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Wednesday April 1, 2009

Weatherman predicts a very wet F1 race in the Malaysian GP

KUALA LUMPUR: It may well be a cooler Malaysian F1 Grand Prix with a later start to the race this year but the drivers will still have to brace for a wet affair at the Sepang circuit.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department has predicted thunderstorms from the start of the practice session on Friday to race day on Sunday.

The start time for the 56-lap race is 5pm instead of 3pm previously and it may turn dark if heavy rain falls.

Adding further intrigue is the introduction of slicks this year and it will be interesting to see how teams tackle the changing scenario.

The Sepang International Circuit (SIC) chief executive officer, Razlan Razali, said that rain would make things more interesting for the fans.

“The situation for teams working in the wet is trickier. What was the hottest race in the world could now turn to a twilight event because if it gets dark, it gets even more challenging for the teams and drivers,” he said.

On race day, the weather forecast is for temperatures to reach a high of 32°C and as low as 24 °C.

“I hope for a safe race but on Monday it rained heavily during the predicted race duration. If it rains, hopefully it happens before the race as fans can watch the race on a wet track and then enjoy the post race Jamiroquai concert,” said Razlan.

Cargo shipments of team equipment started arriving on Monday and their crew will be working around the clock to set up their pits from today.

Work in other areas around the track, including race control, circuit preparation, hospitality and the security department, were operating in full swing yesterday.

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