Thanks to a partnership between the Brawn GP team and Sony Pictures Releasing International, Hollywood’s most famous robot, the Terminator, will make an appearance at the 2009 Spanish Grand Prix to celebrate the release of the forthcoming blockbuster Terminator Salvation.

Directed by McG (Charlie’s Angels) and starring Christian Bale, Sam Worthington and Bryce Dallas Howard, the much-anticipated movie will be released in the UK on 3 June. Christian Bale portrays John Connor, leader of the human resistance against Skynet, in a post-apocalyptic landscape where an army of Terminators roams the earth looking for human survivors to kill or collect.

To celebrate the release of Terminator Salvation, the Brawn-Mercedes cars of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will carry the famous Terminator red eyes and imagery around the track during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

Brawn GP’s official new website launched

Brawn GP is pleased to announce a new look team website at www.brawngp.com

Designed to reflect the values and spirit of the British based team, the new look website is ambitious and fresh whilst being smart and simple to use. The website will provide fans of the team with updates from the track, alongside exclusive content such as driver diaries and interviews from Brawn GP team members at the track and in Brackley.

Fans can also leave their messages of support, thoughts and suggestions on the Fan Wall section of the website and interact with the team on our social networking pages such as Facebook and Twitter to discuss our latest news.

The Brawn GP Merchandise Store is also available and will allow you to order from the Henri Lloyd interim collection whilst we develop the full range ready for the British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone in June.

Brawn GP starts European challenge in Spain

After four flyaway races in quick succession saw Jenson Button and the team achieve three race victories and the lead in the Constructors‘ Championship, the team begins its European challenge at the Circuit de Catalunya this weekend.

After such a fairytale start to the season, everyone at Brawn GP is looking forward to continuing the challenge in Europe. I know the track inside out and it feels very familiar to be heading back there for the start of the European season this weekend" says Jenson Button.

His team-mate Rubens Barrichello agrees, adding that The Circuit de Catalunya feels like a home circuit for the drivers with so much of our pre-season testing taking place here over the winter", whilst Team Principal Ross Brawn is confident that the Brackley factory worked hard enough to maintain the performance levels of the BGP 001 car. We look forward to seeing the results of our development work on track in Barcelona this weekend."

Visit the Brawn GP Team website

Bridgestone’s soft tyre proved to be the fastest rubber on track at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona for the first day of the Spanish Grand Prix. In warm and sunny conditions, Nico Rosberg’s AT&T Williams set the fastest lap time in the afternoon practice session, a 1min 21.588secs. Track conditions improved throughout the day and 38 degrees Celsius was the hottest track temperature recorded. Brawn GP driver Jenson Button was the fastest driver in the morning session, using the soft compound to set a time of 1min 21.799secs. This was the first time that the current hard compound has been used in Barcelona, although this compound was previously used at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development What was significant about today’s running? “Today we saw the track improve a lot during the course of the day as the surface improved with rubber put down. In the morning it was interesting as Jenson Button set the fastest time using the soft compound, but Jarno Trulli was second fastest using the hard compound. The soft compound was on average 0.6 seconds faster than the hard here.”   How do you expect this allocation to work over the weekend? “After one day’s running here we predict that the soft tyre could be the preferred tyre for qualifying as well as the race. Both tyres have performed well today. This is a different hard compound from the one we tested here in the pre-season, but teams have quickly learnt its characteristics. The hard tyre does take longer to warm-up than the soft, and its best lap time is slower. Some teams found the hard compound we used in the winter tests here difficult to warm up, however everyone was able to get reasonable grip today which means our compound changes have worked. The soft compound has not shown any particular issues with degradation so we would expect that to be the preferred tyre for the race.”

