*MH*

i can't believe it will be their sixth race already [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img]
Malaysian Grand Prix Fact File
The start of the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix
2004 marks the sixth Formula One event to be held at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. It is a modern race track, designed by the architect Hermann Tilke, situated about half an hour's drive south of Kuala Lumpur.

The Malaysian Grand Prix is traditionally considered to be one of the season's hottest races. In 2003, more than 3,000 litres of water and soft drinks were dispensed in the hospitality suite of the BMW WilliamsF1 Team.

One lap of Sepang covers 5.543 km. The race comprises 56 laps, a total distance of 310.408 km.

In 2002, the BMW WilliamsF1 Team celebrated its first one-two victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix, with Ralf Schumacher taking the victory and team- mate Juan Pablo Montoya coming home in second place.

Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren-Mercedes) won last year's race, while pole position was claimed by Fernando Alonso (Renault) with a lap time of 1m37.044s. Michael Schumacher holds the current lap record of 1m36.412s.Kuala Lumpur is the hub of Malaysia. The capital city offers visitors an eclectic mix with vibrant Asian culture sitting alongside British colonial architecture and famous high-tech structures such as the 452 metre Petronas Towers.

Kuala Lumpur is located along the west coast of the Malaysian peninsula, around 35 kilometres inland on the Rivers Klang and Gombek. It is the country's largest city with a population of approximately 1.5 million people.

The Grand Prix starts at 15:00 hrs local time (GMT + 8 hrs) on Sunday 21st March 2004.Kuala Lumpur is the hub of Malaysia. The capital city offers visitors an eclectic mix with vibrant Asian culture sitting alongside British colonial architecture and famous high-tech structures such as the 452 metre Petronas Towers.

Kuala Lumpur is located along the west coast of the Malaysian peninsula, around 35 kilometres inland on the Rivers Klang and Gombek. It is the country's largest city with a population of approximately 1.5 million people.

The Grand Prix starts at 15:00 hrs local time (GMT + 8 hrs) on Sunday 21st March 2004.

foreva_99

[img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] Six years!! I remember the first time that they raced there. I loved the circuit and the atmosphere that seemed to come from there. Time really flies by when you are having fun.

I am going to assume that Real Madrid is some sort of soccer thing. That is one sport that I have never really been able to get into.

hitzi1

[img]smilies/bawl.gif[/img] I miss Mika so much now!!!! [img]smilies/bawl.gif[/img] That's just evil!! [img]smilies/bawl.gif[/img]

I want him back. [img]smilies/cry.gif[/img]

[Yes I had somehting to say but it all vanished from my head when I saw those mika pics and interviews.... [img]smilies/bawl.gif[/img] ]

ETA:
Interviewer: Mika, the perfect flags to lights victory. It looked very easy, was it?

Hakkinen: Oh yeah it was so easy, you can't believe it.

[Long pause, silence]

Hakkinen: No it wasn't.

***

Hakkinen: When you lead, you have to like put a double...er, er uhh concentration because you know...you just have to.

[img]smilies/rotfl.gif[/img]

Man, go listen to the
audio clips! [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

... Why can't he come back! [img]smilies/bawl.gif[/img] [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] No, really. [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

*MH*

awwww that man rules [img]smilies/bawl.gif[/img] u've set me off now!!! [img]smilies/cry.gif[/img]

i [img]smilies/love.gif[/img] the laugh at the end of this one:
Hakkinen: When you lead, you have to like put a double...er, er uhh concentration because you know...you just have to.

he is lovely [img]smilies/sigh.gif[/img] he gave me so many memories. things that i hope i will remember forever. especially Silverstone 01. seeing him win was magical [img]smilies/sigh.gif[/img] and i spent most of the race thinking that he was going to break down [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

awww I'm now listening to Suzuka 1999 [img]smilies/love.gif[/img]
michael: mika deffinatly is a great champion

do you know i saw Mika's pass on Schumi earlier [img]smilies/sigh.gif[/img] there was a tv show on yesterday and the viewers voted from three clips of people passing Schumi and Mika won [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

bel - yeah Real Madrid are a football (soccer) team. I can't believe you have never heard of them [img]smilies/jaw_drop.gif[/img] loads of the big stars of football play for them, they are massive!!! they are Spanish. erm well maybe i'm not the best person to talk about Real Madrid [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

ETA: I can remember Schumi making his return in Malaysia in 1999 and he helped Eddie [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img]

*MH*

'THE TOUGHEST RACE OF THE YEAR'
Last Updated: Monday, 15 March , 2004, 11:39

Fernando Alonso reckons the Malaysian GP is the most difficult race of the year.

