Friday, March 21, 2008
# posted by Rich @ 3:43 AM
2008 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix: Friday Practice 1
Selamat datang ke Kuala Lumpur (welcome to Kuala Lumpur). The first session of the 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix has been concluded, and it was the Ferraris that will grab the headlines, but not all for good reasons. It was Felipe Massa who topped the time sheets with a time of 1:35.392, just over a second faster than his teammate Kimi Raikkonen. However, Raikkonen could only manage 8 laps, as he coasted to a halt with what sounded like the same mechanical failure he suffered in Melbourne - the engine cut out whilst downshifting. The Ferrari team clearly have more work to do to get their cars reliable.
The third fastest man of the session was McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen, with a time of 1:32.556. This was just two hundredths faster than Nico Rosberg in fourth place (although Rosberg's time was set on the softer Option tyres), and just shy of a tenth faster than his teammate Hamilton, who toured back to the pits after 17 laps, having had a minor off at turn 8. Indeed, it looked as though the off was as a result of a technical problem, rather than the problem being caused by the off because the off track excursion was so minor (he found a convenient patch of asphalt).
The same could not be said for David Coulthard who, on his 8th lap, ran wide out of the first part of the fast turn 12/13 complex. He jumped over the painted curbs, which lifted the car just a tiny distance off the ground, but the resulting impact as the car came back down to earth was enough to smash both front wheels off the car, sending DC sliding off into the gravel trap. The incident resulted in a lot of debris, and the session was red flagged for around ten minutes. DC would ultimately have the 16th fastest time. He would later explain to his engineers that the car "sort of hopped". Elsewhere, Patrick Head could be seen leaning into the cockpit of Nico Rosberg's car, and telling the young German exactly how DC's accident had occurred ("he hit the red and white curb on the inside...").
DC's teammate Mark Webber fared little better. On his 12th lap out of the pits, his Renault engine expired mid-way down the back straight, causing a lot of smoke and a little fire. The engine failure caused the rear wheels of Webber's Red Bull machine to lock up, and the Australian span his car behind the safety wall. Another engine failure, this time a Ferrari one, was suffered early on by Adrian Sutil in the Force India car. Sutil would end the session in last place.
One thing that was clear was that a lot of drivers were struggling under braking, especially at turn 15 - the final corner. This is the biggest braking zone on the track, and a lot of drivers were getting out of shape as they came to the end of the braking zone. None more so than Sebatian Vettel, who spun off at the final corner in the dying moments of the session, although it was not entirely down to driver error - the young German suffered a brake failure. It could be that the drivers are missing the engine braking features they used to enjoy, but that are now outlawed thanks to the standard ECU, but it should also be borne in mind that the Sepang circuit has been repaved.
Other than Nico Rosberg, none of the major players ventured out on the softer Option tyres, save for making an installation lap. Thus the teams were probably trying to assess the longevity of the prime tyre which, given the heat that is anticipated in the race, should be the preferred option anyway. To highlight the tyre issues, Nico Rosberg complained to his engineer that the rear tyres were not working, and that they were getting worse throughout the run. Furthermore, he complained that the front-left tyre - which takes a beating round the Sepang circuit - was suffering from degradation, but that it came back to life during the run.
Most drivers turned between 18 to 24 laps. This makes sense, given that the race is 56 laps long, and the pit window for a 2 stop strategy is around 17 - 20 laps.
Elsewhere, Alonso and Piquet were sixth and seventh fastest respectively, followed by Kubica, who spent most of the session in the garage as his team worked on his car. Button and Trulli rounded out the top ten. Kazuki Nakajima has a difficult session - his car was particularly nervous in places, and he spun under braking for the tight left-hand turn 9.
Finally, Sebastien Bourdais continued to impress. Although he finished the session in 18th place, 3 places and almost 6 tenths slower than his teammate, he improved his time from an initial lap of 1:43.367 to a 1:38.798. Not bad for a man with relatively little experience behind the wheel of an F1 car, especially when you consider that he complained to his engineer of asymmetry in the braking system that was pulling the car in one direction under braking!
Lap Times
The third fastest man of the session was McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen, with a time of 1:32.556. This was just two hundredths faster than Nico Rosberg in fourth place (although Rosberg's time was set on the softer Option tyres), and just shy of a tenth faster than his teammate Hamilton, who toured back to the pits after 17 laps, having had a minor off at turn 8. Indeed, it looked as though the off was as a result of a technical problem, rather than the problem being caused by the off because the off track excursion was so minor (he found a convenient patch of asphalt).
