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Event Information:
First
included in the Formula One World
Championship in 1999, the current
Malaysian Grand Prix is held at the
Sepang International Circuit at
Sepang, Malaysia. FIA-sanctioned
racing in Malaysia has existed since
the 1960s. For , the race will
change its name to the Malaysia
Grand Prix. The nine World
Championship Malaysian Grands Prix
have seen a good deal of action on
and off the track, whilst the
weather furnace heat one minute,
tropical storm the next adds extra
spice. The most notable Grand Prix
at Sepang to date was the inaugural
event in 1999. It saw Michael
Schumacher return to the sport after
his absence due to a broken leg
sustained at that year's British
Grand Prix, dominating the race and
handing the victory to title-hopeful
team-mate Eddie Irvine, only for
both Ferraris to be disqualified due
to a technical irregularity, handing
the title to Mika Häkkinen.
Since
2001, the Malaysian Grand Prix has
moved from the end of the schedule
to the beginning, which has seen
some topsy-turvy results as teams
and drivers get to grips with their
new equipment, with many races
heavily influenced by the winners
and losers of the scramble for
position into the tight double
hairpin bend at the first corner.
The
Sepang International Circuit (SIC)
is a racing circuit in Sepang,
Selangor, Malaysia. It is located
near Kuala Lumpur International
Airport, approximately 60 km south
of the capital city Kuala Lumpur. It
is the venue used for the Formula
One Malaysian Grand Prix, A1 Grand
Prix as well as the Malaysian
Motorcycle Grand Prix. It is also
used as a venue for many other major
motorsport events. The main circuit,
normally raced in a clockwise
direction, is 5.54 kilometres long,
and is noted for its sweeping
corners and wide straights. The
layout is quite unusual, with a very
long back straight separated from
the pit straight by just one very
tight hairpin.
Other
configurations of the Sepang circuit
can also be used. The north circuit
is also raced in a clockwise
direction. It is basically the first
half of the main circuit. The course
turns back towards the pit straight
after turn 6 and is 2.71 kilometres
long in total. The south circuit is
the other half of the racecourse.
The back straight of the main
circuit becomes the pit straight
when the south circuit is in use,
and joins onto turn 8 of the main
circuit to form a hairpin turn. Also
run clockwise, this circuit is 2.61
km in length.
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