The Spaniard, who finished third in the first race of the season at Melbourne, believes Sepang is the most challenging track on the F1 calendar.

He said: “Honestly, I think Sepang is perhaps the most difficult circuit of the year, and it is certainly one of the most technical that we go to.

“When I say technical, I mean that your car needs to be strong in every area: all the corners tend to be high-speed, so you need a perfect car balance and good aerodynamics.

“The long straights mean good performance on the brakes is an absolute must. The corners open out, so you need to be careful with tyre wear. Everything has to be absolutely spot on to go quickly at Sepang.

“And of course, it's fun for the drivers: lots of high speed corners and overtaking opportunities are what we look for from every circuit.”

Alonso took his first pole position at Sepang last year and went on to finish third, his first time on the podium.

He said: “The Malaysian Grand Prix is full of fantastic memories for me: I scored my first ever pole and podium for Renault at the circuit last year.

“I think it is the best circuit we go to in terms of facilities - they really did a great job on the paddock and garages - and the track itself is very challenging. I can't wait to start running.”

Team-mate Jarno Trulli expects Renault to prove a force over the weekend.

He said: “Obviously, Australia was disappointing from my point of view, but in Malaysia, we can hope to be very competitive.

“I qualified on the front row last season and in spite of the collision with Michael, I think it was a kind of breakthrough race for me: from the back of the pack, I came through to finish fifth.

“Last year's car was very good there, and as the R24 is stronger in every area, that shouldn't change. I believe we can be very competitive.”

TOYOTA TALKING TO VILLENEUVE?
Last Updated: Monday, 15 March , 2004, 10:31

There have been some rumours in recent days that Toyota has been talking to unemployed racer Jacques Villeneuve about a job in Formula 1 next year.

There are similar rumours about David Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher while Olivier Panis and his management are keen to cement a new deal to keep the Frenchman in the team for 2005 and beyond.

It is widely agreed in F1 circles that if Cristiano da Matta does not beat Panis this year his F1 career will grind to a halt and that if Panis is overshadowed by Da Matta, the Frenchman will be shown the door.

MELBOURNE EYEING APRIL MOVE
Last Updated: Monday, 15 March , 2004, 10:34

Ron Walker, the chairman of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, says that the race will move to an April date in 2006 - to avoid a clash with the Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Melbourne in March 2006.

Bernie Ecclestone and Walker were negotiating hard during the Melbourne weekend, including a number of amusing exchanges which appeared in print.

Ecclestone ramped up the controversy by suggesting that he might simply cancel the race in 2006 while Walker replied that when negotiating with Ecclestone a race can be on and off several times each day.

Melbourne had a deal to be the first race each year and moving the calendar around is not easy but Walker is hoping for a date in April for the one year before returning to the normal season-opening slot.

Walker pointed out that this might be possible because Turkey is due on the F1 calendar in 2005 and will probably take the date usually enjoyed by Imola. The Turks could have the opening race in 2006 with teams then travelling on to Bahrain and the Malaysia-Australia leg a few weeks later than normal.

"After 20 years of negotiation with Bernie I am used to things changing constantly," Walker said.

"This morning he found two cigarette butts lying on the ground and said he was going to cancel the race. Then he said he wanted $40m because he has a better offer from a circuit in Patagonia. It is all part of the game."

RALF NOT EXPECTING IMMEDIATE TURNAROUND
Last Updated: Monday, 15 March , 2004, 11:09

Ralf Schumacher has warned that Williams cannot expect to close the gap to Ferrari overnight.

Williams were soundly beaten in Melbourne but head to Malaysia hoping for a much-improved performance.

But Schumacher believes it will take some time for the team to get on terms with Ferrari.