The same could not be said for David Coulthard who, on his 8th lap, ran wide out of the first part of the fast turn 12/13 complex. He jumped over the painted curbs, which lifted the car just a tiny distance off the ground, but the resulting impact as the car came back down to earth was enough to smash both front wheels off the car, sending DC sliding off into the gravel trap. The incident resulted in a lot of debris, and the session was red flagged for around ten minutes. DC would ultimately have the 16th fastest time. He would later explain to his engineers that the car "sort of hopped". Elsewhere, Patrick Head could be seen leaning into the cockpit of Nico Rosberg's car, and telling the young German exactly how DC's accident had occurred ("he hit the red and white curb on the inside...").
DC's teammate Mark Webber fared little better. On his 12th lap out of the pits, his Renault engine expired mid-way down the back straight, causing a lot of smoke and a little fire. The engine failure caused the rear wheels of Webber's Red Bull machine to lock up, and the Australian span his car behind the safety wall. Another engine failure, this time a Ferrari one, was suffered early on by Adrian Sutil in the Force India car. Sutil would end the session in last place.
One thing that was clear was that a lot of drivers were struggling under braking, especially at turn 15 - the final corner. This is the biggest braking zone on the track, and a lot of drivers were getting out of shape as they came to the end of the braking zone. None more so than Sebatian Vettel, who spun off at the final corner in the dying moments of the session, although it was not entirely down to driver error - the young German suffered a brake failure. It could be that the drivers are missing the engine braking features they used to enjoy, but that are now outlawed thanks to the standard ECU, but it should also be borne in mind that the Sepang circuit has been repaved.
Other than Nico Rosberg, none of the major players ventured out on the softer Option tyres, save for making an installation lap. Thus the teams were probably trying to assess the longevity of the prime tyre which, given the heat that is anticipated in the race, should be the preferred option anyway. To highlight the tyre issues, Nico Rosberg complained to his engineer that the rear tyres were not working, and that they were getting worse throughout the run. Furthermore, he complained that the front-left tyre - which takes a beating round the Sepang circuit - was suffering from degradation, but that it came back to life during the run.
Most drivers turned between 18 to 24 laps. This makes sense, given that the race is 56 laps long, and the pit window for a 2 stop strategy is around 17 - 20 laps.
Elsewhere, Alonso and Piquet were sixth and seventh fastest respectively, followed by Kubica, who spent most of the session in the garage as his team worked on his car. Button and Trulli rounded out the top ten. Kazuki Nakajima has a difficult session - his car was particularly nervous in places, and he spun under braking for the tight left-hand turn 9.
Finally, Sebastien Bourdais continued to impress. Although he finished the session in 18th place, 3 places and almost 6 tenths slower than his teammate, he improved his time from an initial lap of 1:43.367 to a 1:38.798. Not bad for a man with relatively little experience behind the wheel of an F1 car, especially when you consider that he complained to his engineer of asymmetry in the braking system that was pulling the car in one direction under braking!
Lap Times
| Pos. | Driver | Time | Difference | Pos. | Driver | Time | Difference |
| 1. | Massa | 1:35.392 | 12. | Nakajima | 1:37.649 | + 2.257 | |
| 2. | Raikkonen | 1:36.459 | + 1.067 | 13. | Barrichello | 1:37.776 | + 2.384 |
| 3. | Kovalainen | 1:36.556 | + 1.164 | 14. | Glock | 1:37.782 | + 2.390 |
| 4. | Rosberg | 1:36.578 | + 1.186 | 15. | Vettel | 1:38.219 | + 2.827 |
| 5. | Hamilton | 1:36.626 | + 1.234 | 16. | Coulthard | 1:38.232 | + 2.840 |
| 6. | Alonso | 1:37.022 | + 1.630 | 17. | Webber | 1:38.707 | + 3.315 |
| 7. | Piquet | 1:37.034 | +1.642 | 18. | Bourdais | 1:38.798 | + 3.406 |
| 8. | Kubica | 1:37.218 | + 1.826 | 19. | Fisichella | 1:39.046 | + 3.654 |
| 9. | Button | 1:37.282 | + 1.890 | 20. | Sato | 1:40.178 | + 4.786 |
| 10. | Trulli | 1:37.540 | + 2.148 | 21. | Davidson | 1:40.351 | + 4.959 |
| 11. | Heidfeld | 1:37.649 | + 2.257 | 22. | Sutil | 1:41.269 | + 5.877 |
Labels: Formula 1, Grand Prix, Malaysia
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