Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton expects conditions for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix to be the toughest he faces this year.
Days after his brilliant win for McLaren at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, where the race-time temperature was 39 degrees Celsius, he said it could be even more sweltering at the Sepang circuit.
And as they say, it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.
”It was the hardest race I competed in last year,” the 23-year-old Briton said. ”You can’t begin to imagine how hot it gets in the car.”
Hamilton, like most of the drivers, arrived as early as possible following last Sunday’s race in Melbourne in order to begin preparing for the conditions in Malaysia.
”We’ve had a bit of a head start with the temperatures in Australia,” said Hamilton, pipped to the drivers’ title by one point in his rookie season last year by Kimi Raikkonen.
”The focus is on making sure you are really well hydrated. Last year, I was drinking up to four litres a day in the build up to the race.”
Temperatures at Sepang are likely to reach the mid-30s in the afternoons, when rainfall has been normal most days this week. But humidity has been at more than 60%.
Hamilton said the difficult conditions could make the race even more entertaining than last week’s belter at Melbourne, which saw only seven cars still running at the end of the contest.
”Sepang is a fantastic track to start with, but the climate plays a major role in making it very tricky for all of us. Everyone is really on the limit and so is the car,” he said.
After last week’s win, Hamilton also laid down a warning to fellow drivers, saying he had emerged from the title battle and the controversy last year stronger and more ready to challenge for the championship.
”I learned a lot last year and as you could see in Melbourne, I am feeling a lot more comfortable. I am more at home,” he said. ”I just hope it stays that way.” — AFP
