Oliver WhiteOnce again we come to the eve of another race, and what with all the controversy surrounding the opening of the 2009 Formula One World Championship, it feels like mid-season already. Alas, it has only just begun, and continuing on from Australia, now is your chance to pick a winner from the Sepang grid. A couple of penalties have been applied and this means two very fast drivers will be out of position as the lights go out tomorrow. Can Sebastian Vettel and Rubens Barrichello comeback, or will it be a runaway victory for Button?
The Toyotas are looking menacing in second and third, and Rosberg will want to get a good result to capitalise on the early-season pace the FW31 promises. Looking at the car weights following qualifying, you’d have to say it is fairly even at the front, but Trulli is ever so slightly lighter and might be able to get the legs on Button into T1 and through the following sequence of corners.
Robert Kubica, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso could come into play later in the race as they appear to be heavier and will stretch out the first stint, almost certainly on the harder compound tyres. And as always, you cannot rule out the ruthless charges of Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa, who start well down the field in twelfth and sixteenth respectively. The rules of the vote are strict though, and only the top ten starters are included, so chose wisely.
Have your say, who’s your favourite to win the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix.
- The Malaysian Grid can be viewed here: Malaysia 2009: The Grid.
- The Malaysian Car Weights can be viewed here: Malaysia 2009: Post-Qualifying Car Weights.
It looks like being a much harder race for Jenson as the Toyota seems fairly nifty – of course he got a helping hand when Ferrari went a bit bonkers in qualifying!
Depending on weather and reliability, Jenson should still do it though, if not then my money’s on Trulli.
I was the one, at the time of writing, who voted for Glock. I usually side with the underdog, although in this case, Button is a safe bet, Trulli a fairly safe second.
But there’s something about Timo. He’s been reborn into Formula One, and I cannot shake my awesome qualifier, sleeper in the race mentality of Trulli. He makes a nice bottle of wine though. Not the best, but for the price, reasonable.
i’d say the toyotas, that is if they get past button in the first corner. if not, button will get away and repeat australia.
unless the rain comes in.. then id say a fight between button and a fast vettel, or even a surprise hamilton from far behind.
I think as someone said unless reliability or further rain becomes an issue the Jenson should win it.
We have had heavy rain already today at the circuit so it is a question of whether it will rain more than once today!
As a side bet I would say either of the Toyotas if Jenson has any problems.
Vettel is fast, if lighter on fuel, but 10 places is a lot to make up in the race. Having said that he was superb in the wet last year in Monza.
I joined you on that as well. Glock impressed me last season, and I think that given the likelihood of rain today that we will see some movement in the grid. Like Daniel has already mentioned, I think Vettel will play an important role in the race.
And if there is some rain, I wouldn’t put it past Lewis from making an appearance near the top. The fact that his car is slower wouldn’t have as much an impact then, and I do think he is a good enough driver to make it up the grid.
Greg
[…] at the prediction poll, most seem to be putting their eggs in the Jenson Button basket, and really, who wouldn’t? […]