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 Formula 1 Sepang 2003Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix Sepang Circuit, 21/22/23 Mar 2003 Page first created 28 March 2003; Last updated 26 Apr 2003
This year promised to be different because of a major change in the rules of the game to even out the field so that the margin of advantage that better financed teams would be smaller. Another major draw, is the Sauber Petronas team. Bearing the flag of Malaysian oil giant, this team has been making steady progress and a hot favourite at least for the Malaysians. While watching the event was good, it is not without its problems, especially on the actual race day... read on!
ALSO SEE NEW 2003 F1 RULES |
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Trip
Log
The long motorcycle ride up from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur was generally fast and uneventful, clocking in about 140 to 190 km/h without encountering any police speed traps. This was until I passed Seremban. I had been warned of the intense late afternoon storms which typically came in the early evenings and cleared up within a couple of hours. The ominous dark clouds ahead of me did not bode well. It was worrying for a number of reasons: Would the F1 race be affected in the days to come? Would I be riding in this miserable puddle for the next couple of days? How would my safety be jeopardised in the next half hour of riding into Kuala Lumpur. Reaching the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, at certain points of time, the rain was very intense, visibility was poor when about 50-100 metres at its worst point. Motorists were slowing to a crawl of about 50 km/h, often less. Despite being suited up in my rain gear, the intensity of the storm was such that the water still managed to penetrate every possible seam or gap (zippers and collars, etc), as well as into my (rather old) Givi Maxia E50 hard case (time to take is off the WingRack and turn it upside down to pour the water out!). It was also cold enough to fog up my helmet visor and cramp up my fingers. (Where the heck was my "defog" solution?) But the caution was well vindicated when on the other side of the expressway, there was a massive multi-car pile up and the tailback stretched for about 5 to 10 km. Made it there safely by 7.pm inspite of the conditions. The rain also made for an evening with spectacularly clear conditions, with the Petronas twin towers and the KL TV tower glittering in the night sky.
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Saturday
22nd March 2003 It was a good thing that I went a day earlier, for this was the day to discover all the potential problems before the actual event! Happily with my ticket, I made my way to the circuit... but who knew that parking coupons had to be bought in advance before one even reached the circuit??? The route to Sepang Circuit involved taking either the expressways towards Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). Once off the expressway, there is the airport highway towards KLIA and once one sees a huge mosque on the left, there is an offramp to Sepang on the left. This takes you down to a roundabout/circus. Immediately after the roundabout, there was a ridiculously small sign with miniscule lettering that seems to indicate the presence of a ticket booth on the small lane further down on the left. I didn't understand this, and drove on down to the circuit, only to be refused entry to the car park and got waved off. This time, I went back to the roundabout, entered that lane where the "last chance ticket booth" was, and purchased a parking coupon for the next 2 days... well, actually they only had a daily (RM 3) or a 3 day pass (RM 10). I wanted to buy two daily passes, but they didn't seem to sell the daily passes in advance, so I ended up having to buy the 3 day pass instead. (Mind you for cars it is even worse! Prices of the parking also depends on which area you are seated in in the grandstands... guests in upper tier and corporate platforms are charged RM 27/1 day or RM 100/3 days for car parking, compared to the lower tier which RM 13/1 day or RM 50/3 days). You can imagine that people who didn't know this were going to be badly affected when they came the next day. Bike parking coupons consisted of a large self adhesive label, possibly to be stuck to the meter housing or some other forward part of the bike... so you can worry about whether the glue will come off or not, or whether it will also take some of your paint off as well! Of course, one can keep it in the pocket, until you reach the ground control and then hold on to it with your teeth as you pass through the various ground control checkpoints. Better yet, if you have a pillion, get the pillion to flash it at the ground control staff!. For bikers with a windshield, remember to keep an extra piece of plastic sheet for putting this label behind your windshield. In any case, if you are going to spend so much time, money and effort to attend this event (heck, the cheapest spots on the hillside still cost RM 100), you might as well shell out for the parking ticket as well (you'll understand why when you read on...).
