Motor racing-Half of F1 grid faces unknown as Sepang returns after nine-year absence

FILE PHOTO: Formula One - F1 - Malaysian Grand Prix 2015 - Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - 26/3/15 General view - Graphic of the circuit map inside the Red Bull garage Reuters / Olivia Harris Livepic/File Photo

SEPANG, Malaysia, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Formula One is ⁠heading back to Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit after a nine-year hiatus this weekend, with more than half the drivers on the ⁠grid unfamiliar with a track that is hosting therescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix.

After making its first appearance on the calendar in ‌1999, Sepang has not hosted a Formula One race since 2017 after the Malaysian government said it could no longer justify the costs given the declining returns.

But it is making its Formula One comeback after owners Liberty Media said it would host the "Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia", relocating the race from Sakhir due to the Iran war and the ​situation in the Middle East.

The 5.543-km long circuit combines long straights with several high-speed ⁠corners, with the 2026 race set to be held over ⁠56 laps.

Only 10 of the 22 drivers have previously raced in Malaysia, leaving world champion Lando Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri among ⁠those ‌who will be learning the track for the first time.

"We have prepared extensively in the simulator, including giving Lando and Oscar time to learn the circuit," McLaren racing director Randy Singh said.

"But there can be uncertainty around the accuracy of circuit models and our understanding of ⁠the tarmac, which will be an important factor in tyre behaviour.

"Friday will therefore be ​especially valuable as the drivers tune themselves ‌into the circuit and we work through the best set-up and car configuration, understand the tyres, and assess overtaking and racing with ⁠the new cars and ​power units."

The knowledge gap extends beyond individual drivers to entire teams, with no outfit holding meaningful reference data from the current generation of Formula One cars at Sepang.

Max Verstappen, a four-times world champion with 71 race wins, was the last driver to triumph atSepang in what was his second career victory, a reminder of how ⁠much the sport has evolved since the circuit's departure from the calendar.

It was ​also the same race where Alpine's Pierre Gasly, who was then driving for Red Bull's Toro Rosso, made his Formula One debut as a 21-year-old while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was a test driver in Sepang that year.

Tyre supplier Pirelli has warned teams to expect challenging conditions, describing Sepang's surface as "relatively abrasive" with ⁠roughness comparable to Bahrain.

But despite recent resurfacing work, they say the overall characteristics remain similar to 2017.

"Grip levels are likely to be low on Friday but should improve progressively over the course of the weekend as the track evolves," Pirelli said.

The tropical climate adds another layer of complexity, with hot and humid conditions making tyre management crucial while creating physical demands for drivers.

The ever-present threat of sudden rainfall could also disrupt even the most ​carefully crafted race strategies.

"It's cool to head back to Sepang this year. This circuit has been around ⁠for a long time and it's one we haven't raced at for a while," said Nico Hulkenberg, Audi's 39-year-old Formula One veteran with over 260 starts.

"It's ​not a track that relies on big headline corners, but there are a few sections ‌that are quite technical and reward getting the details right.

"Add the heat and ​the humidity, and it always creates an interesting challenge."

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton shares the record at Sepang for most poles with Michael Schumacher, with five each, but the Briton has won only once, in 2014, with Mercedes.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair, editing by Ed Osmond)

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资料照片：一级方程式赛车 - F1 - 2015年马来西亚大奖赛 - 马来西亚吉隆坡雪邦国际赛道 - 2015年3月26日 全景 - 红牛车队维修站内的赛道地图示意图 路透社/Olivia Harris Livepic/资料照片

马来西亚雪邦，9 月 30 日（路透社）——一级方程式赛车将在阔别九年后于本周末重返马来西亚雪邦国际赛道，超过一半的参赛车手对这条即将举办巴林大奖赛的赛道并不熟悉。

雪邦赛道自 1999 年首次出现在赛历上以来，自 2017 年以来就没有举办过一级方程式比赛，因为马来西亚政府表示，鉴于收益下降，无法再证明成本的合理性。

但由于伊朗战争和中东局势，巴林赛道的所有者自由媒体集团宣布将在马来西亚举办“海湾航空巴林大奖赛”，将比赛从萨基尔赛道移至马来西亚，巴林赛道也因此重返一级方程式赛车赛场。

这条全长 5.543 公里的赛道结合了长直道和几个高速弯道，2026 年的比赛将进行 56 圈。

22 位车手中只有 10 位之前在马来西亚参加过比赛，世界冠军兰多·诺里斯和他的迈凯伦队友奥斯卡·皮亚斯特里等车手将是第一次熟悉这条赛道。

迈凯伦赛车总监兰迪·辛格表示：“我们在模拟器上进行了大量的准备工作，包括给兰多和奥斯卡时间来熟悉赛道。”

“但是，赛道模型的准确性以及我们对柏油路面的了解可能存在不确定性，这将是影响轮胎性能的重要因素。

“因此，周五将格外重要，因为车手们需要时间来适应赛道，我们将研究最佳的赛车设置和配置，了解轮胎，并评估使用新赛车和动力单元进行超车和比赛的情况。”

知识差距不仅限于个别车手，还延伸到整个车队，没有任何车队拥有来自雪邦赛道当前一代一级方程式赛车的有意义的参考数据。

曾四次获得世界冠军、赢得 71 场比赛的马克斯·维斯塔潘是最后一位在雪邦赛道取得胜利的车手，这也是他职业生涯的第二次胜利，这提醒人们，自从该赛道退出赛历以来，这项运动已经发生了多大的变化。

也是在同一场比赛中，当时效力于红牛二队的阿尔派车队的皮埃尔·加斯利以21岁的年龄首次亮相一级方程式赛车，而法拉利车队的查尔斯·勒克莱尔当年则是雪邦赛道的试车手。

轮胎供应商倍耐力警告各车队要做好迎接挑战的准备，称雪邦赛道的路面“相对粗糙”，粗糙程度与巴林赛道相当。

尽管最近进行了路面翻新，但他们表示，整体特征与 2017 年相似。

倍耐力表示：“周五赛道的抓地力可能会比较低，但随着赛道状况的改变，周末期间抓地力应该会逐步改善。”

热带气候又增加了一层复杂性，炎热潮湿的天气使得轮胎管理至关重要，同时也对驾驶员的体力提出了更高的要求。

突如其来的降雨威胁始终存在，即使是最精心制定的比赛策略也可能被打乱。

“今年能重返雪邦赛道真是太棒了。这条赛道已经存在很久了，我们已经很久没有在这里比赛了，”奥迪车队39岁的F1老将尼科·霍肯伯格说道，他已经参加过260多场比赛。

“这条赛道并不以惊险刺激的弯道为主要看点，但其中有一些路段技术性很强，如果能把细节处理好就能获得回报。”

“再加上高温高湿的天气，总会带来有趣的挑战。”

法拉利的刘易斯·汉密尔顿与迈克尔·舒马赫并列雪邦赛道杆位次数最多的纪录，均为五次，但这位英国车手只在 2014 年驾驶梅赛德斯赛车赢得过一次冠军。

（罗希特·奈尔报道，埃德·奥斯蒙德编辑）

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