Malaysian GP: Arrows preview

Although the Malaysian Grand Prix is hosting only it's fourth race, it has already made its mark on the Formula One calendar. The cosmopolitan metropolis of Kuala Lumpur, the country's capital, makes a lively and exciting venue for round two of the 2002 Formula One World Championship.

While the race team enjoy a short break, it was back to work at the factory for the technical team as they focus on preparations for the Malaysian race. Analysis of the enormous quantities of data fed back to the factory provides the team with valuable information to work with in order to minimise set-up work and maximise running time on the Sepang track. The OrangeArrows team hopes to put the unfortunate troubles in Australia firmly behind and is hoping for a much better weekend here.

The Sepang International Circuit, a state of the art, purpose-built track is a spectacular one. Its fast straights, combined with both tight and long stretching corners make it a challenging one for teams and drivers alike. Being one of the widest tracks on the calendar, it provides plenty of opportunities to overtake, making it a favourite among many of the drivers.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen had a good race at Sepang last year, finishing fourth and enjoys the track...
"I'm looking forward to Malaysia. Sepang is one of the most modern tracks in F1 and the people there are always very welcoming. The track has very quick corners, and is quite technically demanding, but has a relatively smooth surface so it is nice to drive. The very hot and humid weather can sometimes make it difficult in the race, but I am sure we will cope! Obviously after Melbourne, I'm really hoping for a better weekend here."

A rain-soaked circuit claimed Enrique Bernoldi from 11th position in 2001, but he likes the track and is keen to perform well...
"I like Sepang a lot. It has a good mixture of turns and the fast part in particular is very good. It is possible to overtake but it is important for us to qualify better than we did in Australia so we will be working very hard on that. Last year's race was very tough with the monsoon conditions so I'm hoping for good weather this time around."

Mike Coughlan, Technical Director, is keen to put the troubles of the first race behind and start afresh in Malaysia...
"The team is really looking forward to Malaysia - For us, it will be the start of the season because of the events in Australia which let us down. It's a track that should suit our car well and as the A23 cools very quickly, the heat shouldn't be an issue. We ran very well there last year, challenging for second and running in the top six for a good part of the race. Obviously we won't be hoping for the same monsoon conditions, but I think we can aim for a top ten position in qualifying and assuming all goes well, that should set us in good stead for the race."

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