The Malaysian Grand Prix - did you know? 20 Mar 2013
The humid conditions commonly found in Malaysia can contribute to drivers sweating-off upwards of three kilograms of body weight during a race. But that’s not the only noteworthy fact about the country’s Grand Prix…
• The 2013 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix marks the 15th time that Malaysia has hosted a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, all of them at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur. The first Malaysian Grand Prix was held in 1999.
• The most successful constructor in Malaysian Grand Prix history is Ferrari with six wins and six further podiums.
• Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso are the most successful drivers in Malaysian Grand Prix history - each has three wins, one second place and one third.
• Fernando Alonso has led 937 kilometres in the 11 Malaysian Grands Prix he’s competed in. That’s the equivalent of leading more than three races from start to finish.
• Michael Schumacher holds the record for most Malaysian Grand Prix pole positions - he has five of them. Six of the current grid have taken pole in Malaysia before - Alonso, Felipe Massa, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.
• The Malaysian Grand Prix has played host to a remarkable number of firsts:
- Kimi Raikkonen scored his first F1 victory here in 2003.
- Fernando Alonso took his first F1 pole position and his first F1 podium in Malaysia in 2003. At 21-years-old he was the youngest driver to achieve these feats, until Sebastian Vettel eclipsed both records at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix.
- Jenson Button achieved his first podium finish in Sepang in 2004.
- Mark Webber qualified on the front row for the first time in 2004, Nico Rosberg did the same in 2010.
- Lewis Hamilton, Nick Heidfeld and Jenson Button all achieved their first fastest laps in Malaysia (in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively).
- Last year, Sergio Perez scored his first Formula One podium by finishing second.
• There have been several important milestones reached by constructors in Malaysia too - Ferrari scored their 125th Formula One win with Eddie Irvine in 1999 and their 150th pole position with Michael Schumacher in 2002. Mika Hakkinen took McLaren’s 100th fastest lap in Sepang in 2000.
• By finishing third at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix, Nick Heidfeld claimed a rather unusual record - the most podium finishes without a race win (12).
• Brazilian racer Rubens Barrichello led at least one lap in five Malaysian Grands Prix, but never won the event.
• The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix was declared after 31 laps because of torrential rain. It was only the fifth race in Formula One history to be abandoned before 75 percent of the race distance had been completed and, as a consequence, only the fifth time that half points had been awarded.
• Only one man in Malaysian Grand Prix history has won the race and set fastest lap in the same year - Jenson Button for Brawn in 2009.
• Alex Yoong is the only Malaysian driver to start his home Grand Prix (in 2002). His countryman Fairuz Fauzy ran in practice with Lotus Racing in 2010.
• The 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix saw the last Formula One win by an Italian driver - Giancarlo Fisichella.
• Germany has had the most success in Malaysian Grand Prix history - drivers from the country have scored six wins (three for Michael Schumacher, one for Ralf Schumacher and two for Sebastian Vettel).
• The Sepang circuit is one of six tracks where both Michael Schumacher and his brother Ralf have won a Grand Prix. The others are Imola (San Marino), Hockenheim (Germany), Nurburgring (Europe), Magny-Cours (France) and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Canada). They remain the only siblings to have both won a Formula One Grand Prix.
• The Malaysian Grand Prix has been won from pole position on seven of the 14 times it has been held. The lowest grid position a race winner has ever started from in Malaysia is ninth for Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in 2012.
• Fernando Alonso will take part in his 200th Grand Prix weekend in Malaysia. However, two non-starts (in Belgium 2001 and USA 2005) mean that it will be his 198th race start.
• Kimi Raikkonen’s win in Australia meant that the Finn has now scored points in 18 consecutive races. Can he keep the streak going in Malaysia?
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