Apr 2, 2009, 13:41 GMT
Sepang, Malaysia - Although the new Formula One season is not even one week old, there has already been plenty of controversy, there have been surprises and there has been excitement, and racing fans are now hoping for more from Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix.
Brawn GP enjoyed a sensational record-breaking debut at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne last Sunday, with Jenson Button winning the second Grand Prix of his career, while Rubens Barrichello took second place.
Their finish was the same order they started.
But while most teams expect Brawn to be the ones to beat, the team that only came into existence shortly before the start of the season when no other buyer could be found for Honda, is warning against too much hype.
'The team themselves believe that the racing will be closer than it was in Melbourne,' the team said in a statement, with Button adding that he expects Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes to be stronger than they were in Albert Park.
Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren) pulled out during the race, while Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen finished 16th - three laps behind the race winner.
World champion Lewis Hamilton in a McLaren finished fourth, was then pushed up to third after Toyota's Jarno Trulli was penalized for overtaking in a safety car phase.
However, on Thursday Hamilton was stripped of his third place finish and taken out of the race classification after stewards found that the Briton and his team had knowingly given them information to mislead them.
'We don't know who is going to be quick here as it is such a different circuit. You would say we are going to be competitive, but it is a question of who else is going to be up there with us,' Button said.
With the temperatures expected to reach the 30s during the race, conditions during the race on the 5.543-kilometre Sepang circuit will be very difficult.
'The Malaysian Grand Prix is always one of the toughest races of the season and it will be a real challenge for our new car with so little testing under our belts.
'Malaysia has a really hot and humid climate which really tests the car's durability and coupled with the frequent torrential downpours can make for an unpredictable race weekend.
'It's a tough place for the drivers as the heat in the cockpit can be unbearable and tests the limit of your fitness and concentration. You have to work hard to find a good balance for the car at Sepang and it can be challenging for the tyres to work well for the whole lap.
'Malaysia is a special circuit for me as I achieved my first podium here back in 2004 so I'm hoping that this weekend will provide some more happy memories,' Button said.
But while Button has McLaren on his radar, Hamilton is less optimistic. Speaking before being stripped of his third place he said that there was no reason to get carried away by the podium finish.
'Yes, we had a fantastic race but we're all aware that our car isn't capable of repeating that sort of performance on sheer pace alone.
'And Sepang is one of the tougher tracks on the calendar, one where we will probably be further from the frontrunners than we were in Albert Park. The track is both fast and technical so requires good mechanical and aero grip.
'It's much more aero-dependent and rear-limited than Melbourne so it may highlight some of the shortcomings in MP4-24. Nevertheless, we're all really encouraged by the progress we've made.'
For Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, who will be set back ten places on the grid after having crashed into Robert Kubica's BMW-Sauber at the end of the race in Australia, the race in Sepang will provide an opportunity to show that he is a potential world champion.
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