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

Bridgestone opens the start to nine Formula One races in Europe with the hard and soft tyres at the Spanish Grand Prix, the Gran Premio de Espana Telefonica, at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, on May 8-10. The Spanish Grand Prix is the fifth round of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship and it takes place at a circuit that teams know very well because of the use of Barcelona as a test venue. The 4.66 km track layout features one long straight and a variety of different corners making set-up a compromise. The track is quite a harsh one for tyres which means the hard and soft compound allocation is used. Of particular note, the left front tyre is put under significant stress over a course of a lap. As with any circuit, the compromise between finding low drag for the straights and sufficient downforce for the corners is a challenge. Barcelona’s numerous bends make for a greater focus on the corners and the high speeds attained here make for significant energy forces on the tyres. Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, said: What are the challenges of Barcelona? “Barcelona has a track surface that is the middle range in terms of abrasion and roughness but durability and driver requirements mean our harder allocation combination is used. The front left tyre has a lot of work to do at this circuit and equally, teams and drivers will have a big challenge trying to gain an advantage here as they know this track so well.” Many teams have tested their latest cars here in the pre-season, will this make a difference? “Of course, the experience of the teams at this track with their current cars will assist them with set-up. However, the ambient and track temperatures are likely to be warmer than testing so this will have an affect. Generally, we see quite close lap times here and close races too. The circuit layout is well balanced so it is a good indicator of overall car balance. A car that performs in Barcelona has the potential to perform well at many places.”

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

Scuderia Ferrari team principal, Stefano Domenicali believes that the Ferrari family spirit will be the key to any success on the track in 2009.

In a recent in-depth interview with shell.com/ferrari, Stefano Domenicali, said: “I’m really proud of being with such a group of people that are working together with me because at the end of the day this is the key of success for a team.” The Scuderia Ferrari principal continued, “Ferrari has always considered team spirit and people in the team the centre of its main activity, and I’m really proud of that.”

Stefano Domenicali also talked about the strengths of their current driver pairing of Brazilian Felipe Massa and the Finnish Iceman, Kimi Räikkönen. He explained: “Felipe [Massa] and Kimi [Räikkönen] are a couple of drivers that are very strong and very motivated. They are different personalities but they integrate themselves in a perfect way with a perfect experience that will work, so for sure Ferrari is extremely happy about their drivers.”

Domenicali talked about how the family spirit between Ferrari and its technical partner, Shell, will be critical to the continued success of the team, both on and off the track. Domenicali said: “We have great technical input [from Shell] on the lubricants and the fuel – part of a crucial element that has always been very important to Ferrari.”

As the most extreme test-bed for technical innovation, Formula One promotes the transfer of information and learnings to road cars and the development of products for road customers. He continued, “I think that with Shell we are able to integrate not only [the] Formula One department together with the road car side but Shell is giving its input on both sides of the field – The transfer of the technical inputs from Formula One to the road car side with Shell is essential for us.”

Shell Motorsport

Brawn GP driver Jenson Button used a super soft – super soft – medium tyre strategy to win a thrilling Bahrain Grand Prix in searing hot conditions at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Button finished 7.1 seconds ahead of Sebastian Vettel, who used the same strategy in his Red Bull. Pole-sitter Jarno Trulli used a super soft – medium – super soft strategy in his Panasonic Toyota Racing car to finish second. Bridgestone’s super soft tyre worked particularly well here, even with a track temperature of over 50 degrees Celsius, delivering good grip and consistency.
Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
How was the race from Bridgestone’s perspective?
“Today was a very exciting race, particularly from a tyre perspective. We saw a good range of strategies, and when to use the medium compound was a difficult decision for teams, as it delivered a consistently slower lap time than the super soft. The super soft performed well and heat degradation was not a big problem even in the extreme heat of Bahrain. There was some very good tyre management from drivers and also some strong running from competitors on the medium tyre too. I think today has shown just how exciting racing can be with two Bridgestone tyres with different characteristics with our 2009 allocations.”

As the second dry race of 2009, does this help with the understanding of the 2009 tyres?
“We have accumulated a lot of good data from the first four race weekends and this has been very useful. The other fully dry race in Australia was unusual as the track surface did not evolve in the same way as we had seen in previous seasons, so the tyre performance did not improve as we predicted there. Here in Bahrain was interesting because of the extreme heat, but our tyres performed well, and continued to give competitors a challenge for how best to use them during the course of the race.”
Stats of the Day

Bridgestone Potenza Driver Tyre Strategies
Rd.4 – Bahrain Grand Prix
In 2009, the tyre regulations stipulate that the two dry tyre specifications must be visibly
distinguishable from each other. At the Bahrain Grand Prix, the super soft compound
Bridgestone Potenza tyres were marked with green bands on the sidewalls. The wet weather tyre was also marked with a green line in a groove.

