Malaysian Grand Prix 2011, Sepang International Circuit - Race 2/19

Pirelli will be using a radial stripe to identify their tyre compound colours now for those that found it difficult.

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Personally I thought the difference was quite distinct, just the silver colour was a bit dull.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/90490
 
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Masterdog said:
Apparently Hamilton is worried about the tyres going off after just 5 laps.
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I would love it if tyre degradation was severe. I felt that in the last race, despite being promised major tyre performance drop-off, we basically got very little.

Most drivers had 2 or 3 pitstops, but as Perez showed, it was actually possible to do the whole race on 2 sets of tyres.

What I want to see is massive performance drop off, where a driver can actually take the gamble (and win), by making 3-5 pitstops. The lap times of those drivers who pit only once needs to be at least 2-4s/lap slower than those who have 3-5 pitstops.
 
Loving this from Mark Webber about the DRS here at Sepang.

Mark Webber said:
"If it doesn't work here I don't know where it will work. You have a slow corner to open the lap, a slow corner at the braking point, and Heathrow airport in between as well in terms of options, so it should work."
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Masterdog said:
Apparently Hamilton is worried about the tyres going off after just 5 laps. It'll be even more impressive if he does manage it this time.
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I hope not, I'd rather see flat out racing rather than all this 3 laps then back right off with tyre conservation. These cars are running so far away from the ultimate pace in race conditions it's a joke.

Give them unlimited Kers and a set fuel level for the car. Make them come up with something useful instead of blown floors and flexi wings.

Intentionally building tyres so cars run at a set pace rather than flat out is dull. It's not a marathon where you want to run 6 minute miles for 2 hours.
 
The drivers do have a choice, though.

They can either run flat out and make more pitstops.

OR

They can treat the race as a marathon and make 1 stop (as Perez did) and run slower, conserving tyres.

The problem right now though (using the Aussie GP as a yardstick) is that the tyre degradation is not severe enough, which means that for the most part, it makes no sense to make 3-5 pitstops...it is better to run slower, conserve tyres and make fewer pitstops. If the tyres can degrade faster, it will no longer be a straight forward choice of making 1-2 pitstops in a race: 3-5 pitstops will become an option.
 
Melbourne is easy on tyres.

Sepang, is not. Expect many pit stops, wet or dry.

Wish people would stop making season predictions after the first race. Tyres, DRS, Webber, Ferrari, Merc, Williams, Lotus and even HRT (2011 wing) should all improve this weekend.
 
Really looking forward to this one. Will be watching FP1 & 2 at work on saturday morning and then Quali straight after. Everyone is coming over for birthday party on Sunday so I may not actually get to see the race until Monday.

Hopefully it'll be a good one. Looking forward to: seeing if Webber is nearer Vettels pace, McLaren have refined that new exhaust or changed anything else (should have a CF diffuser now instead of titanium), whether Heidfeld is going to turn up and show us what the Renault can do, Massa probably spinning off or going off road fairly often.
 
I would be very surprised if Vettel is as far ahead of Webber as he was in the last GP. In fact, I'd be shocked.

I fully expect Ferrari to be "up there", probably as the 2nd best car on race day.

Where is Massa getting the "spinner" reputation from? He is a fairly decent No.2 driver. He isn't as bad as some people make out, even if Alonso is making him look bad right now.
 
I think later on that year (in Brazil, if memory serves me correct), he drove a stonking race, in changing (damp/wet) conditions, with no spins or mis-haps.

I agree that he may one have been a little dodgy in wet conditions, but later that year, he seemed to have learnt from his earlier mistakes. He's been solid ever since. Obviously he isn't of the same calibre (in the wet), as Button, Hamilton, etc, but he is decent No.2 driver.
 
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