He said: The season opener in Melbourne clearly demonstrated that there is still quite a lot of work ahead of us if we want to fight for the world championship this year.

“Even if we can’t close the gap to Ferrari straight away, we must do better in Malaysia.

“The car and the Michelin tyres are better suited to Sepang and Malaysia’s hot weather, but we can’t rely on this alone.”

Team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya added: “Following our disappointing race in Melbourne last weekend, we immediately started working on improving the FW26 in order to be competitive for the next race and close the gap to Ferrari.

“The hot temperatures, typical of Malaysia and Bahrain, should be favourable for our car, so we are hoping that the next two races will be more positive for us.

“The BMW engine has been very reliable over winter testing, so we expect it to be able to tolerate the extreme heat. Similarly, the Michelin tyres should perform much better in the warmer conditions.”

Both drivers are aware of how important fitness will be in the sweltering heat of Malaysia.

Montoya said: “During the winter I have been going to the gym, playing tennis and riding my bikes to keep fit, so the humidity and the heat that we're going to face in Malaysia doesn't worry me too much.

“I only hope my water bottle doesn't stop working during the race like it did last year!”

L i N d $ @ y

okay, the last time schumi won in malaysia was 1999? [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

[img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] so now everyone misses mika huh? i have a feeling if he was still around, schumi will have a hard time with the world championship. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

and i'm a little excited for malaysia. not only because we're only an hour ahead from them but because i have fond memories of what happened there exactly one year ago. [img]smilies/sigh.gif[/img]

foreva_99

What happened a year ago?? When you tell me the answer I know that I am going to feel really stupid [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img]

Hope that the article about Villeneuve and Toyota is true. I would love to see him back and racing again next year.

I always loved seeing Mika interviewed. He would have a confused look on his face and then slowly answer the question [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] I loved it.

L i N d $ @ y

yeah, mika seems to be an adorable guy! i always watch that monza 2000 post race interview. it's also the first time i heard michael & ralf talk in german. now i wanna hear nick & HHF (too bad he's gone) speak in german too. but most of all, i wanna hear kimi talk in finnish & alonso speak in spanish! [img]smilies/sigh.gif[/img]

*MH*

OMG it's almost time for a new thread [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] i love new thread time.
anyone mind if i start this one? [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]
any title ideas? [img]smilies/look.gif[/img] the best i can think of is
Formula One #20 ~ The cars just keep getting faster and faster
hold on a title is kinda brewing now... or maybe not [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

linds - i think Eddie Irvine won in Malaysia in 1999, Michael Schumacher in 2000 & 2001, Ralf Schumacher in 2002 and Kimi Raikkonen in 2003.
I think that either a guy whos name is already on that list will win... or his team mate. or maybe a Renault driver because i think they could be strong there [img]smilies/look.gif[/img] and now a williams driver will go and win [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]
to hear Fernando speaking spanish go to the Renault site and go to the videos section. I believe the Alonso launch interview video is in Spanish.
Also if you go to Drivers > Fernando Alonso > Did You Know? he is speaking spanish in those videos too
Doesn't Kimi Heaven have audio files of Kimi speaking? i'm sure i'll heard some on there where he is speaking in Finnish... [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

bel - I'm saying nothing about last year [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] but i really wanna [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

mika - when he spoke he hardly opened his mouth [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] it sure made him hard to understand sometimes [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img] oddly enough though I haven't had any trouble with the audio files that i've found [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

*MH*

FIRE BREAKS OUT AT FERRARI HQ
Last Updated: Tuesday, 16 March , 2004, 14:56

A fire has damaged part of Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters.

The blaze started early on Tuesday morning, burning several prototype cars being developed at the site.

An official for the local fire brigade said: "We intervened at around 1am. A hangar in the experimental section containing several car prototypes was burning. The fire is now under control."

Nobody was injured in the fire and a Ferrari spokesman said the work done in the damaged building has already been moved to another factory.


BRIDGESTONE IN CONFIDENT MOOD
Last Updated: Tuesday, 16 March , 2004, 14:57

Bridgestone are in a more assured mood than rivals Michelin as the F1 world heads to Malaysia.

Confidence is high at the Japanese tyre manufacturer following Ferrari’s dominant win last time out at Melbourne. However, in recent years the company have struggled at hot races like Sepang.

