Pirelli have highlighted the new track surface at Sepang International Circuit as the biggest unknown expected at the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend.
In his preview for Round 16 of the 2016 F1 world championship, Pirelli motorsport chief Paul Hembery, “The big unknown for this year is the track surface, which is completely new.”
The biggest changes have been made at the Turn 15 final corner hairpin, where the inside of the corner has been raised by a meter to modify the racing line and perhaps improve overtaking opportunities.
The lateral gradient is now -4% compared to +2% at the apex, which should also improve drainage at a corner where a pool of standing water would form when heavy rain fell in the past.
Turns 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12 and 13 have also had their gradients altered with organisers aiming to improve drainage and/or drivability of the corners.
The most significant of those changes are raising the inside of Turn 2, which previously featured a significant dip, to make the apex kerb more visible, and reprofiling the banking on the inside of the fast Turn 5 sweeper.
In August, track chief Razlan Razali said, “There will be some unknowns for the teams and drivers as we’ve changed the dynamics of the circuit a little bit at the various turns. It will be as if they’ve come to Sepang circuit for the first time.”
Meanwhile another unknown is the conditions that can be expected as the venue has previously hosted the grand prix earlier in the year, and was susceptible to Monsoon style rain showers.
Hembery explained, “In terms of extreme conditions that provide a real test for the tyres. Malaysia is right up there with anything else we see all year. That’s because of the extremely high temperatures as well as the high energy loading through the fast corners.”
“The weather can also change in an instant, turning the track into a monsoon. As a result of all that, Sepang tends to be quite a varied weekend where track evolution is hard to follow.”
“We’ve seen a high number of pit stops in the past and we would probably expect multiple stops from most drivers again this year: this of course opens up an even wider array of variables when it comes to potential race strategies, now that teams have three compounds to choose from,” concluded Hembery.
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
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