Putting the brakes on Ferrari

SEPANG - Pairs of orange colored ear plugs were passed around, Malaysian fighter jets slicing the skies thundered in bone-jarring roar, middle-aged men in crimson and scarlet wigs pranced on the stands and constructors’ banners festooned the glistening pavement.

And when they also gave away "survival kit" of Nivea sunblock, bottled waters, Wet Ones and moisturizers, you felt this would be one weekend like no other.

"Welcome to Sepang," said Tin Tin Reyes, the amiable public relations belle from Honda Philippines who brought a group of Manila media to the event.

That’s how the uninitiated got initiated to Formula One racing. The event was the Malaysian Grand Prix at the ultra-modern Sepang International Circuit with its famous hibiscus-shaped canopied stands.

It was the second leg of the World Championship Formula One season after the Melbourne GP helter-skelter run at the Albert Park that saw only eight cars completing the run. And so there were so much expectations and excitement for the weekend races. The new season was virtually to unfold here at Malaysia.

That Melbourne carnage that sent half of the field, eight cars in all, to a short 20-second race at the first bend and the decision not to re-start had sparked anger and criticism. It heightened the tension and pressure for the competing teams literally gearing up for points early in the season.

Ralf Schumacher in a BMW- Williams went airborne after colliding with the back of Rubens Barrichello’s Ferrari and igniting that mayhem at the first corner. The young Schumacher would later said that Barrichello had to brake a little earlier than expected. Defending champion Michael Schumacher, seeking a record-equalling five world championships, avoided the pileup and went on to win the first race aboard an upgraded F2001.

Upon hitting Kuala Lumpur, Ralf Schumacher vowed that BMW Williams would try to put an end to the Ferrari’s domination of the Malaysian leg and that seemed to be the theme in Sepang.

The Malaysian GP offers a different challenge to the men and their machines.

The weather is a wild card. Despite blistering condition, team strategists were not discounting a sudden downpour which occurred in the fourth lap last year and drastically changed the battleplans of the contending teams. In fact, there was a lively debate on which tires – Bridgestone or Michelin – are best suited to prevailing conditions in Sepang. Ferrari favors Bridgestone while the McLarens and the Williams use Michelin.

The heat and humidity could be so severe with extreme temperature rising to mid 40°C that drivers had to undergo rigid physical training and flew to Kuala Lumpur early to acclimatize. Some of them, like Schumacher, went to Langkawi, a small island off the west coast of Malaysia, during the break.

One driver, Jordan Honda’s Giancarlo Fisichella of Italy said he "lost 3.5 liters of water during the course of the race" over the 5.5-kilometer track last year.

"The circuit is very demanding in terms of fitness and physical stress because of very high humidity levels," he said.

Mercedes McLaren made its presence felt right off the practice runs. Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen, who claimed a podium finish in Melbourne and took over from Mika Haikkenen – on a one-year sabbatical, roared to a best lap time of 1:37.399 while the team’s No. 1 driver David Coulthard of Britain was second best at 1:38.03.

But the Ferrari-Marlboro team bounced back less than 24 hours later when Schumacher seized pole position, his fourth consecutive at Sepang, with 1:35.266. But right behind him was Columbia’s Juan Pablo Montoya of BMW-Williams.

Ferrari’s No. 2 , Rubens Barrichello, was at third, just off Ralf Schumacher, then the McLaren’s Raikkonen and Coulthard came on third row in fifth and sixth places, respectively. It was a dream cast.

In the battle for the best of the rest, Sauber Petronas’s Nick Heidfeld came in seventh, followed by Jenson Button in a Renault, Fisichella in a Jordan Honda and Mika Salo who had a stirring performance for debutant Toyota, completing the top 10.

There was festive air on race day. Traffic got snarled early and close to 50,000 people were jammed on the stands and the outdoor picnic grounds. After youth cultural dancers and drum and bugle bands baked under the scorching midday sun, the countdown began for the Malaysian GP.

Michael Schumacher hurtled down first after the last of the red lights blinked for the 56-lap war and veered right onto the path of Montoya and the two thundered as one into the first corner.

Then Montoya’s MP4-17 collided with the world champion’s car which caused Schumacher to lose his front wing and the Columbian being slapped a first ever drive-through-the-pits penalty.

Ralf Schumacher seized second place and kept that position for much of the race until he took the lead for good when pacesetter Barrichello’s Ferrari developed engine troubles on the 35th lap. That led to a smashing 1-2 finish for the British-based outfit with Montoya right behind him, ending the Ferrari domination of the event, and sending BMW-Williams into the lead of constructors category after two legs.

But an equally gut-wrenching drama unfolded at the rear end of the race, starring Schumacher. He showed a class act by battling his way up to the field, from the 21st position, following a pit stop for repairs just after the second lap.

The German fought his way into the 12th position after the 10th lap, was in the top 10 after 16 laps and was battling for a points finish after another 10 laps. And with only one lap to go, he eventually overtook Button on an ailing Renault for third place overall.

Button finished fourth in an impressive finish after the Melbourne disaster, followed by the Sauber pairing of Nick Heidfeld and Felipe Massa, completing the point scorers. Coulthard and Raikkonen of McLaren looked good for points finish but both drivers were forced out halfway through the race, Coulthard dropping out from fourth position on lap 16 and his Finnish teammate eight laps later.

The young Ralf eased up on the home straight of the circuit at the end of race and waved to BMW-Williams crew which clambered up the fence to celebrate the end of the Ferrari reign in Sepang.

"This was a wonderful day, everything went simply the perfect way, " said the 25-year-old Ralf, who had a time of 34:12.912 for his fourth Grand Prix title since his F1 debut in 1997.