1 Who to watch
After winning in Australia, and going quickest in practice yesterday, the
question is whether McLaren can keep this up. And if they can, whether Lewis
Hamilton or Jenson
Button will come out on top. Lewis will not want to be beaten two
weekends on the trot, that is for sure. There are others to watch: Red Bull
will be hoping to get back to winning ways, Mercedes will want to prove they
can be a force in the race and not only in qualifying, while Ferrari want
just to hang in there as they wait for upgrades to arrive.
2 Where the race will be won
One word: strategy. Whereas in Australia I felt that grid position would be
crucial, in Malaysia it will be all about strategy. Although the lap
distance is roughly the same at Sepang as it is at Albert Park, this circuit
feels much longer with the stultifying heat and the long corners. Tyre wear
will be an issue. It will be a test of making your tyres last and timing
your pit-stops, of which there will be many. You do not want to pass the pit
entry to find your tyres suddenly drop off a cliff or it will feel like a
long, lonely lap back to the pits.
3 Sub-plots
Felipe Massa has been written off in some quarters following his drive in
Australia, where he qualified 16th and retired in 13th. That is modern
sport: one defeat and it’s a crisis. In truth, Felipe has not looked the
same since his accident in 2009. Can he get it back? He has won fine races,
alongside team-mates such as Michael Schumacher, and you don’t do that by
accident. But Ferrari have problems of their own. A team can carry a driver
when they have a winning car, but Ferrari are scrabbling for points. Felipe
has to chip in.
Sepang
Laps: 56. Circuit Length: 5.543km. 2011 winner: S Vettel (Red Bull).
Timings
Today: Qualifying 4pm local time (8am GMT)
Tomorrow: Race 4pm local time (9am BST)
TV details
Qualifying Sky Sports F1 HD (highlights: BBC1 1pm GMT)
Race Sky Sports F1 HD (highlights: BBC1 2.45pm BST)
Weather
Saturday: 33C, sunny intervals with heavy rain
Sunday: 33C, heavy rain