"Cato Batista" 23/03/2012 4:13:40 ID #135
Ladies and Gents,
We’re ing to Malaysia for the second race of the season.
Sepang is a completely different track and we are going to see the first real test of who’s got the best aerodynamic design. In contrast with Albert Park, this is a real circuit with long high speed corners that demand a balanced aero-chassis package, and its abrasive surface and normal high temperatures are one of the hardest on tires –last year it was a 4-stop race-.
McLaren had the best car during winter testing on the long, high load corners of Montmelo, and they say this is their strongest asset compared to Red Bull that has the best grip on the slower corners. Ferrari feels the same way, their F2012 was the second best chassis on the sections with fast, long constant-speed corners.
We learnt some interesting things from Australia: Red Bull has the same race-pace as McLaren but can’t match their top speed, and we know that a front-row starting position is key to win in Formula 1 these days. Mercedes has a 5 to 10 kph top speed advantage with their new ‘F’ wing and DRS, but of course it has very limited use on race day, besides they are destroying their tires faster than anybody else. Ferrari showed one positive and unexpected development: after being left behind last season, now they have the fastest pit stops. They are actually faster than anybody has ever been! the 3 quickest passes through the pitlane last Sunday (times from entry to exit) were Alonso 21.910s, Alonso 22.035s, & Massa 22.103s. Their tire changes were so fast that Alonso gained 2s on Webber & Hamilton, 2.5s on Button and 3.8s on Vettel over race distance.
Another interesting stat, is that in the last 20 years the winner of the opening race of the season has won the World Championship 15 times.
In CFA news, last year’s winner in Malaysia was Curro with 10 points; in QF we were atrocious, Maria scored 2 points with only single points for 6 other members.
Let’s stay in touch for tomorrow with an eye on the weather forecast. Rain showers are expected for the 5 days in the region....
Cheers