AT&T Williams 2007 Malaysian GP Preview


Malaysian GP

By Williams F1 Team
April 4 2007

The AT&T Williams team moves to Malaysia for the second round of the FIA Formula One World Championship this weekend. The team has continued to work hard on improving the performance of the FW29. This race will show if it has worked out.

 
 
 Malaysian Grand Prix: Sepang
 
Rosberg in 2006 Malaysian GP
 
Race Preview:
 
Malaysia hosts round two of the FIA Formula One World Championship this
weekend as the teams travel to Asia for the second of the three long haul races
of the season on Sunday 8th April. This year’s race will be the ninth time the
state-of-the-art Sepang circuit, located just south of the country’s capital, Kuala
Lumpur, has featured on the Grand Prix calendar. For the first time, the teams
were able to test at the Sepang track prior to the race which afforded the AT&T
Williams team additional time to work on car set-up and reliability. Combined
with the opportunity to acclimatise early to such extreme conditions, the team
are looking forward to build on its solid start to the 2007 campaign.

Alex Wurz:
 Alex Wurz "Malaysia is a very cool race track. It has quite a difficult corner section, which I’ve always enjoyed ever since I first drove on this track. It is very challenging to get the set-up right for it though, but the toughest part of the race will be the heat for the majority of the drivers. This is the race where a disciplined training programme really pays off. In last week’s test, I covered over 200 laps in two days which was a good test for me and for the reliability of the car in such extreme conditions. The race simulation we did also went very well. We won’t see the true performance of the teams until the race weekend, but I’m sure it’s going to be another super close Grand Prix."

Nico Rosberg:
 Nico Rosberg "I have good memories of Malaysia from last year when I made my debut on the Sepang track. It is a good circuit from a driver’s perspective; the layout has a bit of everything, with plenty of fast and slow corners. The surface is quite bumpy which also gives it an extra dimension. The most challenging aspect of the Malaysian Grand Prix is obviously the heat and humidity. I'm well prepared though, as is the team, and we’re looking forward to having a good race this weekend."

Sam Michael Technical Director:
 Sam Michael"Kuala Lumpur is all about high levels of rainfall, humidity and temperatures! It is so tropical and the daily thunderstorms upset the normally routine practice sessions. As we tested there last week, a lot of the data and sign-offs that the engineers normally have to rush through during the practice sessions are already done. Brakes, cooling and tyres have all been measured and we now have a good direction for the race. As such, we will be able to spend most of practice working on car set-up and re-checking the balance on the two Bridgestone Potenza tyre compounds because the circuit’s grip levels will vary from the test.

The Sepang circuit is dominated by medium and high speed corners, but does have three slow speed corners as well. Add to that three decent straights which reward engine power and low drag, this circuit has a good balance for drivers and engineers to work with. There are overtaking opportunities into the first, third and last corners that will undoubtedly contribute to an exciting race. Pitstop strategy will most likely be a standard two stop affair. The track layout is hard on tyres so the degradation levels don’t normally permit a one stopper, and the pitlane is too slow for a three stop race.

After the first race in Melbourne, the initial picture of where the true team order lies is starting to form, but it will take another few races to settle, and can obviously change over the season if one team makes a much bigger gain than another. At the test last week, we worked hard on set-up and getting more performance out of the FW29. We made some progress, but the real measure will be how we fare over the race weekend."

Sepang, Malaysia
A purpose-built facility, Sepang’s 5.543km lap provides a blend of medium and high speed corners interspersed with several slow speed sections and blisteringly fast straights. Such a dynamic track poses a particular challenge for the drivers and their engineers as a quick lap depends on a car with a well balanced set-up for the complex mix of corners, plenty of power for the quick straights and sufficient cooling capabilities to counterbalance the extremes of
temperature and powerful humidity.

With temperatures reaching 40°C in Kuala Lumpur, climatic conditions can play a significant role in the outcome of the Malaysian Grand Prix. Coupled with the high humidity levels and the constant threat of heavy downpours, the drivers and their cars will be pushed to thermal limits. As temperatures soar so will the
heat in the cockpit, and the driver’s physical and mental fitness levels will be severely tested as they lose over a litre of fluid per hour in the race. Engines will also be strained as they are fired up for a second outing in Malaysia. Sepang is not regarded as a power circuit, with the time spent at full throttle relatively low, but containing oil temperatures in the extreme heat, while not compromising aerodynamic efficiency, will be imperative for their reliability.

  
KEY RACE DATA:

RACE DISTANCE/LAPS 5.543kms 56 laps = 310.408kms
RACE START TIME Local: 15.00, GMT: 07.00
2006 FASTEST LAP F Alonso, Renault F1: 1:34.803
2006 POLE SITTER G Fisichella, Renault F1: 1:33.840
2006 RACE WINNER G Fisichella, Renault F1
PIT-STOP SCHEDULE
1 stop: Laps 27 - 33
2 stops: Laps 16 – 27, 35 - 41
3 stops: Laps 14 – 19, 25 – 30, 38 - 43

WILLIAMS IN Australia:

Car     Poles Fastest   Wins    2005 	  2006
Starts	      Laps      
16 	-     - 	1 	MW Q6/DNF MW Q4/DNF
				NH Q8/R3  NR Q3/DNF
				
WILLIAMS PERFORMANCE STATISTICS 1978 TO 2006

GPs 	Wins  Poles Fastest Podiums Laps    Laps  Points
Entered		    Laps	    Raced   Led
479 	113   125   129     294     47,552  7,461 2,523.5
 

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