Hoping to repeat the good result from Australia - Vettel

On Friday, Sebastian Vettel will make his second appearance in a Formula One practice session this year. The test and reserve driver of the BMW Sauber F1 Team speaks about his preparations for the Malaysian Grand Prix and his expectations of the second race weekend of the season.

"I have never been to Malaysia and am looking forward to getting to know another new track," says Vettel. "I've heard a lot of good things about the circuit. It has some fast corners and the high temperatures also make driving here very demanding physically. It's not only an enormous strain on the car, but also on the engine and the driver."

Especially drivers who are not used to the hot and humid tropical climate require quite some time to get used to the special conditions in Sepang. For this reason, Sebastian travelled to Malaysia one week early in order to acclimatise. In addition, he concluded a special fitness programme and swung the tennis racket, among other things: "You try to stay outside for most of the time," he explains. "When you try to take a deep breath here, it initially feels like you're going to suffocate. But after one or two days you feel normal again."

Following the successful start to the season in Melbourne, where Sebastian finished the first free practice session in third place, the 19-year-old is hoping for the next good result for himself and the team. "Obviously," adds Sebastian, "we are hoping to repeat the good result from Australia."