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Water
and dehydration
This policy would be fine, except that you'd be paying exorbitant prices for drinks and food. It is even worse for the hillside stands as one sits in the open under the oppressive heat, and really needs drinks... and lots of it! They don't call this "the world's hottest race" for nothing! There is a strategy to beating this:
If in the worst case, if you are out of luck and must buy a drink, try to stretch your drink as long as possible. Sip sparingly! Once the event is over and you are out of the stands, the nearest Petronas petrol station sells drinks at more reasonable prices, though still not as cheap as a neighbourhood supermarket. For people taking the bus, tough luck... they'll need to hold out until they reach the end of their trip or succumb to the need to buy despite the exorbitant prices!
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Watching
the sessions and photography If you like photography, then simply put, be there as early as possible, and go for as many of the days as possible (if you can afford it). That is when the least people are around, and you can run around the various vantage points in your stand more easily. It also makes photography easier without the arms, shoulders, bodies and heads getting in the way.
Later in the day, as more turn up, since the tickets actually have seat numbers indicated, specators who specifically chose certain seat positions will not want an unwelcome chap in their seat. This also means photo opportunities are reduced. I managed to watch the timed sessions, warm up session and qualifying session.
The most interesting session in my view was the practice, timed and warm up sessions. It also offered the more interesting opportunities for photography. There was far more variation in the driving behaviour as drivers were basically putting their vehicles through their paces, trying out different driving strategies to best tackle the various challenges posed by the circuit. Teams would be practicing pit stops and other activities in preparation for the big event. Sometimes, in the course of the practices one gets to see a couple of cars together for a nice picture, especially if there is some rivalry between the cars.
However, I felt that the qualifying session was rather boring and an anti-climax to the day. The new rules are - in my opinion - bad for spectators and racing teams alike. Under the previous rules, spectators would have been treated to teams and drivers pushing their cars harder and harder with the speeds increasing and lap times falling over the increasingly exciting qualifying hour. Now with the drivers were limited to a one-shot qualifying run, all one sees is single run by each driver. That is about as interesting as watching clothes turning in a tumble dryer.
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Sunday
23rd March 2003 The race day started at 9.30 am, and other local races and events (air show, displays, cultural shows, antique car parade) filled in the day until the actual F1 race began at 3 pm. Like me, most people would have given this a pass, and only headed to the circuit on time for the F1 race at 3 pm. However this was a big mistake!!! The poor traffic management would soon be apparent. Nightmare traffic congestion & poor traffic management I left KL for Sepang at 1 pm on my motorcycle. The ride on the expressways was uneventful, until the airport expressway, where the traffic jam had already begun! By this time, it was already 1.45 pm. The cars in the jam barely got a couple of metres every few minutes. Even the road shoulder was occupied by cars. Besides the cars anxious to get to the circuit, also trapped in this traffic jam were panicky travellers desperately trying to get to the airport on time for their flights! Heaven help this lot! For the sake of airport travellers, the Traffic Police should have sectioned the airport highway such that the two left lanes were for the race while the right most lane was to the airport, with strict enforcement against cars. The traffic policemen that were seen were simply standing about, not taking active action to ensure proper control of traffic There were also a number of vehicle breakdowns in this this traffic jam. For quite a number of the uninitiated, perhaps with cars in poor condition, running the engines (and maybe airconditioning) while barely moving in this sweltering heat resulted in quite a number of vehicles breaking down from overheating, inconveniencing other motorists who have a difficult time trying to get around them in the already non-moving traffic. A number of buses were also not spared this fate. After the roundabout, the sign indicating that people requiring tickets and coupons should take the left lane to the ticket booth was not obvious as it was neither large enough or high enough. Even I had missed this sign the day before. It was apparent to me that many oblivious drivers are going to struggle through this queue, only to be turned away at the end! Immediately after the roundabout, the Traffic Police should have already started screening the vehicles for valid parking coupons, and diverting vehicles without coupons to the ticketing booth. Further down the road, on the left side off the road shoulder and sometimes even on the road shoulder, some people had parked their cars in the grass (trying to save