F1 2015 Preview: Malaysian Grand Prix

Let's be honest...the Australian Grand Prix was a bit of a bore. Only fifteen cars ran, and by the end they barely had enough of a grid to fill out the points paying positions. Jenson Button piloted his McLaren-Honda to an 11th place finish, but the team was happy to see the car finish. Sauber's Felipe Nasr finished 5th; a better finish than Sauber scored throughout the entire 2014 season.

Now, though, it's time to go racing in Malaysia.

While the weather was nice and comfy in Melbourne, Sepang promises to be a different story. Temps are expected to top out between 90° and 95° F on Saturday and Sunday. Humidity will be through the roof. Rain is essentially guaranteed. Cars are going to overheat. The track conditions will vary depending on the precipitation. In short, it will be one of the most trying races of the season.


Woes of McLaren-Honda

Jenson Button very nearly scored points in the maiden outing of the new McLaren-Honda partnership. But the team was happier that he finished. It's going to be a rough, long year for McLaren. The outfit is accustomed to winning, and their current design is not conducive to victory at the moment. The car struggled with overheating in the upper 60s in Melbourne. Sepang is set for 90°-plus temps and rain. Personally, I think McLaren will struggle to even finish this weekend, even with Fernando Alonso finally returning to the grid.

Horner says Equalization; Hamilton Laughs in his Face

Mercedes AMG Petronas is, hands down, the most dominant outfit on the grid right now. They are leaving everyone in their wake. Ferrari and Williams are their closest competitors, and frankly Mercedes just out-classes them at every turn. Kimi Raikkonen seems to have found some speed for Ferrari, but Hamilton and Rosberg remain out of reach over race distance.

Red Bull Renault's team boss Christian Horner has come out in favor of some sort of equalization method to bring Mercedes back to the field. Regardless your feelings on the matter, Mercedes driver, and defending World Driver's Champion, Lewis Hamilton fired back at Horner, saying that it's funny how Horner was not in favor of equalization when it was Red Bull running away from the field, but the moment someone other than Red Bull dominates, Horner thinks they should be punished.

Sepang International Circuit

Here is a breakdown of the Sepang circuit I wrote in April 2010:

The start finish line gives way to a quick right-left-downhill bit. A sweeping right-hander going back uphill leads into a a sharp right-hander. Too much speed going into this turn will definitely send you off.

This sharp right gives way to a gradual left-to-right S-curve that, if taken properly, can almost be run flat-out. Beyond this S-curve is a quick succession of right-handers that are nearly 90-degree turns, but are shallow enough to be taken with some speed. The second of these right-handers leads downhill to a very sharp, very slow left-hander that begins taking the cars back up-hill.

A semi-gradual run through turn 10 leads to a sharp turn 11. Another pseudo-S-curve (turns 12 and 13), bring the cars to a sharp sharp sharp right-hander, leading onto the long straight.

At the end of this straight is turn 15, the hairpin, that brings the cars back around to the start-finish line. 

Race Predictions

The second race of the saeson is almost as tricky to predict as the first race of the season. There are still mechanical complications to be sorted. Just ask McLaren-Honda how that's working out.

It's still not exactly going to be a shock for Mercedes to walk away with this race, likely with a 1-2 finish (and probably with a 1-2 start). While it is still too early to really talk about pecking order, Mercedes is the team to beat this year. They've already claimed a commanding lead in the Constructor's Championship, and a 1-2 finish at Sepang will further that gap.

The weather is going to play a huge roll in the race. I'm looking for several teams to drop out entirely, and many single cars to not finish.

Podium Prediction
I nailed the top two spots on the podium at Australia, but the conditions and the practice runs at Sepang have changed my mind for this race. I still think Lewis Hamilton wins, and I still think Nico Rosberg comes in second. But I think Kimi Raikkonen has found the magic formula for this weekend and will grab the final podium step.

It think we're looking at a podium of:

1st: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG Petronas

2nd: Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG Petronas

3rd: Kimi Raikkonen, Scuderia Ferrari

F1 2015 Preview: Australian Grand Prix

The Formula 1 season finally swings into high gear this weekend. The cars have been unveiled. The driver lineups have been confirmed. The preseason testing sessions have wrapped up.

It's time to go racing.

The first race of the season takes place at the Albert Park Circuit. As evidenced in the video, the track is a rather fun blast around Albert Park Lake in central Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

It is late summer in Australia, and the current weather forecast calls for temperatures near 90°F for qualifying on Saturday (2:00am EDT) but much cooler for the actual race on Sunday, with a high of 68°F. That should sufficiently effect track conditions, especially with overnight rain in the forecast.

The week leading up to the grand prix has been exciting.

Sauber, Giedo van der Garde, and the Courts

Sauber was hit with a lawsuit from former driver Giedo van der Garde over a race seat and, effectively, lost wages. The Dutch driver was signed to a Sauber race seat, along with Adrian Sutil, last season, but both men were kicked aside in favor of Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr, who provided better sponsorship money. Sutil faded into F1 obscurity, but van der Garde decided to fight. Especially since he lost his race seat after every other team had decided their lineups. That means this is a lost season for him and his sponsors.

So van der Garde launched a court case demanding that he be allowed to race this weekend. Sauber said no, as it would not be safe. The current Sauber cars were designed for Ericsson and Nasr, not for van der Garde. The courts, though, agreed with the Dutch driver, saying Sauber should provide him a race seat for the grand prix. Sauber is now refusing to recognize van der Garde as a nominated driver, meaning the Dutchman cannot obtain an FIA super-license in order to race in F1.

This case will get uglier before it gets settled.

McLaren-Honda Growing Pains

It's not like Honda has been away from the sport for a long time. Just a few years, actually...but much has changed. As such, the new partnership between McLaren and Honda has been off to a slow start.

The team failed to put in anywhere close tot he number of laps their competitors were churning out in testing. Then Fernando Alonso suffered a massive crash (that is still under investigation) and has been medically ruled out of the Australian Grand Prix.

Perhaps McLaren-Honda will gather momentum as the season progresses. But right now I'm thinking the bottom third of the points-paying positions is probably the best Button and Magnussen/Alonso can honestly hope for.

Race Predictions

The first race of the season is always tricky. Everyone is still working out reliability issues. Unforeseen technical complications are bound to ruin someone's race. A surprise or two is never out of the question.

That said, it's not exactly going to be a shock for Mercedes to walk away with this race, likely with a 1-2 finish (and probably with a 1-2 start). It is entirely too early in the season to start talking about the pecking order, but like last year, it is obvious to everyone involved that Mercedes outclasses the field right now.

So which constructor claims a stake on the #2 slot? Personally, I think Red Bull is taking a step back this year. McLaren is not yet ready. Ferrari is lagging, even with a total of five World Driver's Championships piloting the ponies. No, this year belongs to a classic team that spent last season completing the long hard trudge up the mountain back to excellence.

Williams. I'm looking for Williams-Martini Racing to have a great season, and for that season to start right in Melbourne.

Podium Prediction

When all is said and done, after the smoke has finally cleared, after whatever other cliche has run its course, who will stand on the podium in Melbourne?

It think we're looking at a podium of:

1st: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG Petronas

2nd: Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG Petronas

3rd: Valtteri Bottas, Williams Martini Racing