres. This turned out to be the most
effective strategy in Albert Park, which has unique circuit characteristics, as it is only a
semi-permanent facility.


It was the very first race finish in Australia for Red Bull’s reigning World Champion
Sebastian Vettel, who started from pole position after driving the fastest-ever lap of
Melbourne in qualifying and concluded: “We have to make some compliments to Pirelli.”
Pirelli’s Motorsport Director Paul Hembery said: “What a fantastic race! Australia had
everything: the quickest lap of Melbourne ever seen in qualifying, plenty of on-track
battles, close competition, and some thrilling overtaking manoeuvres. At the end of it we
have three drivers from different teams standing on the podium, all of whom performed
outstandingly. I think that the same can be said of our tyres too: we had no issues
whatsoever and the degradation was less than expected meaning that most drivers –
including the top three – chose a two-stop strategy, as we had predicted. We also saw a
wide spread of strategies ranging from one stops to three, giving the teams the
opportunity to think creatively about their race management. I’d like to thank all the
teams and drivers for their support as we built up to our race debut and we hope that the
action today has rewarded their faith in us. I’d also like to thank all our people at Pirelli:
this exciting start has only been made possible by their unstinting hard work since our
agreement was confirmed just nine months ago in June. We’re not about to rest on our
laurels though: we’re already thinking ahead now to the next race in Malaysia, which will
provide us with a new and different challenge.”


PIRELLI PIT STOP SUMMARY


Below is a summary of all the pit stops made at the Australian Grand Prix and the tyres
changed. The hard tyre was the prime in Australia and the soft tyre was the option.
Lap 11 – Webber pits from soft to hard tyre
Lap 12 – Alonso pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 13 – Massa pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 13 – Barrichello pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 14 – Vettel pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 14 – Di Resta pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 14 – D’Ambrosio pits from soft to hard tyre
Lap 15 – Buemi pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 15 – Heidfeld pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 16 – Hamilton pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 16 – Petrov pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 16 – Rosberg pits from soft to hard tyre
Lap 16 – Kobayashi pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 16 – Sutil pits from soft to hard tyre
Lap 16 – Trulli pits from hard to soft tyre
Lap 17 – Button pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 17 – Alguersari pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 17 – Kovalainen pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 17 – Schumacher pits from soft to hard tyre
Lap 18 – Glock pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 19 – Button pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 19 – Glock pits from soft to hard tyre
Lap 23 – Perez pits from hard to soft tyre
Lap 23 – Barrichello pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 26 – Webber pits from hard to soft tyre
Lap 27 – Alonso pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 28 – Barrichello pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 29 – Buemi pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 30 – Heidfeld pits from soft to hard tyre
Lap 31 – Massa pits from soft to hard tyre
Lap 32 – Kobayashi pits from soft to hard tyre
Lap 35 – Alguersuari pits from hard to hard tyre
Lap 36 – Vettel pits from soft to hard tyre
Lap 36 – Hamilton pits from soft to hard tyre
Lap 36 – Petrov pits from soft to hard tyre
Lap 36 – Di Resta pits from soft to hard tyre
Lap 37 – Button pits from soft to hard tyre
Lap 37 – Sutil pits from hard to hard tyre
Lap 38 – D’Ambrosio pits from hard to hard tyre
Lap 40 – Barrichello pits from soft to hard tyre
Lap 41 – Webber pits from soft to soft tyre
Lap 42 – Alonso pits from soft tyre
Lap 48 – Massa pits from hard to soft tyre
 
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