Formula 1
Malaysian GP Friday Notes
Weather: Morning rain giving way to hot and humid conditions. (Ambient temperature 28 deg C, track temperature 30 deg C, humidity 80 Rubens Barrichello finished seventh in today's Free Practice for Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix. Johnny Herbert ...
Edited: Apr 15, 2002, 11:45 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Weather: Morning rain giving way to hot and humid conditions. (Ambient temperature 28 deg C, track temperature 30 deg C, humidity 80
Rubens Barrichello finished seventh in today's Free Practice for Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix. Johnny Herbert was 10th fastest.
RUBENS BARRICHELLO Car No.16 (SF3-04) Time: 1:43.042 Position: seventh 40 laps
Are you pleased with your day's work?
'I'm pleased with the way it went today considering we were all starting from scratch. We have a solid base from which to choose a direction for qualifying. We have a little more tinkering to do on set-up tomorrow to be in good shape for qualifying. Having experienced the circuit now, it's clear that tyre choice will be important for race strategy.'
How are you coping with the weather conditions?
'It's very hot when you come back to the garage. Being a Brazilian I should be used to it but it's a combination of the heat and humidity. Johnny says he has never seen my face so red, but he should look in the mirror.'
JOHNNY HERBERT Car No.17 (SF3-05) Time: 1:43.349 Position: tenth 37 laps
What are your first impressions of the circuit?
'I like it. It's challenging, fast in places with a good mix of turns. Perhaps turn two is a bit slow but otherwise it's very demanding - just how we like it. It feels grippy in most places and there will be chances for overtaking.'
What was the focus of your efforts today?
'We made a number of set-up changes and improved the car as the day went on. Coming here cold, as it were, we spent a lot of time learning the circuit characteristics to get a clearer idea of downforce and general set-up requirements.'
PAUL STEWART, Stewart-Ford Chief Operating Officer
'A pretty uneventful day without any dramas. We made good preparation in terms of deciding on the optimum set-up for the circuit. This brand new circuit has met with approval from both drivers. The track surface is very good and the course designer and builders should be congratulated on a job well done.'
TYRONE JOHNSON, Technical Manager Ford Racing Research and Vehicle Technology
'The work we did at last week's Barcelona test combined with the better and more consistent driveability of the Series 3 engine have proved beneficial at this unknown Sepang circuit - helping both drivers to concentrate on setting up the cars and getting to know this new circuit. We will be using Series 3 engines both in qualifying and for the race.'
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article This Week in Ford Racing, April 13, 1999
Next article San Marino GP Bridgestone Preview
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Rubens Barrichello
Which modern Formula 1 driver raced for the most teams?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Which modern Formula 1 driver raced for the most teams?
How ex-F1 racer Rubens Barrichello is still winning races at 52
Formula 1
Formula 1
Emilia Romagna GP
How ex-F1 racer Rubens Barrichello is still winning races at 52
Why illustrious racing dads aren't always an advantage for F1 hopefuls
FIA F3
FIA F3
Why illustrious racing dads aren't always an advantage for F1 hopefuls
Latest news
M-Sport’s 2027 WRC Fiesta Kit car breaks cover
WRC
WRC WRC 28 min
M-Sport’s 2027 WRC Fiesta Kit car breaks cover
‘I’m sideways all the time’ – How Alpine’s feral F1 car plagued Pierre Gasly in Singapore
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
1 h
‘I’m sideways all the time’ – How Alpine’s feral F1 car plagued Pierre Gasly in Singapore
Pedro Acosta proposes new idea for monitoring tyre pressure in MotoGP
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP 2 h
Pedro Acosta proposes new idea for monitoring tyre pressure in MotoGP
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe