Jaguar drivers prepare for Sepang

Only a day after finishing his first ever grand prix in Australia, Austrian youngster Christian Klien arrived in Malaysia to begin his preparations for one of the most gruelling races on the Formula One calendar.

Christian Klien.

Photo by Brousseau Photo.

Temperatures frequently in excess of 30 degrees Celsius and extremely high humidity levels mean that drivers can lose in excess of 1.5 litres of fluid. It's a test of physical endurance unparalleled on the F1 calendar requiring no small amount of endurance training.

"We will be concentrating on improving fitness as the Malaysian Grand Prix is raced under tougher conditions than most races," said Klien. "It's a real battle for drivers in this kind of heat and humidity."

Helping Christian and his team-mates Mark Webber and Bjorn Wirdheim to acclimatise to the conditions is dietician and fitness trainer Nick Harris.

"We will be rowing, kayaking, jogging and working on upper body fitness in the days leading up to the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend and hopefully I'll be well prepared for the test," added the Austrian.

After ten days of cycling, kayaking and hiking around Tasmania prior to the Australian Grand Prix, Mark Webber should find the physical side of things easier to cope with than many others. Widely acknowledged as one of the fittest drivers in Formula One, the Australian is just hoping that his Jaguar R5 can also handle the strain of 56 laps of the Sepang circuit.

"You always know there are new things around the corner for you," said Webber. "We'll probably find a couple more new things in Malaysia, I just hope it's not in the race."

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