Malaysian GP 2012 - Sepang International Circuit

[NathanOlder]

Vettel is slower than pretty much the rest of the field. So I think he may struggle to make progress should others get ahead of him. First couple of laps are going to be make or break for his race, he'll either hold on and keep a relatively good position, or he'll get stuck in the pack and then have to make the best of a bad situation.

Couldnt agree more, Having the slowest car in the top 20 will make life hard for Seb, and he's not known for his overtaking! Not on the front row, not going to win

[bhall]

I think Vettel is praying for rain.

[beelsebob]

I think Vettel is praying for rain.

I think Hamilton is too – but about 12-18 laps earlier.

[motobaleno]

Vettel is slower than pretty much the rest of the field.

I thought that the RBs race pace has been pretty good in practice. I wouldn't write him off yet.

vettel is in good position, 5th place, harder tyers! harder tyers last longer, then medium, also in case of good start he can be after first corner next to Mclaren's duo.

pretty hard to to do a good start with hard tyres...

[raymondu999]

Well if it rains in Lap 1-12 (maybe the first pitstop window) then it won't be good for Vettel - he'd have sacrificed track position for nothing by virtue of qualifying on the primes. But if it rains after that pitstop window - but before Vettel's window - then he's just bagged a pitstop gap

[bhall]

The strategy will pay off for Vettel if it does rain and he can take care of his tires until then.

[SiLo]

I would love to see a fully wet race, no matter how good the track, or how much the action, wet races are always better than dry races.

[SiLo]

Also, if it rains tonight, and is dry tomorrow, will the Mediums be the better tyre to be on with a green track?

[beelsebob]

I don't see why everyone seems to think Vettel needs the rain – he will run the first 20 odd laps on hard tyres, somewhat slower than everyone else. He won't be held up, because he'll be somewhat slower than those around him. The opposition will run the final 20 laps of the race on hard tyres, and be somewhat slower than him. In his final pit stop, he will overtake a bunch of people, and probably come out around 3rd ish. It'll then be a simple matter of whether he can overtake (likely the 2 McLarens) with his fresher, better rubber in the final 12-18 laps.

[NathanOlder]

I wonder how many cars had set up changes for rain ? Red Bull are closer to the front than i Oz, and i would have said Malaysia would have made the gap bigger with the cars from Oz, not many changes would have been made to the cars in 6 days.

How about Mclaren & Mercedes took the rain into account ? Just throwing that one in there

[beelsebob]

I wonder how many cars had set up changes for rain ? Red Bull are closer to the front than i Oz, and i would have said Malaysia would have made the gap bigger with the cars from Oz, not many changes would have been made to the cars in 6 days.

How about Mclaren & Mercedes took the rain into account ? Just throwing that one in there

Nah, I expect that once again, the McLaren's biggest advantage is mechanical grip, and their slightly smaller advantage is aero. This circuit is aero dominated, so their slightly smaller advantage comes into play. Australia was mechanics dominated, so their bigger advantage was at play.

[WhiteBlue]

The start will be very interesting. You have both Red Bulls behind Schumacher who will quickly start to hold them back on degrading tyres. There is potential that MSC and Webber could tangle. They are both very hard racers and could decide not to lift for the other man. I think that Vettel will try something clever through a corner where he will use superior traction to pass Schumacher. Vettel will have a tough job to catch the McLarens. They will probably have the opportunity to run away unless one of them gets taken at the start by Schumacher.

[SiLo]

I don't see why everyone seems to think Vettel needs the rain – he will run the first 20 odd laps on hard tyres, somewhat slower than everyone else. He won't be held up, because he'll be somewhat slower than those around him. The opposition will run the final 20 laps of the race on hard tyres, and be somewhat slower than him. In his final pit stop, he will overtake a bunch of people, and probably come out around 3rd ish. It'll then be a simple matter of whether he can overtake (likely the 2 McLarens) with his fresher, better rubber in the final 12-18 laps.

I wouldn't be so sure. If others want to finish the race on the hard tyre, he is most likely going to have to overtake them on the track, and Pirelli have said that the difference between the tyres isn't much with regard to longevity and pace.

[NathanOlder]

It'll be crucial how long it takes the Red Bull to turn the tyres on after a slow formation lap. We all know the Red Bull struggled for 2-3 laps in Oz after the safety car. So first 3 laps Seb will be under huge attack from GRO ROS ALO RAI

[raymondu999]

I don't see why everyone seems to think Vettel needs the rain – he will run the first 20 odd laps on hard tyres, somewhat slower than everyone else. He won't be held up, because he'll be somewhat slower than those around him. The opposition will run the final 20 laps of the race on hard tyres, and be somewhat slower than him. In his final pit stop, he will overtake a bunch of people, and probably come out around 3rd ish. It'll then be a simple matter of whether he can overtake (likely the 2 McLarens) with his fresher, better rubber in the final 12-18 laps.

Agreed. But rain would help him. A lot. Or maybe a safety car; but there's little to no chance of one in Malaysia.