Sauber wants to continue its momentum in Malaysia

Kamui Kobayashi finished in 6th place at the Australian Grand Prix, proof of the competitiveness of the Sauber C31 according to him, and he sees no reason for things to be different in Malaysia: I think we have a good chance to score points (at Sepang) because our car showed a lot of potential in Melbourne, and the characteristics of the circuit should suit us.

His teammate, Sergio Pérez, hopes that the Swiss team will be just as competitive, but what he primarily wishes for is a trouble-free weekend, unlike Melbourne: In Melbourne, we didn’t really have an easy weekend due to a gearbox problem during qualifying, but nevertheless we proved that the C31 is a fast car and that we can be competitive. So I hope that in Malaysia we can have a more consistent weekend regarding weather conditions and reliability, as there is still a lot to learn from the car.

Kobayashi knows the Sepang circuit well, and it’s a track that has been quite successful for him in the past: «I have good memories of Malaysia. Last year, I finished 7th; two years ago, I managed to qualify for Q3 for the first time, and I also won there in GP2. So it’s really a good place for me.»

In Sepang, the two Sauber drivers expect a more challenging race to manage, particularly due to weather conditions, even though this doesn’t overly concern Kamui Kobayashi: “It will be the first time we race with really high ambient temperatures, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”

«The Sepang circuit is a beautiful circuit. It is one of the most physically demanding circuits of the season. The heat is tough for the drivers and also for tire degradation. It’s not an easy circuit to race on, and it is quite technical. I particularly like the first section of the lap with long corners and heavy braking, » added Sergio Perez.

As Giampaolo Dall’Ara – the head of track engineers – shares, the drivers will not be the only ones to suffer from the heat, the cars will too: «Regarding the cooling of the engine and gearbox, you run with the maximum configuration in Sepang.»

With the high temperatures and its layout, the Sepang circuit puts a strain on the tires, but Pirelli has anticipated this by bringing the hardest tires in their range: The Sepang circuit is a technical, modern, and very wide track, allowing for multiple trajectories. Regarding the settings, it is important to consider that it is a demanding track for the tires. The asphalt is rather hard, and there are high cornering speeds and direction changes that put the tires to work. However, Pirelli has brought the Hard and Medium tires for this race.

On the single-seater side, as Giampaolo Dall’Ara explains, there will be almost no evolution on the C31 because the Malaysian Grand Prix takes place just one week after Australia: « The car’s configuration will be almost the same as in Melbourne. There’s only a one-week gap anyway, and the downforce level doesn’t differ too much from Melbourne. Drag is mainly important in the first sector, and to some extent, also in the third. Traction is also important but a bit less crucial than on a street circuit like in Australia. Stability under braking can affect lap time, so we’ll need to keep an eye on it. »

Even though the Malaysian Grand Prix is not an easy race to negotiate – due to weather conditions and the track in particular, the Sauber team nevertheless looks forward to this event with anticipation.