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Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix Preview

Mar 18, 2008 - 11:45 PM

March 23, 2008
Sepang International Circuit
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Race 2 of 17 in Grand Prix Series

Laps: 56
Track length: 3.44 miles
Race length: 189.42 miles

Lap record: Juan Pablo Montoya, 1:34.223 mph (2004) 

DRIVERS TO WATCH
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Fernando Alonso (Spain)
Team: Renault 
2008 Points: 5 (4th)

Began his season with a fourth at Australia; two-time champion 
had a tumultuous 2007 season with McLaren, but still managed to 
finish third overall; had the same amount of points as teammate 
Lewis Hamilton, but lost the tiebreaker for second place; won 
four times last season, but relationship with team and Hamilton 
deteriorated after Ferrari spy scandal affair and returned to 
Renault for 2008 season; won consecutive titles in 2005-06 with 
Renault; won six races in 2006 and seven in 2005; won this race
for McLaren last year.


Lewis Hamilton (Britain)
Team: McLaren 
2008 Points: 10 (1st)

Opened the season with a dominant win at Australia; had a 
stunning rookie season, scoring podiums in his first nine races; 
won four times and captured six poles to outperform more 
heralded former teammate Alonso; was the favorite to win the 
championship last year until errors in final two rounds dropped 
him to second place behind Kimi Raikkonen; needed to only finish 
immediately behind Alonso to claim the championship; retired 
from the race at China to give his teammate and Raikkonen the 
chance to steal the crown in the final race; won at Japan to 
open a 12-point lead over Alonso with two races left; made 
history at Canada where he became the first black driver to win 
a Formula One race; followed that victory in Canada by winning 
the United States Grand Prix; placed second in four consecutive 
races prior to his back-to-back wins; was the first rookie in 
since 1964 to capture podium finishes in his first three races;
also is the first black driver in series history; finished 
second to Alonso here last year.


Nick Heidfeld (Germany)
Team: BMW Sauber 
2008 Points: 8 (2nd)

Finished 5.4 seconds behind Hamilton to claim second at 
Australia; was the best of the rest behind the Ferrari and 
McLaren drivers after an impressively consistent season for BMW, 
finishing fifth overall; did not win last season as best race of 
the season was at Canada where he finished second; had 
consecutive fourth-place finishes at Italy and Turkey and was 
third in Hungary; opened the year with three consecutive fourth 
place finishes at Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain; forced to 
retire at Spain and the United States Grand Prix; has nine 
top-five finishes in 17 starts last year. 


Felipe Massa (Brazil)
Team: Ferrari 
2008 Points: 0 (13th)

Completed only 29 laps before retiring at Australia with engine 
issues; posted three wins and six poles last season, but 
reliability issues and a disqualification in Canada put him out 
of title contention and he wound up fourth; contract with 
Ferrari runs until 2010; retired from the Italian Grand Prix 
with suspension problems, dropping to fourth place in the 
standings; bounced back from a 13th-place finish at Hungary by 
winning in Turkey; posted a runner-up finish at the Grand Prix 
of Europe after slipping to fourth place following a fifth place 
finish at the British Grand Prix; was runner-up to Raikkonen at 
Magny-Cours and season finale at Brazil; ran third at 
Indianapolis and Monaco after capturing two straight checkered 
flags at Bahrain and Spain; had 11 top five finishes in 17 
starts last season; ran fifth here last year.


Kimi Raikkonen (Finland)
Team: Ferrari 
2008 Points: 1 (8th)

Opened defense of his title by running eighth at Australia, 
completing just 53 laps before having engine problems; won his 
first appearance for Ferrari in Australia last season then went 
on to win five more times; biggest win came at the season-ending 
event at Brazil, which gave him his first drivers' title by a 
single point over Hamilton; trailed Hamilton by seven points 
entering final race; retired from the Grand Prix of Europe 
after consecutive checkered flag wins at the British Grand Prix 
and Magny-Cours; had six wins and 14 top-five finishes in 17 
starts last season; struggled to eighth place at Monaco and
retired due to electrical problems at Spain, dropping him from
first to fourth in the standings; joined Ferrari after spending 
five years with McLaren where he went winless in 2006; ran third
at this event last season.


2007 Top 10
-----------
 1. Fernando Alonso, Spain, McLaren-Mercedes 
 2. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren-Mercedes
 3. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari
 4. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, Sauber-BMW
 5. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari
 6. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Renault
 7. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota
 8. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, Renault
 9. Alexander Wurz, Austria, Williams-Toyota 
10. Mark Webber, Britain, Red Bull-Renault 

Past Champions
--------------
2007  Fernando Alonso, McLaren-Mercedes 
2006  Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault
2005  Fernando Alonso, Renault
2004  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2003  Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren Mercedes
2002  Ralf Schumacher, Williams BMW
2001  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2000  Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
1999  Eddie Irvine, Ferrari