2014 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

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Phil
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Joined: 25 Sep 2012, 16:22

Re: 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

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Anyone else concerned that the problems Hamilton suffered in Australia might carry over to Sepang as well? I have a bad feeling... 5 engines for the year and misfires in Australia.... I really hope they find the cause (without losing the engine).
Not for nothing, Rosberg's Championship is the only thing that lends credibility to Hamilton's recent success. Otherwise, he'd just be the guy who's had the best car. — bhall II
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iotar__
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Joined: 28 Sep 2012, 12:31

Re: 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

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Another total dominance by Mercedes and boring race, coin toss deciding which driver.
[Speaking of which, I wonder if it's easier in 2014 to apply silent team orders through some decimal place rounding of fuel consumption strategy. "Sensors showed we would have exceeded fuel flow, sorry Mark Webber switch to plan B34delta", or "you didn't lift and coast enough :oops:", or sth completely silent]

Williams is the most interesting team to watch in Malaysia, main candidate to fill the big gap behind Merc. Depending on qualifying and whether they have tyre/warming issues. Tyres, weather and not representative track held them back in Melbourne. I don't believe in varying tyre strategies from top 10, 1. not enough deg 2. fuel dictates them. In Bahrain from memory (P. Symonds): three stops would have been faster but worse on fuel so they went with two?

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Vasconia
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Joined: 30 Aug 2012, 10:45
Location: Basque Country

Re: 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

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Mercedes will be abslutely dominant. And Renaul powered teams are going to suffer, the combination of long straights and high temperatures should be tremendous for their reliabily and power problems.

So the most logic one would be this:

1. Hamilton
2. Rosberg
3. Bottas (he was superb in Australia)
4. Magussen
5. Massa
6. Button
7. Vettel(if he ends)
8. Alonso( he needs rain if not...)
9. Hulkenberg
10. Raikkonen

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raymondu999
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Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 07:31

Re: 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

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iotar__ wrote:Another total dominance by Mercedes and boring race, coin toss deciding which driver.
[Speaking of which, I wonder if it's easier in 2014 to apply silent team orders through some decimal place rounding of fuel consumption strategy. "Sensors showed we would have exceeded fuel flow, sorry Mark Webber switch to plan B34delta", or "you didn't lift and coast enough :oops:", or sth completely silent]

Williams is the most interesting team to watch in Malaysia, main candidate to fill the big gap behind Merc. Depending on qualifying and whether they have tyre/warming issues. Tyres, weather and not representative track held them back in Melbourne. I don't believe in varying tyre strategies from top 10, 1. not enough deg 2. fuel dictates them. In Bahrain from memory (P. Symonds): three stops would have been faster but worse on fuel so they went with two?
More stops should mean less consumption, and less stops more consumption. But I get what you mean, yes.
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Klaus
Klaus
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Joined: 17 Mar 2014, 14:32

Re: 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

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raymondu999 wrote: More stops should mean less consumption, and less stops more consumption. But I get what you mean, yes.
I'd have thought more stops was more fuel (time spent stationary/accelerating from a standstill), but maybe that's outweighed by the time spent on the speed limiter...

Anyway, I'm actually expecting a more entertaining race as more teams will have the confidence that their car will reach the flag, so will let the drivers push a bit more. I think Mercedes will still walk away with the trophy though.

Free practice could be interesting again with so many teams still suffering problems, I want to see if Lotus have genuinely turned the corner, or if they just got lucky yesterday...

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iotar__
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Joined: 28 Sep 2012, 12:31

Re: 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

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Klaus wrote:
raymondu999 wrote: More stops should mean less consumption, and less stops more consumption. But I get what you mean, yes.
I'd have thought more stops was more fuel (time spent stationary/accelerating from a standstill), but maybe that's outweighed by the time spent on the speed limiter...

Anyway, I'm actually expecting a more entertaining race as more teams will have the confidence that their car will reach the flag, so will let the drivers push a bit more. I think Mercedes will still walk away with the trophy though.

