What can we expect in Malaysia?

(Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team)

The Formula One circus lands in Kuala Lumpur this weekend for the Malaysian Grand Prix, round two of the 2015 Formula One season.

So what can we expect in Sepang? Well one this is clear and that is that the weather is going to play a key role in the outcome of the race. When it rains in Kuala Lumpur there is monsoon like conditions. The Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team started the season off in perfect fashion as they secured a 1-2 finish.

Scuderia Ferrari did a fantastic job with Sebastian Vettel ending the race in third place while team mate Kimi Raikkonen also showed great pace before retiring from the race. The Finn could have finished the race in the top five.

The Italian team will be hoping that the Australian Grand Prix in third place will not be a flash in the pan. The SF15-T is an extremely quick and so far reliable car,

The Sauber F1 Team have also done a fantastic job scoring a double points finish in Australia with Felipe Nasr coming home in fifth place while Marcus Ericsson finished the race in 8^th place. Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz finished the race in ninth place on his Formula One debut.

The Sauber F1 Team should be quick once again next time out due to the step forward in performance from the new Ferrari power unit.

The Williams Martini Racing Team should be up at the front once again this weekend with Valtteri Bottas expected to return to the cockpit of the FW37 after sitting out the opening race of the season in Melbourne Australia two weeks ago as a result of a back injury.

McLaren Honda’s Fernando Alonso will make his race return for the first time since 2007 as the double champion has travelled to Malaysia for the race and we can expect the Woking based outfit to work extremely hard to get a good result this weekend after Jenson Button finished the Australian Grand Prix in last place two laps down but that was progress for the team following a difficult winter test programme.

We can also expect the Lotus F1 Team to be very competitive in Malaysia as the two long straights at the Sepang circuit will suit the Mercedes power unit.

The Manor F1 Team are expected to race this weekend. It will be interesting to see how the team get on if they do manage to get on track. They made it out to the season opening Australian Grand Prix however they were unable to fire up the car and that meant that they weren’t able to get out on circuit.

What do you think we can expect in Malaysia?

© Ben Johnston 2015