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

Bridgestone’s super soft tyre allowed Panasonic Toyota Racing driver Jarno Trulli to qualify on pole and head up the first ever all-Toyota front row for tomorrow’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
Trulli set a time of 1min 33.431secs, almost three tenths ahead of team-mate Timo Glock. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) went third fastest. Track conditions were improved from Friday, with more rubber laid and the temperatures were even hotter. Glock used the super soft tyre to go fastest in the morning practice session with a time of 1min 32.605secs.
Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today was very good for Toyota as both of their cars qualified on the front row, so congratulations to them and Jarno Trulli for his fourth pole position. We saw further progress from Friday’s running with the circuit grip level improved, particularly in the practice session, due to the track being cleared of sand, and more rubber being laid. Qualifying was very exciting through every session, with even the faster cars using the super soft tyre to get through the first qualifying session.”

How are the two compounds working here in Bahrain?
“We are seeing an interesting weekend in terms of tyre performance. The super soft tyre has worked very well so far this weekend. It delivers a good fast lap time on average 0.7 seconds faster than the medium tyre. In terms of degradation the super soft presents an interesting challenge. Some teams can use the super soft for a long stint, however some teams will have to work hard to maintain the super soft from degradation. This means that usage of the super soft tyre will be the key point to the race. The medium tyre takes longer to warm up than the super soft, even in these hot conditions. In the race medium tyre will be very durable, however with a slower ultimate lap time than the super soft.”
Stats of the Day

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

Bridgestone’s super soft tyre proved to be the fastest rubber on track in Sakhir for the first day of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Nico Rosberg’s AT&T Williams set the day’s fastest lap time in the afternoon practice session held in hot and sunny weather conditions. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton used the medium compound to go fastest in the similar conditions of the morning session.
The 5.41 km Bahrain International Circuit was quite slippery for the first session of the weekend due to sand on the track, as was expected due to the circuit’s desert-based location. Today was the first time that a Bridgestone’s super soft compound tyre has been used at a grand prix meeting in Bahrain, although three teams have tested with this tyre here in the pre-season testing.
Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development What was significant about today’s running?
“Today we saw very close lap times in the afternoon, with the top thirteen cars separated by a second. The track was very sandy at first this morning and this limits the amount of grip from the circuit. The hot conditions meant the air was not as dense as in pre-season testing here so there was less downforce from the cars. Because of these factors we did see drivers struggle with braking and there were many flat spots on the tyres. However, once the track improved we saw some good evaluation work from the teams and very close lap times set. Both tyres appear to work well and we expect the track to improve further tomorrow.”

How do you expect this allocation to work here over the weekend?
“We have good data from our time here in the pre-season testing. We expect that the super soft tyre will be more durable than we have seen previously, whilst providing good lap times too. The medium tyre will take longer to provide its best lap time, but will be very durable. Today the super soft tyre gave its best lap time from its first flying lap and the medium tyre gave its best from its third or fourth flying lap. I think there will be many strategy options for this weekend’s race.”

Stats of the Day

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

Bridgestone’s wet tyres were the tyre of choice in trying conditions for the Chinese Grand Prix held at the Shanghai International Circuit where Sebastian Vettel took Red Bull Racing’s first and his second Formula One victory.
Vettel crossed the line 10.9 secs ahead of team-mate Mark Webber, who scored his best finish with second, meaning two Renault-powered cars on the podium. Drivers’ championship leader Jenson Button (Brawn GP) finished third. All drivers started behind the safety car and therefore on the wet tyres – as stipulated by the regulations – and persistent rain meant that almost all competitors stayed on wet tyres for the duration of the race.
Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
How was the race from Bridgestone’s perspective?
“Once more in 2009 we have seen an exciting race. Congratulations to Red Bull Racing for their first race win and Sebastian Vettel for his second win. I think our tyre allocation was interesting for this weekend and qualifying was exciting, whilst the race was another demonstration of our wet tyres working well in the correct conditions. Interestingly of the front-runners, we saw Rubens Barrichello opt to stay on his existing wet tyres in his final pit stop, rather than change to new ones. Also, we saw Nico Rosberg use the intermediate, but the track surface was never quite dry enough for these tyres.”

