Heidfeld not affraid of tropical heat at Malaysia

Nick Heidfeld travels to Malaysia brimming with confidence. After his outstanding second place at the curtain-raiser to the 2008 Formula One season, the Australian Grand Prix, the BMW Sauber F1 Team driver is looking forward to the first hot race of the year at the "Sepang International Circuit".

"For years now the Malaysian Grand Prix has been rather a special race for me", says Heidfeld. "Petronas, of course, was already a partner of Sauber when I was driving for them from 2001 to 2003, and we used to do promotional tours around the country. As a Formula One driver you usually don't get to see much beyond airports, hotels and race tracks, as there simply isn't the time to get to know a country and its people. But in Malaysia I've already managed to get around quite a bit, and I feel very much at home there."

The Malaysian Grand Prix is notorious for its tropical climate, which poses a challenge to drivers, teams and technicians every year. The extreme heat and high humidity make the second race of the year a severe test. No problem for Nick though, as shown by his result last year: "It always takes a while to get acclimatised to the combination of heat and high humidity, but that's never been a problem for me," says the 30-year-old. "The circuit is an attractive and challenging one. Last year I had a great race in Sepang and finished fourth. I managed to get past Felipe Massa and kept the Ferrari in check behind me."