Free practice could be interesting again with so many teams still suffering problems, I want to see if Lotus have genuinely turned the corner, or if they just got lucky yesterday...
Hopefully, but was reliability the reason? The thing that bothered me about Melbourne (without joking) was that four different teams with three different engines and speed (Hulk, Alonso, Button, Vergne, Raikkonen) were racing at the same, pedestrian pace during middle period of the race. After pitstop there was some action: Alonso and of course Button/Bottas jumped.

I'm not sure about number of stints/fuel logic. Maybe more stints - faster laps - bigger consumption. Longer stints - steady, slower.

Dann
Dann
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Joined: 18 Mar 2012, 01:32
Location: McLaren Fan, Malaysia

Re: 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

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Malaysia has had long dry spell recently with temperature 40c. We had intermittent rains last few days. It could be another wet race in Sepang.
We look forward to this coming race. Unfortunately most of us are distracted by the MH370 episode. Hopefully, it will be found by then.

basti313
basti313
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Joined: 22 Feb 2014, 14:49

Re: 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

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univex wrote:Red Bull to be dominant in Sector 2 and then get totally cleaned up on the straights.
You are missing, that Malaysia is still a very selective track when it comes to downforce. This is shown by the results of the last years...always cars with rather lop topspeed were good.
It is nearly impossible to follow a car in the midfield if you do not have more downforce or a tire advantage. Also the straights are not very good for overtaking...they are long, but the first one follows to fast corners and the hairpin is a mess to overtake, cause it supports no alternative line: If you are too close you will not get it right and if you pass your opponent right before it your line is so bad that you can get no power down for the straight.

So if the Redbulls are not held up in the midfield, there will be not that big problem on the straights. If they sort out their fuel problem they will be not worse than in Oz.

With less power due to a reduced fuel rate it could be a very nice setup: Redbull with incredible aero performance overtaking in the fast corners (remember this great fight last year) and opponents taking the place back on the straights...and again fighting in the corners... =D>
Phil wrote:Anyone else concerned that the problems Hamilton suffered in Australia might carry over to Sepang as well? I have a bad feeling... 5 engines for the year and misfires in Australia.... I really hope they find the cause (without losing the engine).
I do not think so. He lost one cylinder. This probably comes from an injector or spark plug problem, which can be easily solved. I do not see a sensor which shuts down a cylinder...
With a mechanical issue like loss of compression, the engine would have just blown up. For me there is no way that these engines can run two laps with a mechanical issue.
So we will hopefully see a big fight between Ros and Ham =D>
Don`t russel the hamster!

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SectorOne
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Joined: 26 May 2013, 09:51

Re: 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

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basti313 wrote:Also the straights are not very good for overtaking...they are long, but the first one follows to fast corners and the hairpin is a mess to overtake, cause it supports no alternative line: If you are too close you will not get it right and if you pass your opponent right before it your line is so bad that you can get no power down for the straight.
I´d have to disagree a tiny bit.

If we connect the two main straights you can see that the first and last corner are brilliantly designed for multiple lines through them.
The hairpin between them is also a place where we always see the classical undercut.

Frankly that whole piece of straights and corners have provided some pretty awesome side by side action.
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CBeck113
CBeck113
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Joined: 17 Feb 2013, 19:43

Re: 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

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SectorOne wrote:
basti313 wrote:Also the straights are not very good for overtaking...they are long, but the first one follows to fast corners and the hairpin is a mess to overtake, cause it supports no alternative line: If you are too close you will not get it right and if you pass your opponent right before it your line is so bad that you can get no power down for the straight.
I´d have to disagree a tiny bit.

If we connect the two main straights you can see that the first and last corner are brilliantly designed for multiple lines through them.
The hairpin between them is also a place where we always see the classical undercut.

