10 things to look out for at the 2015 Malaysia Grand Prix

Mercedes will try to repeat what they did last yearFormula 1 is heading to Sepang, Kuala Lumpur for this weekend’s 2015 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix. This will be the second race of the new season. And, after getting a taste of the pecking order at Australia, all teams, will try hard to do better than what they achieved last time around.However, if you are Mercedes, maintaining status quo will be your main aim. So, in order to understand the Malaysian race better, we have made a list of 10 things, which you should look-out for during the weekend.

#1 Nico Rosbergs Response to Hamilton

For Rosberg, the start of 2015 is reminiscent of what he faced for most of last year. The German is once again behind the shadows of Lewis Hamilton, and Rosberg’s second place at Albert Park brought him no solace over this.

It will be very interesting to see the demeanor of Rosberg, and also what his plan is to get one up over the World Champion. Because, he just cannot afford to let the Brit slip away this quickly in the championship table. But, Hamilton this year looks even more determined to dominate the championship. And, with a contract renewal on cards, do not be surprised if Hamilton turns this into a comfortable Mercedes snore fest again.

#2 The Rookie Championship

Felipe Nasr leading rookie of the year table

Felipe Nasr is currently winning this race after a great weekend in Australia, but both Carlos Sainz Jr. and Max Verstappen also did a decent job at the round one. The Toro Rosso did look a bit inferior in race trim, but in qualifying they did sit comfortable in the hands of Sainz Jr. Hence, a race of the rookies will surely intrigue us again. Besides, we can even add young, a year old in F1, Marcus Ericsson to this list, to make the whole rookie cup a bit more interesting.

#3 Raikkonen vs Vettel

Raikkonen cannot afford to smile about the new intra-team rivalry

The pressure is on Raikkonen again, even though his car, or his rear left wheel to be exact, failed him at Australia. But, the 2007 World Champion was not destined to challenge teammate Sebastian Vettel for the podium. Though, a truck load of that can be blamed on the strategy which Ferrari had put him on a fortnight ago.

Now that the Scuderia have a half decent car, Raikkonen has to up his game. So, for this weekend, as like every other race, the spotlight will be once again on the Ice Man. And, beating the German in qualifying will be pivotal for Raikkonen, as he needs to stamp his authority over the new boy at Ferrari. That’s because; another year of teammate dominance will not be excusable for the Finn.

#4 The Red Bull Team

The troubles at Red Bull are not likely to disappear that quickly, and on top of that, Daniil Kvyat’s failed car before the race start at Australia might not have gone down well with the hierarchy at Red Bull. The team has already given an intimidating remark regarding their future in F1, however they have to compete this year at least, and they have to bring in their A—Game to Malaysia.

With tension boiling between Power Unit providers Renault and the team, it will be interesting to see the Limping Bull’s attitude over the weekend. Another factor, which Red Bull will be bugged and annoyed about is that the whole pack is breathing right down their neck right now. And, sadly for them, Williams and Ferrari have surged ahead of them over the winter comfortably.

#5 Can Marussia-Manor get ready?

Manor Marussia: Racing against time but for survival

After failing to feature in Australia, Marussia-Manor will be all ready to finally get going after overcoming so many hurdles during the winter. And, the team is very confident that they will race in Malaysia.

If Marussia succeed, Spaniard Roberto Merhi will finally make his Grand Prix debut this weekend at Sepang (if there isn’t any change in the lineup). But, the Marussia’s real race will be to get the car up and running, and be nonchalant about pace at the moment. Marussia will be aware of the 107 % rule and would like to stay inside that during qualifying. However, if they feel lucky, and get everything right, McLaren is just up the road to catch.

#6 Reliability of the whole Grid

Hopefully all the cars will see the flag at Sepang

Two did not get ready in time (the Marussia of Will Stevens and Merhi) and two did not make it to the starting grid (Kevin Magnussen and Kvyat). Whilst, one unfortunately got injured after qualifying (Valtteri Bottas) and four retired, during the race. This meant, only 11 cars saw the chequered flag at Albert Park.

Reliability was always going to be a concern; however after one year of V6 Turbo running, a race of attrition was not expected. But, Malaysia will provide an even strenuous job for all, because of the hot and humid conditions of the region. Also, because of the weather, the race will be an extremity test for all the drivers, especially the rookies, in terms of body fitness.

So, it will be fascinating to see all the machines and humans being tested to the limit.

#7 The comeback of Alonso and Bottas

Alonso will finally make his official McLaren comeback this weekend

Fernando Alonso’s comeback this weekend will be a huge boost for the beleaguered McLaren-Honda team. The squad will welcome back Alonso, who was recovering from a crash during pre-season testing, with open arms.

And, the team will once again try and rectify the issues with the Power Units. The Spaniard seems confident that he’ll clear all the FIA medical tests, and the team is also looks assured in that regard.

Whilst, Bottas, after missing the actual race a fortnight ago, will also face some medical tests before he is allowed to make a comeback to the Williams seat. But, it is just a formality.

#8 How many cars can the Mercedes lap?

Lapping the field is the only challenge for Mercedes

Well, lapping the whole field might be difficult, as a lap of Sepang, Malaysia is quite long, but thats the only challenge Mercedes will have this weekend. In Australia, the Silver Arrows lapped more than half the field up to the 6th place man Daniel Ricciardo, and where close to galloping 5th place Nasr when the flag fell.

However, that was when Hamilton was literally cursing to the finish line. So, if fight the between Hamilton and Rosberg intensifies, you might see them lapping up a few more at Kuala Lumpur.

#9 The mid-field battle and Force India

Force India will once again look for a good weekend outing

As ever, all of Indiashope will be on Force India. And, last time around, the team did an excellent job by getting both cars in the points, after a very difficult winter testing.

However, Force India, along with Lotus, Sauber and Toro Rosso, will all look to win the best of rest crown, which up for grabs. Sauber do look the favourite, but do not count Lotus out, as their car and engine package has shown promise. Also, all four teams will hope that they edge closer to Red Bull, as the Austrian team is busy fighting internal battles at the moment.

#10 Who will be the podium presenter this time?

Will Bernie find another Arnie for Malaysia?

Some were indicating that the best highlight of the season opening Australian Grand Prix was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s podium interview with the top 3 finishers. However, optimistically, some F1 fans only believed that it was just the icing on the top. So, it will be interesting to see which celebrity Bernie Ecclestone can find this weekend to conduct the podium “charades”.

A chance for a big name is bleak, as round two never attracts the same glamour as the season opener. However, this might be a blessing in disguise for the die-hard F1 fans. As, they always prefer the likes of Martin Brundle, David Coulthard, or a legend of the sport, to have a chat with the victorious drivers afterwards.

Edited by Staff Editor