Technical boss Hisao Suganuma remains undaunted.

He said: "We have tested long and hard for races like Malaysia and the time has come to see if we have done our homework.

"There are many factors to take into account when developing tyres for Sepang but consistency in the heat is one area we have concentrated on.

"A significant part of our winter development programme was dedicated to making sure we are competitive in the heat this year.

“We know we have made important improvements and I'm looking forward to showing off our progress - just as we did in Melbourne."

Michelin’s F1 manager pacal Vasselon struck a more cautious note.

He said: "Preparing suitable tyres for Sepang presents one or two obvious difficulties.

"This is usually the hottest race of the year and track temperatures can reach 55 degrees.

"That isn't a problem in itself, but it is not practical to test in Malaysia and we have to develop tyres for these conditions while running at European circuits during the winter. This makes it difficult, as conditions are obviously very different."


Training camp for Jarno and Fernando
While test driver Franck Montagny tested last week, Jarno and Fernando were working on their fitness ahead of this weekend’s race.

Between flyaway races, the drivers avoid coming back to Europe: after having adjusted to the Australian time zone, coming all the way back home to then go back out to Malaysia would simply subject their bodies to unnecessary punishment as they jumped between time zones, disrupting sleep patterns and spoiling training. Ahead of one of the season’s most physically demanding races in Malaysia, this is doubly true: in order to endure 56 laps in temperatures of up to 40°C, a driver must be in absolutely peak physical condition…

That’s why the Renault F1 Team drivers have spent the week in the Maldives, training in the hot, humid environment with the team’s physios to ensure they are in peak condition ahead of this weekend’s race.

“It is important for us to get some training done in similar conditions, so that our body can get used to the heat and humidity,” explains Italian Jarno Trulli, known as one of the fittest drivers in F1. “But having said that, we shouldn’t exaggerate how much work you can get done in a single week. Malaysia is the first race where your training over the winter really begins to count – it is a long race on a demanding, high-speed track, and any weaknesses will show up in the second half of the race.”

Last year, Fernando Alonso claimed third while fighting a recalcitrant gearbox and the flu; Jarno Trulli battled from the back of the pack to fifth place. And they have worked hard on their physical condition since then. You can be sure that both drivers will be fighting until the very last lap to secure the best result possible…!

Schumacher ready for Toyota deal
Ralf Schumacher is ready to sign a Formula One deal with Toyota. The German is sick of tenuous negotiations with BMW-Williams and could earn upwards of $22 million per-season at the Cologne-based team from 2005.



Earlier, Schumacher was linked with a switch to Renault. But an insider close to Toyota told newspaper The People: 'Ralf has been having meeting after meeting with the team to iron out a deal and he's now ready to sign.'


Rain set to fall
On Malaysian GP

Formula One might be in store for a wet 'n' wild Malaysian Grand Prix.

This publication's weather source says there is a forty-five percent chance of scattered thunder-storms in Sepang, just outside Kuala- Lumpur, this Sunday.

It will hover in the mid-thirties all week and rain should start to fall in the hot and humid region from Wednesday, where a 34-degree day awaits.

The skies are set to be grey and cloudy on Friday, when two hour-long practice sessions start at the F1-circuit, and afternoon storms are expected a day later.

AFTERNOON STORMS

It will be a stifling 33-degrees on Sunday, the weather source reports.

'One of the defining characteristics of the Malaysian Grand Prix is the scorching heat,' said Renault's engineering chief Pat Symonds on Monday.

The Briton explained the need for extra car-cooling: 'Careful planning goes into balancing the considerations of reliability and aerodynamic performance.'

* A local Chinese newspaper reported on Monday that the highest- priced tickets ($450) for the inaugural Shanghai F1 race are already nearly sold-out.

Just under $20 can buy you standing-room at the Chinese F1 circuit but the dearest tickets are also the 'most popular,' a distributor was quoted as saying.

'There are only about 5000 tickets for the best seats,' he said.

L i N d $ @ y

they do? i have to go check out that site again. [img]smilies/look.gif[/img]

i'll see you on the new thread ok? [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

*MH*

i've started the new thread
please post on there from now on [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]