money on parking???) and were walking all the way to the circuit. I thought this was crazy as the circuit was still very far away and with the little time remaining, they would never make it on time before the race started. It also affected traffic especially since human traffic had to get around the cars parked on the shoulder and get in the way of the vehicular traffic, difficult since it was already a jam and the vehicles had nowhere else to go. As I had expected, there was some chaos at the circuit entrance because many cars - after crawling through this traffic jam for the last hours - were refused entry because they did not have the necessary parking coupons. Many buses were also trapped in this jam and it didn't make sense that public transport should be so badly affected. I felt sorry for those who had taken public transport, because the buses were as badly affected as the cars! Public service vehicles like buses, tow trucks and emergency vehicles must be allowed to move freely!!! The Traffic Police should have sectioned the road from the ticketing booth to the circuit such that buses and motorcycles were on one lane for fast unimpeded flow, while motorcars should have been on the remaining lanes, and vehicles prohibited from parking on the shoulder or grass. Even if spectators were to take the KTM commuter train to Nilai or the Express Rail Link to the airport, the shuttle buses to ferry them from the airport and train station would have been unavoidably caught in the traffic jam. Short of building a train track between Nilai train station, the Sepang circuit and the KLIA airport, public transport under such conditions would suffer the same fate as the rest of the traffic. Traffic separation is critical and while congestion is expected, clearly the Traffic Police could have and should have done much much more to tackle the situation. Strict streaming of traffic into specific lanes would have improved things a lot, i.e.:
Such policies and enforcement would have improved the situation more. Clearly the overall traffic management was very poor and left much to be desired. It is even worse when one realises that the authorities have not learnt anything from the previous years. (While it could be said that at other circuits in the world, it could be much worse, e.g. at Silverstone, it is said to takes many hours to clear the motorists in and out of the circuit before and after the event. However in migitation, the size and scale of Silverstone is much overwhelmingly larger than Sepang). It would have helped if in the ticketing information, the circuit organisers were to include advice that obtaining parking tickets in advance is very important to avoiding disappointment. The signage along the road was also far from adequate and the "last chance ticket booth" needs to have clear information along the side of the road, e.g.
Thank goodness for motorcycles Riding there on my motorcycle was probably the best decision I ever made, even though by the time I got there, I was suffering cramps in my hands from manipulating the clutch and brake levers so much through the jam. Slowly squeezing my way through between the cars, I made very slow but steady progress, I luckily arrived at the circuit 15 minutes before the start of the race, just in time to park and scramble to my seat at the grandstand. It was obvious that the cars that joined the beginning of the traffic jam at the same time as me would not make it to the circuit on time for the start of the race, and maybe not even get there before the end of the race, which would unfortunately be a waste of the money spent on tickets and the time and effort trying to get to the circuit. If one is going to the circuit by means other than a motorcycle - i.e. by car, bus or public transport (rail, buses) - it would therefore be highly advisable to reach the circuit very early, otherwise one would be caught in the jam, and would probably be better off staying at home watching the race on television, either TV2 or cable TV sports channel. Actually, on TV, it is
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The
Race The previous day's qualification saw the two Renaults in an unusual position at the front of the grid, with Alonso in 1st and Trulli in 2nd. Ferrari only managed 3rd (M Schumacher) and 5th (Barrichello). Mercedes Maclaren was in 4th (Coulthard) and 7th (Raikkonen). BMW Williams were in 8th (Montoya) and a miserable 17th (R Schumacher). The Malaysian starting grid in full was
The race began with a big crash at second corner, putting a number of players, including major contenders like Montoya and Schumacher out of contention for the podium, as well as promoted others.
In the accident, Michael Schumacher hit Jarno Trulli from behind, spinning Trulli's car around and both men were off the tracks, losing a number of places. Behind this collision, while Montoya slowed on time to avoid colliding with the melee in front, his back fin was smashed off by a Jaguar which could not slow down in time, and he had to turn in to replace the whole back fin assembly, losing two laps. Schumacher also had to make an additional visit to replace his car's nose.
Even though Schumacher was subsequently penalised with a drive-through penalty for causing accident, falling to 12th place at one point, making his way back up to 5th at one point, finishing 6th in the race, it was a remarkable achievement.