Frankly that whole piece of straights and corners have provided some pretty awesome side by side action.
Add in the fact that the Pirellis are losing less marbles this year and you have the chance to actually move away from the line.
“Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!” Monty Python and the Holy Grail

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mikeerfol
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Joined: 20 Apr 2013, 22:19
Location: Greece

Re: 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

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Remember that Gutierrez has a 2 place grid penalty from Australia.

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raymondu999
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Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 07:31

Re: 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

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Klaus wrote:
raymondu999 wrote: More stops should mean less consumption, and less stops more consumption. But I get what you mean, yes.
I'd have thought more stops was more fuel (time spent stationary/accelerating from a standstill), but maybe that's outweighed by the time spent on the speed limiter...
it's not about the pitstop itself. It's about worn tyres carrying less apex speed and needing more exit acceleration. Also with more grip you have less wheelspin - meaning more of the fuel burn goes into acceleration and less into spinning the tyres
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gray41
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Joined: 08 Mar 2011, 12:07

Re: 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

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1. Ham
2. Ros
3. Bot
4. Mas
5. But
6. Mag
7. Hul
8. Alo
9. Ric
10. Vet
Lewis Hamilton #44
2016
Poles: *****
Wins: ***

basti313
basti313
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Joined: 22 Feb 2014, 14:49

Re: 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

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SectorOne wrote:
basti313 wrote:Also the straights are not very good for overtaking...they are long, but the first one follows to fast corners and the hairpin is a mess to overtake, cause it supports no alternative line: If you are too close you will not get it right and if you pass your opponent right before it your line is so bad that you can get no power down for the straight.
I´d have to disagree a tiny bit.

If we connect the two main straights you can see that the first and last corner are brilliantly designed for multiple lines through them.
The hairpin between them is also a place where we always see the classical undercut.

Frankly that whole piece of straights and corners have provided some pretty awesome side by side action.
I totally agree with the first and second corner. But in these you need downforce and tires to overtake. This was my point: No advantage in downforce or tires, no overtaking on the straights either.
We just have to look at the Bridgestone seasons. Nearly no overtaking in Malaysia. 2010 for example the only ones overtaking were the McLarens and Ferraris starting from the back of the grid. Or look at last year...easy overtaking if someone has a big tire advantage...and a lot of missed trys of the "classical undercut" in the hairpin.

For me it is just not enough overtaking on a track with these long straights. In comparison to other tracks with such straights I would not call it awesome.
Maybe F1 proves me wrong this year...I wouldn't mind...
CBeck113 wrote:
SectorOne wrote:
basti313 wrote:Also the straights are not very good for overtaking...they are long, but the first one follows to fast corners and the hairpin is a mess to overtake, cause it supports no alternative line: If you are too close you will not get it right and if you pass your opponent right before it your line is so bad that you can get no power down for the straight.
...
The hairpin between them is also a place where we always see the classical undercut.
...
Add in the fact that the Pirellis are losing less marbles this year and you have the chance to actually move away from the line.
This would be very good. Rosberg tried different lines last year through the fast corners before the first straight, but didn't succeed. Maybe also due to marbles...
But I don't remember if we saw different lines in the Bridgestone time...especially for the hairpin I strongly doubt that there is another line with which you can really get the power down.
Don`t russel the hamster!

basti313
basti313
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Joined: 22 Feb 2014, 14:49

Re: 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang

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raymondu999 wrote:
Klaus wrote:
raymondu999 wrote: More stops should mean less consumption, and less stops more consumption. But I get what you mean, yes.
I'd have thought more stops was more fuel (time spent stationary/accelerating from a standstill), but maybe that's outweighed by the time spent on the speed limiter...
it's not about the pitstop itself. It's about worn tyres carrying less apex speed and needing more exit acceleration. Also with more grip you have less wheelspin - meaning more of the fuel burn goes into acceleration and less into spinning the tyres
The problem with a pit stop is, that with an extra pit stop you have to gain about 30sec on the track, because this is the time you loose due to the extra pit stop. This extra pace burns much more fuel than the better tires can safe.
So more stops means more pace, means more fuel consumption.
Don`t russel the hamster!