Another race where the wet tyres have been used, are you happy with their performance?
“The wet tyres have worked well here. Obviously, the 2009 specification cars have less downforce than before. In the dry, there is more mechanical grip to compensate for the lack of aerodynamic grip, whereas in the wet there is not that compensation. Despite this, our wet tyres worked very well in very difficult conditions. Of course, some parts of the track had very deep puddles, and we saw drivers struggle with aquaplaning, but overall we can be satisfied. Today I think we watched many demonstrations of excellent driving throughout the field.”
Stats of the Day

Bridgestone Potenza Driver Tyre Strategies
Rd.3 – China Grand Prix
In 2009, the tyre regulations stipulate that the two dry tyre specifications must be visibly distinguishable from each other. At the China Grand Prix, the super soft compound Bridgestone Potenza tyres were marked with green bands on the sidewalls. The wet weather tyre was also marked with a green line in a groove.

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

Bridgestone’s super soft tyre allowed driver Sebastian Vettel to set his second pole position, and Red Bull Racing’s first ever, with a lap of 1min 36.184secs at Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix. Vettel took pole by just under two tenths from ING Renault’s Fernando Alonso with Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing) in third, meaning the top three fastest cars were all Renault powered. Track conditions were improved from Friday, with more rubber down. AT&T Williams driver Nico Rosberg used the super soft tyre to go fastest in the morning practice session with a time of 1min 36.133secs.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development What was significant about today’s running? “Today was very significant for Red Bull Racing scoring their first pole position so congratulations to them and Sebastian Vettel. Today we have seen that both tyres give good performance here in Shanghai. The difference in best lap time between the two tyres is not so big, at around 0.5 seconds. The super soft gives its best lap time on the first or second flying lap, whereas the medium takes longer to get into the best temperature operating range and delivers its best lap on its third or fourth flying lap. We are still seeing graining on the super soft tyre, however this is not matched by the same amount of tyre degradation that we saw in Australia so there should be more strategy options for tomorrow’s race.

” The weather has been quite variable in China, how could this affect the race? “Of course, this race is taking place at a different time of year from last season so we expected the weather to be different. It is also the first race of the season at the Shanghai International Circuit, so the track conditions are changed from those we saw last year too. Since we have been here the weather has been both quite cool and also quite warm, so it will be interesting to see what happens on Sunday. If it is cooler, the quicker warm-up of the super soft tyre should be useful, however if it is very cool we could see more graining. If it is hotter then the medium tyre will warm-up quicker. Of course, we have seen rain at Shanghai in the past, and we all know that makes for very interesting racing. Tomorrow we will keenly watch both strategy and the skies.”

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

Bridgestone’s super soft tyre proved to be the fastest rubber on track at Shanghai for the first day of the Chinese Grand Prix. Jenson Button’s Brawn set the day’s fastest lap time in the afternoon practice session held in sunny weather conditions. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton used the hard compound to go fastest in the morning session. The 5.45 km Shanghai circuit provided a challenge for competitors still mastering the 2009 specification cars and Bridgestone’s latest slick tyres and new tyre allocations. Today was the first time that Bridgestone’s super soft compound tyre has been used at Shanghai. The track surface delivered a lot less grip than seen in 2008’s Friday practice session when there was already Bridgestone race rubber laid on the track as a GP2 Asia Series test took place in the week prior to the Grand Prix.   Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development What was significant about today’s running? “Today the circuit surface delivered very little grip initially in the first practice, but this improved and the track was better in the afternoon. As we would expect on a Friday, we saw graining, but the amount of graining varied across the teams. Of particular note, the tyre appearance of the Brawn and Toyota cars was very beautiful and even, meaning they appear to be using their tyres well, but some other teams are still finding the best set-ups. In the second session we saw both tyres used and the performance of the super soft in terms of degradation was not as bad as in Australia.”   Is the Super Soft tyre correct for Shanghai and how are the tyre allocations decided for races? “We decide the allocations for the races based on many factors including past experience, test information and feedback from the teams. All teams have a dedicated Bridgestone engineer who works with the drivers and team engineers so we have constant information regarding any tyre issues. The teams are made aware of our allocations for races many weeks in advance, so there is plenty of time for feedback. For 2009 we are making a bigger difference between the two compounds and this is in response to requests for this from the FIA and the teams. This gives more of a challenge for the races, and of course any change brings many opinions. Here we have the medium tyre, which should be a strong race tyre, and the super soft, which will require good tyre management in terms of car set-up and driving style. Of course, we saw different approaches to using the super soft tyre in Australia, with some approaches working much better than others, so it will be interesting to see competitors rise to the challenge here in Shanghai.”