At least the Malaysian
home favourite team of Sauber Petronas saw them chalking
up one point with Nick Heidfeld in 8th position. Heinz
Harald Frentzen just missed a point in 9th place. Click here for the blow-by-blow
account. The final race classification was:
My personal view is that while the other major players like BMW Williams and Mercedes Maclaren are likely to catch up and the margin will be narrower, Ferrari is likely to continue to dominate. We can but wait till much later in the racing season to see how it progresses.
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Leaving
the circuit Being so close to the highway from the grandstands, leaving was an easy matter with no hassle on my motorcycle. However, I could not say the same for cars and buses. I heard from some that it took several hours to get their cars out of the car parks and the service roads before they actually made it back on the highway. Once on the airport expressway, everything was practically back to normal. Evening storms Riding back to KL from the circuit, the skies had been kind, with the storms arriving only just after I got back from the circuit. The torrential rains lasted quite a while, trapping me there, but at least I was already under shelter. Return trip Blasting down the highway at night, riding in the unlit sections was reminiscent of playing the old video race-car games on green monitor screens in the 1980s, where one simply following the painted lines to stay in the game. The occasional big fast Singapore passing by also heading in the same direction offered opportunitiesto follow close behind at the same speed, offering some company and a pace. The drivers didn't seem to mind. The traffic was thankfully light, and enforcement non-existent. This way, the ride was nominally at 140 km/h, often reaching speeds of 180 to 220 km/h, reaching the Singapore border from KL within 3 1/2 hours.
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Time
table of events
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Malaysian
GP as it happened Source URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/2877353.stm Pre race: But Renault insist they have chosen the correct strategy and the stage is set for a fascinating race. Rival teams, led by Michael Schumacher's Ferrari in third place on the grid, believe Renault qualified on a lighter fuel load than the other top teams to achieve their times. The race will start at 1500 hours (local time), with Spaniard Fernando Alonso, in his first pole position, heading an all-Renault front row. Cristiano da Matta will have to start his Toyota from the pit lane after a car problem - a blow to the Brazilian rookie, who had impressed by qualifying in 11th place. 1500 hrs: Fernando Alonso leads the grid off on their formation lap in temperatures of 35 degrees and with the threat of rain at some time during the afternoon. Lap 1: Alonso makes a good start and Trulli follows him into the first corner - the Italian is then hit from behind by Michael Schumacher, who is battling with David Coulthard, at turn two. Trulli is knocked into a spin and loses a lot of places. Schumacher's Ferrari has also dropped back and is damaged. Other cars, including a Jaguar and a Williams - probably Montoya's - are damaged. Jacques Villeneuve's BAR has failed on the grid and he has to run back to the pits to start in the spare car. Lap 2: Alonso finished lap one with a 2.4secs lead. Schumacher - in 12th place - has not pitted, but Montoya has, to replace a rear wing. McLaren are looking in a strong position. Lap 3: Raikkonen passes Heidfeld for third place at the first corner. Trulli has managed to continue but is down in 10th place. Coulthard pulls off and retires from the race with an engine problem. Schumacher, who caused the first corner shunt, comes into the pits for a new nosecone. Lap 4: Montoya rejoins having lost two laps. Alonso is 5.9secs ahead of Raikkonen. Justin Wilson is seventh in the Minardi. Lap 5: Barrichello passes Button for fourth place into turn one. Lap 6: Raikkonen is edging closer to Raikkonen at 0.4secs per lap - the gap is now 4.6secs. Lap 7: Trulli is up to ninth place, with Michael Schumacher in 14th after his pit stop. Meanwhile, Schumacher has been given a drive-through penalty for causing the first-lap accident. Lap 8: Raikkonen sets fastest lap - the gap to leader Alonso is now 4.9secs. Barrichello is climbing all over the back of Heidfeld's Sauber. Lap 9: The gap between Alonso and Raikkonen is now 4.5secs. Schumacher comes in at the end of the lap for his drive-through penalty. Lap 10: Raikkonen takes another 0.3secs off Alonso's lead. Barrichello passes Heidfeld for third place into the