Formula 1 2007 Preview: The Malaysian Grand Prix

After a wait of three long weeks, the Formula 1 race weekend is finally here for the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix. Nothing of much interest has happened during these three weeks.

After his victory in the Australian Grand Prix three weeks ago, Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari seem to be in a fix. The problem is with water leakage in the engine of Kimi's car. The snag developed during the last stages of Australian Grand Prix when Kimi was asked to slow down to save the engine. Since each engine has to last two race weekends, Ferrari engineers are not allowed to open the engine and decide whether the problem is really serious or not. Therefore they are not able to take a call whether to compete in the Malaysian Grand Prix with the existing engine or to change it, hence getting a 10 grid position penalty.

The Formula 1 bandwagon arrived in Malaysia last week, when all the teams (except Spyker) had a three day testing session, which extended by 1 day due to rains. The testing showed a mix result with different drivers topping the charts. Which makes it more hard to predict what sort of car deployment we would get to see in Malaysia. Though three weeks is a very right window to bring in any major changes in the cars.

The Malaysian Grand Prix is all set for being the first wet Grand Prix of the season with showers being predicted for the weekend, therefore making the GP more interesting. Just a note, during one of the practice sessions when it was raining, Lewis Hamilton topped the chart. Is it any indication of the race weekend? We'll come to know pretty soon.

And if you thought that a gap of three weeks was just too much to handle, then be prepared for the four weeks gap between Bahrain GP & Spanish GP. I so much miss having races every fortnight.

So, what's the prediction going to be for the Malaysian Grand Prix?

For qualifiers, Felipe Massa takes pole position with Kimi following on second spot and Alonso in third. I also think that Ferrari will change the engine of Kimi's car, therefor he'll be starting from 12th position on the grid, after the 10 grid place penalty.

For the race winner, I'll put my money on Felipe Massa taking the chequered flag.

Enjoy the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix.