F1 travels to Malaysia and the Sepang International Circuit this weekend for what will be the 18th and final race in the country as government ministers elected to no longer provide the funding required to hold the event. With both long straights and sharp corners, Sepang can be a tricky circuit to dial in car setups.
It’s official. McLaren will no longer partner with Honda next year. The Woking based squad has announced that it will pick up a supply of Renault engines while the Japanese engine supplier will power Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2018. For the remainder of the season this means that Honda’s aggressive upgrade plan has been toned down to consist of one more update. Rumor is that the elusive “Spec. 4” engine may be introduced this weekend, in time to be used for the Japanese Grand Prix, although only one copy is said to be available if this happens. While Sepang will be a harder circuit for McLaren Honda than Singapore, we can expect both cars in Q3 and one to finish in the points.
Elsewhere on the grid, the turn one incident in Singapore has caused some separation in the championship battle between Hamilton (Mercedes) and Vettel (Ferrari) with the latter clearly becoming the underdog. It’s anyone’s guess which of the two teams’ cars this circuit will favor but the smart money is probably on Mercedes. From there we can expect Ferrari and Red Bull to be fighting for P3-P6. Look for Force India to also be in the hunt for those positions as they continue to upgrade their car. Many will be watching Renault with interest in seeing if their recently improved form can be consistent. Haas will aim to put both cars in the points as those double points finishes have been more elusive than the American squad would like. The other key development is that Pierre Gasly has been tapped to replace Kvyat at Toro Rosso and will make his F1 debut this weekend. It remains unclear what this means for the Faenza based team’s driver lineup next year but it is probably a safe bet that Gasly will occupy one of the seats. Williams remains a wild card as they have turned in very inconsistent results this season; however, it is becoming apparent that Stroll is getting better at piloting the FW40. Sauber will occupy their usual spots at the back of the grid.
US TV SCHEDULE:
Practice 1: Thursday September 28th, 11:00PM
EST
,
NBC
Sports Live Extra
Practice 2: Friday September 29th, 3:00AM
EST
,
NBCSN
Practice 3: Saturday September 30th, 2:00AM
EST
,
NBC
Sports Live Extra
Qualifying: Saturday September 30th, 5:00AM
EST
,
NBCSN
Race: Sunday October 1st, 03:00AM
EST
,
NBCSN
CIRCUIT
INFO:
Lap Data
Lap length: 5.543km (3.444 miles)
Race laps: 56
Race distance: 310.408km (192.879 miles)
Pole position: Right-hand side of the track
Lap record*: 1’34.223 (Juan Pablo Montoya, 2004)
Fastest lap: 1’32.582 (Fernando Alonso, 2005, qualifying one)
Maximum speed: 329kph (204.431 mph)
DRS
zone/s (race): Pit straight and final straight
Distance from grid to turn one: 683m
Car performance
Full throttle: 45%
Longest flat-out section: 1029m
Downforce level: High
Gear changes per lap: 40
Strategy
Pit lane time loss: 18.95s
Tyres: Medium, Soft, Supersoft
*Fastest lap set during a Grand Prix
Data sources:
FIA
, Williams, Mercedes
2016 (V6
TURBO
ERA
) RESULTS:
Race laps: 56
Pole sitter: Lewis Hamilton, 1:32.850
Fast race lap: Nico Rosberg, 1:36.424
Podium:
1. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull
2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
3. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
CURRENT
STANDINGS
Constructors
1. Mercedes
AMG
Petronas, 475
2. Scuderia Ferrari, 373
3. Red Bull Racing, 230
4. Sahara Force India, 124
5. Williams Martini Racing, 59
6. Scuderia Toro Rosso, 52
7. Renault Sport F1, 42
8. Haas F1 Team, 37
9. McLaren-Honda, 17
10. Sauber, 5
Drivers
1. Lewis HamiltonMercedes
AMG
Petronas, 263
2. Sebastian VettelScuderia Ferrari, 235
3. Valtteri BottasMercedes
AMG
Petronas, 212
4. Daniel RicciardoRed Bull Racing, 162
5. Kimi RaikkonenScuderia Ferrari, 138
6. Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing, 68
7. Sergio PerezSahara Force India, 68
8. Esteban OconSahara Force India, 56
9. Carlos SainzScuderia Toro Rosso, 48
10. Nico HulkenbergRenault Sport F1, 34
Some data c/o F1 Fanatic
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