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

The highly technical and challenging Shanghai International Circuit hosts the third round of the FIA Formula One World Championship where Bridgestone tyres will once more be seen in action after just a week’s break from the last race. Changes to the calendar mean that the Sinopec Chinese Grand Prix takes place just six months after the last event here. That race was won by Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton using a hard-hard-medium tyre strategy. This season the move to slick tyres means new tyre allocations for races, so China will see the medium and super soft tyres allocated – the same tyres as used in the Australian Grand Prix – giving the teams and drivers a tough challenge for tyre management. Shanghai has two long straights and sixteen corners of varying types over its 5.45 km. Heavy braking, extreme lateral loads and high demands on traction are just some of the factors that Bridgestone’s medium and super soft compound Potenza tyres will encounter. Turns 2 and 7 are likely to induce tyre graining, whilst the high lateral G-force generated through the sequence of turns 7-8 will place strong demands on the tyres’ construction and heat durability.  A two stop pit strategy has been the favoured option in the past, as running with a heavy car as required for a one-stop strategy is likely to be very detrimental to lap times and cause heavier wear to the tyres. There is an element of gradient changes over the course of a lap as well as an element of banking in turn 13.   Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development, said: What are the challenges of Shanghai? “Shanghai International Circuit is severe on tyres. There are very high lateral forces and we expect to see graining on the front left tyres, especially caused by the increasing radius turn two and the banked turn thirteen. We could also see graining on the rear tyres here too. The circuit layout means that a medium downforce set-up will be used, as there are two long straights, but a large percentage of the track is also very twisty and technical. For the teams and drivers, finding the correct set-up to make the best use of their tyres will be a big challenge.” We will see the super soft compound in use again, how difficult will tyre management be? “In Australia there was a particular challenge of graining on the super soft tyre, however this graining varied across the teams between the front and the rear, which means that the correct compromise set- up for these new cars is still being found. For this reason we would expect less graining in China as the teams now have better understanding of their cars than at the first race. Also, Shanghai is a permanent race track so the track surface should be better.”

Stats & Facts Number & Spec of tyres brought to China 1800 (Medium & super soft dry. intermediate/wets) Pole position time 2008: 1min 36.303secs (Hamilton) Fastest race lap 2008:   1min 36.325secs (Hamilton) Top three 2008: Hamilton, Massa, Raikkonen

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

Sepang (MAL). In einem dramatischen PETRONAS Großen Preis von Malaysia eroberte BMW Sauber F1 Team Fahrer Nick Heidfeld Platz zwei. Nachdem das Rennen bei trockenen Bedingungen gestartet worden war, zwang plötzlich einsetzender, schwerer Regen den Renndirektor, dieses vorzeitig abzubrechen. Teamkollege Robert Kubica hatte Pech und musste sein Auto wegen Motorproblemen in der zweiten Runde ausrollen lassen. Weil die vom Reglement geforderten 75 Prozent der Renndistanz nicht erreicht wurden, erhalten die Piloten nur die halbe Punktzahl.