first corner. Trulli takes eighth place from Webber. Lap 11: Trulli, making up ground after being hit from behind by Michael Schumacher on the first lap, is now right behind Ralf Schumacher. Alonso leads Raikkonen by 4.1secs. Lap 12: Barrichello is falling back from Alonso and Raikkonen, despite the Ferrari having a clear track in front of him. Panis comes into the pits at the end of the lap for his first fuel stop. Lap 13: Alonso is now only 3.3secs ahead of Raikkonen. Panis pulls up and retires on the lap after his pit stop. Lap 14: Alonso comes in at the end of the lap for his first pit stop and rejoins in fourth place. Heidfeld also makes a pit stop but he stalls and wastes a lot of time. Lap 15: Raikkonen has a 14.1sec lead over Barrichello. Lap 16: Trulli comes into the pits for his first pit stop and rejoins in ninth place. Lap 17: Raikkonen and Barrichello are doing about the same lap times in first and second place as Button comes in for his first pit stop. Lap 18: Raikkonen is 14.4secs clear of Barrichello. Lap 19: Trulli is climbing all over the back of Firman's Jordan. Raikkonen comes in for his pit stop. Lap 20: Barrichello is leading Raikkonen by 17.6secs after the McLaren's pit stop while the Finn is just 4.3secs ahead of Alonso's Renault. Trulli is struggling in the turbulence of Firman's Jordan and cannot get close enough to get by. Lap 21: Barrichello, 16.5secs ahead of Raikkonen, is about to make a pit stop - the Ferrari mechanics are in the pit lane. The Brazilian will drop down to third place behind Raikkonen and Alonso. Lap 22: Barrichello pits as does Ralf Schumacher. Firman also pits in the Jordan, freeing up Trulli's Renault. The Briton has a problem getting the car going after the stop, has to be pushed out of the pits and loses a lot of time. Lap 23: Raikkonen has a nine-second lead over Alonso, with Barrichello third - 12 seconds behind Raikkonen. Lap 24: Barrichello is closing on Alonso by two seconds a lap with the fastest lap of the race. Trulli is 1.5secs a lap quicker than Button, who is now just that same distance ahead of him. Lap 25: Barrichello is now just 1.4secs behind Alonso as they cross the line. Raikkonen leads by 10.5secs. Lap 26: Trulli is now challenging Button for fifth place. Lap 27: Michael Schumacher pits from eighth place, but he has been lapping very slowly and must have a problem after the collision he caused at the start of the race. Lap 28: Raikkonen leads Alonso by 12.4secs with Barrichello 2.2secs behind the Renault. Lap 29: Raikkonen extends his lead by a second. Button has taken 1.5secs off Ralf Schumacher and is dragging the delayed Trulli with him. Lap 30: Raikkonen leads by 13.8secs from Alonso. Montoya, also delayed in the Schumacher-caused first-lap stint, makes his second pit stop of the afternoon. The Colombian would have been in the battle for the lead had he not been in the first-lap accident. Lap 31: Alonso does a slow lap and now has Barrichello right behind him. Trulli is struggling to get close enough to pass Button because of the lack of power of his engine compared with the Honda in the BAR. Lap 32: Raikkonen is leading by 16.7secs from Alonso. Lap 33: Raikkonen's lead is edging close to 20 seconds - he is now 17.8 secs ahead with 23 laps to go and a round of pit stops. Lap 34: Da Matta pits from eigth place. Button pits. Lap 35: Barrichello is right behind Alonso with Montoya - two laps behind after the first-lap accident with Schumacher - tracking them all the way. Alonso pits at the end of the lap. Webber retires the Jaguar with engine failure. Lap 36: Trulli is now right behind Ralf Schumacher but is about to come into the pits. Raikkonen is 20.6secs ahead. Trulli's fuel cap will not open and he is delayed - costing him any chance of getting out ahead of Button. Lap 37: Raikkonen's lead is just over 20 seconds, but Barrichello is closing in. Lap 38: Barrichello pits from second place - and retains it from Alonso. Lap 39: Raikkonen appears to have enough of a lead to get back out in the lead when he stops. Lap 40: Alonso has a misfire and is up to four seconds off the pace. Raikkonen pits with a 53-second lead and gets out comfortably in front. Lap 41: Ralf Schumacher pits and comes out just ahead of Button and Trulli. Michael Schumacher takes sixth place from Trulli and pressures Button. Lap 42: Michael Schumacher takes fifth place from Button. Lap 43: Raikkonen has a comfortable lead of 24 seconds. Lap 44: Michael Schumacher makes his final pit stop for fuel. Lap 45: Raikkonen's lead is edging close to 30 seconds and his first win appears to be in the bag barring problems with his McLaren. Lap 46: Just 10 laps to go for Raikkonen now, as Michael Schumacher