01/04/2011
NEWS STORY
After what was a powerful but in the end disappointing start to the season in Australia, the Sauber F1 Team wants to score its first championship points at the Malaysian Grand Prix, which will be held from 8th to 10th April in Sepang. At the opening round in Melbourne Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi finished the race seventh and eighth respectively, but were disqualified afterwards.
Kamui Kobayashi: "I have good memories of the Sepang circuit since it was there I managed to get into the final qualifying session last year for the first time. After our good performance in Melbourne we are, of course, very motivated for the next race. The guaranteed higher temperatures in Malaysia, though, will make a big difference. I especially expect the tyre degradation to be significantly higher there, so this might result in different race strategies. Another challenge could be if we get a wet race, as this happens quite often in Malaysia. But we are now very confident about our performance after what we did in Melbourne.. I hope we can continue like that with our pace. The circuit is nice with a couple of high speed corners, and the layout offers more overtaking opportunities than we had in Albert Park."
Sergio Perez: "Of course I'm very motivated and looking forward to what will be my second Formula One race. I think we have a good car. It is quick enough to aim for points and it was reliable. I hope we can keep this consistency and do more good races. Now after I have my debut Grand Prix weekend behind me I know a lot better what to expect in qualifying and the race, and this gives me even more confidence. I know the Sepang circuit from a GP2 Asia race in 2009. It is physically very demanding and also quite technical. Because the circuit is long it is difficult to get a lap right there."
James Key, Technical Director: "It's going to be an interesting event in Malaysia after the excitement of the first race. The weather conditions could well play a significant role during the weekend. It may be very hot with another step up in track temperature, and this will be new to everyone and the tyres. Or it could be wet, which would be a completely unfamiliar situation. So we have to see what happens and try to get the best out of whatever we face. Sepang is more of a typical F1 circuit compared to Melbourne with sweeping high speed corners and some long straights that will make it interesting for overtaking. There are also some tight corners like one and two, as well as the hairpin at the end of the lap. They are all quite tricky corners.. The car will have some updates with some new bodywork at the rear and some new brake duct developments. We are looking forward to a strong result."
To experience the Sepang International Circuit in more detail, click here.