Nick Heidfeld: 2.
BMW Sauber F1.09-04 / BMW P86/9 (KERS)
Schnellste Runde: 1.39,084 min in Rd. 17 (zehntschnellste insgesamt)
„Ich bin natürlich sehr zufrieden mit Platz zwei, nachdem ich als Zehnter gestartet bin. Das war wirklich ein extremes und schwieriges Rennen. Ich hatte einen guten Start, aber eben auch ein schweres Auto, das war nicht ganz einfach. Als sich abzeichnete, dass es regnen würde, haben wir meinen Boxenstopp um sieben Runden vorgezogen und uns gleich für richtige Regenreifen entschieden. Aber die waren schnell hinüber, weil der erwartete starke Regen nicht kam. Das Team sagte mir immer wieder: ‚bleib draußen, der starke Regen kommt!’, aber die Reifen fühlten sich bald an wie Slicks. In dieser Phase wären Intermediates viel schneller gewesen, aber das konnte ja keiner wissen. Als es schließlich goss, war es die einzig richtige Entscheidung, das Rennen abzubrechen. Ich habe mich hinter dem Safety Car gedreht – Aquaplaning war nicht nur ein Problem mit den Reifen, mein Auto schwamm mit dem Boden auf. Ich freue mich für unser Team, dass wir von den ersten beiden Saisonrennen jetzt wenigstens ein anständiges Ergebnis mit nach Hause bringen.“

Robert Kubica: Ausfall
BMW Sauber F1.09-05 / BMW P86/9
„Als ich in die Formationsrunge ging, klang der Motor sehr seltsam und hatte kaum Leistung. Ich bin ins Rennen gestartet, so gut es unter diesen Umständen ging und fragte über Funk nach, was ich tun sollte. Das erübrigte sich dann, weil das Auto in der zweiten Runde Feuer fing und ich aufgeben musste.“
Mario Theissen (BMW Motorsport Direktor):
„Das Rennen hat den chaotischen Verlauf genommen, den wir aufgrund der Wettervorhersage erwarten mussten. Für Robert war das Rennen schon am Start gelaufen, da sein Motor keine Leistung annahm. Einer ersten Diagnose zufolge war die Ursache ein Pneumatik-Leck. Nick hatten wir aufgrund seiner Startposition und in Erwartung der Witterungsverhältnisse mit viel Benzin ins Rennen geschickt Er konnte dadurch auf dem ersten Reifensatz bis zum Einsetzen des Regens auf der Strecke bleiben. Dann fasste er genau zum richtigen Zeitpunkt Regenreifen und konnte damit bis zum Ende durchfahren. Bei diesen extrem schwierigen Verhältnissen hat er das optimale Ergebnis erzielt. Kompliment an ihn, aber auch an die ganze Mannschaft, die fehlerfrei gearbeitet hat.“
Willy Rampf (Head of Engineering):
„Das war kein Rennen für schwache Nerven. Für Robert war der GP bereits am Start gelaufen, als sein Motor keine Leistung annahm. Das ist sehr schade, denn seine Ausgangsposition war gut. Nick war schwer unterwegs. Und die Strategie, ihn lange draußen zu lassen bis zum Reifenwechsel, hat sich ausgezahlt. Dies war mutig, aber es hat sich gelohnt. Bei schwierigsten Bedingungen ist es ihm gelungen, das Auto auf der Strecke zu halten und einen Podestplatz zu erreichen. Kompliment an die ganze Mannschaft, die bei diesen teils chaotischen Verhältnissen fehlerfrei gearbeitet hat.“

www.bmw-sauber-f1.com

It was a disappointing afternoon for the ING Renault F1 Team as both Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet ended a very wet Malaysian Grand Prix outside the points. A heavy rain storm at the mid-way point saw the safety car deployed before the race was eventually red-flagged on lap 32 and was not restarted.

Fernando Alonso, R2903, P11
First stint: 22 laps, soft dry tyres
Second stint: 6 laps, extreme wet tyres
Third stint: 2 laps, wet tyres
Fourth stint: 1 lap, extreme wet tyres

Fernando: “We made a good start from P9 to P3 and after that we had to defend our position because we were slow. This part of the race was interesting and it was difficult to decide what tyre to take when we made our stop because we didn’t know how heavy the rain would be. We stay optimistic for the next race in Shanghai and we remain determined to continue fighting for the championship.”

Nelson Piquet, R2901, P13
First stint: 22 laps, soft dry tyres
Second stint: 7 laps, extreme wet tyres
Third stint: 1 lap, wet tyres
Fourth stint: 1 lap, extreme wet tyres

Nelson: “Just before the red flag it was impossible to drive; really difficult to hold the car. We tried to call the right decision at the right time and there is nothing more we could have done in these conditions. The balance of the car was good, but the grip on the track was quite low, although we had a good start to the race. We have learnt a lot again this weekend and I now need to get ready for the next race.”