sets the fastest lap of the race. Lap 47: Wilson retires in the Minardi with exhaustion - this is by far the furthest he has ever driven in an F1 car. Lap 48: McLaren order Raikkonen to back off to conserve his car with eight laps to go - and not to risk anything while lapping the fifht-placed battle between Button and Trulli in front of him. Lap 49: Raikkonen is nevertheless closing on Trulli and Button. Lap 50: Raikkonen laps Trulli. Lap 51: Raikkonen, who is extending his lead despite being told to back off, laps Button at turn two. Trulli spins at the last corner trying to pass Button and has to fend off Michael Schumacher. Lap 52: Trulli holds off Schumacher going down into to the first corner, but now has six laps to try to end him off. It will not be easy - the Ferrari's engine is much more powerful. Lap 53: Barrichello has settled for second place - 35 seconds behind Raikkonen. Lap 54: Michael Schumacher has dropped back from Trulli, who is showing the Renault's true pace now he is not being held up by the BAR of Button in front of him. Lap 55: Raikkonen's lead continues to extend as he heads into his final lap. Trulli has closed back up to Button, with Schumacher on his tail. McLaren boss Ron Dennis appears to be in tears of joy as Raikkonen closes in on his first win. Lap 56: Raikkonen crosses the line to take his first Grand Prix win - the second in a row for McLaren. Button drops behind Trulli and Michael Schumacher.
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Sepang Circuit The Sepang International Circuit is 5.5 Km long. Built at a cost of US$120 million, the Sepang Circuit was completed in November 1998 and its first racing event took place on 12th December that year. The circuit actually consists of one circuit within another. The main race track being 5.542km & the other option being 2.805km. Some of the most spectacular features of the circuit are the smooth & sweeping chicane capable of negotiating at speeds in excess of 200kph. The fastest part of the circuit is the straight between T15 and T1 or usually known as the home straight. Speeds here can reach up to about 350kph, and the wearing of ear plugs is highly advisable, especially on the grandstands. The pits includes many features such as built-in team office and a conference area with the latest hi-tech equipment. A typical F1 Grand Prix here would run for 56 laps. This track has almost no gradients and includes two very long straights where speeds are in excess of 180 mph. The track is known as a car breaker and any car with a reliability problem will most probably not see the end of this race. There are many places for overtaking on this circuit and this often leads to very compelling racing. Being among best circuits in the world, its facilities have been rated as superb by drivers and experts. In 1999, the inaugural Malaysian Grand Prix attracted 78,000 spectators and an estimated television audience of 600 million, and earned Malaysia more than $130 million. The debut race will always be remembered for a controversial Ferrari disqualification, when Irvine and Schumacher finished 1st and 2nd, only to have their points taken away over a disagreement about the size of the F399's bargeboards. The points were eventually reinstated after an FIA hearing in Paris, just prior to the final race of the 1999 world championship. The Sepang Circuit is located about 60km from the capital city of Kuala Lumpur and about 15km from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). The circuit is linked to the city & the airport with an excellent highway system. Travelling by road on the expressway will approximately takes about 40 minutes from the city to the circuit. Street signs are clearly visible on the highway.
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While last year had seen Ferrari and Michael
Schumacher continuing the longest stretch of domination
ever seen in recent years, some spectators were losing
interest because the F1 had practically become the "Ferrari
and Michael Schumacher Show", and a number of
other racing teams, unable to attract adequate funding,
have gone under.
The official policy is that only
food and drinks purchased from the concession stands at
the circuit are permitted within the spectator stands.
When entering the gates of the stands, they actually
search you and your bags for food and drinks. 
Raikkonen started in seventh place,
but the accident helped to promote him up the order, and
eventually the efforts of the team put him in the lead, a
position he held for the rest of the race. 
On the pitwall, watching his young
protégé take his debut win, McLaren team
principal Ron Dennis was seen to be close to
tears.