BIOGRAPHY
The Sepang International Circuit, located near Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and approximately 60 km south of the capital city Kuala Lumpur, was the first designed by German designer Hermann Tilke, who would subsequently design the new facilities in Shanghai, Bahrain, Turkey, Valencia, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Korea, India and Austin.
The circuit was officially inaugurated by the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Doktor Mahathir Bin Mohamad on 7 March 1999 and on 17 October hosted the country's first Formula One World Championship Grand Prix.
The track has hosted a round of the world championship every year since 1999, making it the oldest of the new breed of government-funded circuits on the calendar.
Though it hasn't really attracted fans from outside the region, it’s popular with drivers and engineers alike, largely due to the variety of corners around the lap. The fast sweeps in sector two are a great test of aerodynamic performance, while traction and braking are vital through the slower sections.
Fast Facts - Provided by the FIA
2016 marked the 18th Malaysian Grand Prix. The race joined the Formula One World Championship Calendar in 1999 and has featured each year since.
The inaugural grand prix took place on October 17, 1999. The following year's race, on October 22, was the final race of that year's schedule. Thereafter, the race moved to an earlier calendar slot, taking place 11 times in March and four times in April. This year, for the first time since 2000, it has a late-season date.
This weekend is set to be Jenson Button's 300th race start. Only two drivers have previously passed the 300-race mark - Michael Schumacher in Singapore in 2012 and Rubens Barrichello who reached the milestone at the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix. Barrichello remains the driver with the most starts - 322.
Button made his race debut at the 2000 Australian Grand Prix driving for Williams. He raced 17 times for Williams before moving to Benetton in 2001. He stayed with the team when it became Renault in 2002 before moving to BAR in 2003. He claimed his first win at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix with Honda. Button has won 14 more times since, the most recent of which was at the Brazilian Grand Prix of 2012. Six of Button's wins came in the 2009 season when, racing for the Brawn GP team, he won the Drivers' Championship title. In addition to his 15 wins he has scored 35 other podium finishes and eight pole positions. Button is due to take a sabbatical at the end of this season, by which time he is set to reach a total of 305 grands prix, one less than Schumacher.
The most successful driver at the Malaysian Grand Prix is Sebastian Vettel. The German has four wins at the Sepang Circuit, in 2010-11 and 2013 for Red Bull Racing and last year for Ferrari. His 2015 victory was his first for Ferrari. Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso are next on the list of repeat winners, with three victories each. The only other multiple F1 winner at Sepang is Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn won in 2003 for McLaren and in 2008 for Ferrari.
Alonso scored each of his three wins with a different team. His first grand prix win at Sepang came in 2005 while driving for Renault. He then won in 2007 for McLaren and in 2012 for Ferrari.
Raikkonen's 2003 win was his first in F1. He has been on the top step a further 19 times since, with his most recent win coming at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix while driving for Lotus.
Ferrari is the most successful constructor at the Malaysian Grand Prix. The Italian squad has taken seven wins, more than double the total of nearest challengers Red Bull Racing who have three. McLaren have two, while the race has also been won by Williams, Brawn and Mercedes.
Michael Schumacher holds the record for most pole positions here, with five. The first came in the inaugural event and was followed by front-of-grid starts from 2001-2002 and in 2004. Lewis Hamilton is next on the list with three poles, in 2012 for McLaren and in 2014 and 2015 with Mercedes.
