(Times above are local times)
The times are 6 hours ahead of UTC +1 so they should be UTC +7

After a special rainy "most exciting" qualifying ever (IMO) last year, the redbull driver Mark Webber took a risky move to take on Intermediate tires for the end of the Q3 session

(Onboard video from last year here)

Mark Webber had a decent start but Vettel jumped on the inside for p1 in turn 1, while Rosberg starting 2nd on the grid had a bad start and went straight down to 3rd.
Rest of the 2010 results here

(Official race edit video here (you need to login to view))

Looks like another washout this year.

Could be interesting!

Quote from DevilDare :

Looks like another washout this year.

Could be interesting!

I can't wait! This should be fun!

It's almost a certainty that this race will be wet, you could almost set your watch by the storms in Malaysia. It's not helped obviously by the later starting time they've had for the past couple of years for the european audience, but I just hope that it doesn't turn into another complete washout like 2009.

Well as I've said before, when you set a race in a monsoon season, you're pretty much given rain.

It is interesting to see how the drs works on this track. I have a small fear that it might make the passing too because of the long straights. Even in melbourne you saw some passes on the s/f straight when normally all the passing happens mainly into T2 or elsewhere on the track.

Also hoping that lotus (the green one) does will in "their home gp".

It's frickin hot here, track temp hit 50 degrees in the afternoon session. Also, the Pirellis shed rubber like crazy, bits were being flicked up into the grandstands

Quote from mythdat :

here

:o

LOL @ Maldonado, what a legend.

Watching FP1 just now and noticed that Webber moved his entire right hand to press a button on his steering wheel that should have been easily within his left thumb's reach. Can anyone think of a reason why he should do this?

edit: Possible theories from IRC are that he's using his left hand for KERS and/or DRS activation.

left hand already holding another button / paddle (KERS / DRS / radio) ?

Quote from amp88 :

Watching FP1 just now and noticed that Webber moved his entire right hand to press a button on his steering wheel that should have been easily within his left thumb's reach. Can anyone think of a reason why he should do this?

edit: Possible theories from IRC are that he's using his left hand for KERS and/or DRS activation.

Toro Rosso are doing that too iirc, I think it's for some other setting to DRS/KERS as they seem to do it as a preparation to the braking zone into T1.

I think the button they use the left hand to press is for DRS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v ... p;feature=player_embedded DOH!

On Webber - I suspect he is making some change like fuel mixture or whatever, while his left hand is activating KERS or DRS on a paddle behind the wheel.

I'm pretty sure his left hand is utilizing a button, rather than a paddle, the last thing you want to do is miss your finger placement and hit the wrong paddle, and with the left hand, would mean downshifting. It's a button.

Left hand rear side of a steering wheel is going to be left for maybe the clutch and gear paddle only, at least if you were to mistakenly press the clutch when driving full chat you're not going to **** up the car, downshifting instead of engaging kers/drs on the pitstraight in 7th gear would be a major mistake, I am pretty sure they wouldn't even be close together.

Several teams are using paddles or buttons on the rear of the wheel on both sides for Kers and DRS, Red Bull included.

Quote from DeKo :

Several teams are using paddles or buttons on the rear of the wheel on both sides for Kers and DRS, Red Bull included.

Must be shaped differently at the back of the wheel to the gear paddles then.

Quote from DevilDare :

Looks like another washout this year.

Could be interesting!

You do know that the 2010 Malaysian GP was completely dry, right?

Obviously referring to 2009.

http://www.gpupdate.net/en/vid ... practice-1-malaysia-2011/


Video quality isn't great, but for anyone who hasn't seen it > ^

looks more like a tyre explosion then a suspension failure to me --> you can see some smoke coming out of the side of the tyre, then is blows and then the suspension "collapse"

edit : just saw heidfeld video could it be brake problems for the renault cars?

HRT just barely outside 107% in FP3...

Quote from DeadWolfBones :

HRT just barely outside 107% in FP3...

Yeah and red bull wasn't even p1 in that session so the actual gap may get bigger even if the top teams are not pushing that hard in Q1. Liuzzi was just 0.1 away from it though.

If hrt keeps missing the 107% the team will probably collapse pretty soon as who will make any sponsor deals with a team that isn't even allowed into the races...

Maybe that Stefanovic dude finally gets his F1 team
They even have an impressive web pages too:
http://www.stefangp.com/

Yay Vettel.

0.1 between Vettel and Hamilton, tomorrow race is promising