Pat Symonds, Executive Director of Engineering
“I suppose in many ways the heavy rain is no surprise to anyone who knows the area, but it brought some interesting elements to the race. In the early part of the race the value of the KERS system certainly showed, but as in Australia we still need to find performance from the car in other areas.”

Remi Taffin, Head of Engine Operations
“Today we are disappointed. The race was challenging and we tried our best to adapt, but the weather was so difficult to predict. We knew it was going to rain, but we didn’t think it would be so heavy. However, I didn’t expect the race to be stopped. We now have to work hard, but I feel we have taken a step forward since Melbourne, as shown by our strong start to the race.”

www.ing-renaultf1.com

Bridgestone Potenza intermediate and wet tyres made their first race appearance of 2009 as severe rain fell on the Sepang circuit after a dry race start with everyone on the soft compound dry tyre, causing the Malaysian Grand Prix to be stopped after 32 laps, with Jenson Button awarded the win.
Black clouds provided a backdrop to the start of the race, but it was Bridgestone’s black rubber which provided the crucial performance variable. Once the rain started, the water levels on track changed lap by lap making it very difficult for competitors to choose whether the dry slick, intermediate or wet tyre should be used, and the best tyre for the conditions changed frequently.
As the race was stopped before three-quarter distance, only half points will be awarded. Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) took second and Timo Glock (Panasonic Toyota Racing) finished third.
Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
How was the race from Bridgestone’s perspective?
“This was a very interesting race, even before the rain started. Everyone started on the soft tyre. The soft gave good consistent performance in the conditions we saw today and there would have been good strategy options had the weather remained dry Starting on the soft was a sensible move as the soft has a lower working range than the hard, so when the rain started it delivered better performance than the hard would have done, before the wet tyres became necessary.”

How important was tyre strategy?
“Choosing the correct tyre at the correct time is absolutely crucial and we saw many illustrations of how beneficial it is to make the right choice. Once the rain started there was a window where the intermediate tyre was the best one to use, as shown by Timo Glock who was up to ten seconds faster than the other cars. Some drivers used the wet tyre too early, and suffered in the too dry conditions.
However, once the rain became harder the wet tyre was the correct tyre for conditions. Unfortunately, the rain then became so hard that it was too wet for Formula One cars.”

Stats of the Day

Bridgestone Potenza Driver Tyre Strategies
Rd.2 – Malaysian Grand Prix
In 2009, the tyre regulations stipulate that the two dry tyre specifications must be visibly
distinguishable from each other. At the Malaysian Grand Prix, the soft compound Bridgestone Potenza tyres were marked with green bands on the sidewalls. The wet weather tyre was also marked with a green line in a groove.

www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

Bridgestone’s soft tyre allowed Jenson Button to set an exciting pole lap of 1min 35.181secs at Sepang for the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Button took pole by just over nine hundredths from Panasonic Toyota Racing’s Jarno Trulli. Track conditions were improved from Friday, with more rubber down, but teams and drivers still struggled to find the best compromises with the exciting new cars and Bridgestone’s slick tyres.
Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima – Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
What was significant about today’s running?
“Today showed us that the cars are very close to each other on lap times. For example, in FP3 the top thirteen cars were covered by a second. In terms of tyre performance, the soft tyre has an advantage of about around 1.0–1.3 seconds over its best lap. The soft is able to deliver its best lap time generally on its first flying lap and the performance drop-off does not appear to be as extreme as we saw with the super soft tyre in Australia. The hard gives its best lap time after around 3-4 laps and we have seen very durable performance from it, so it should be the better race tyre.”

How have track conditions evolved since Friday, and what are your predictions for the race?
“Sepang is an interesting circuit as the track surface improves a lot over the course of the race weekend. This is because the high temperatures mean that the rubber laid melts into the track surface allowing very good surface from a grip point of view. Race strategy should be interesting here, as the difference between the tyres in terms of performance drop-off is not as great as in
Australia, so there could be more strategy options.”
Stats of the Day

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