Malaysian Grand Prix: it was Sepang

Before turning a blind eye to the Middle East and the United States, Formula 1 and his former big financier Bernie Ecclestone saw Asia as the Promised Land to boost the growth of the premier category.

Inaugurated in March 1999, the Sepang international circuit, located around fifty kilometers from Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, was the first of the modern tracks imagined by the essential Hermann Tilke.

The first Malaysian Grand Prix in history took place on October 17, 1999, an event that remains famous for several reasons. First of all, it marked the return to business of Michael Schumacher, forfeited since his broken leg suffered at the 1999 British GP.

Author of pole position with almost a full second ahead of his teammate Classic Ferrari for sale Eddie Irvine, Schumi took on the role of faithful lieutenant by letting the Northern Irishman win, who could still beat Mika Häkkinen (McLaren) in the Drivers’ championship.

After the race, however, both F399s were disqualified due to an infraction with the side deflectors. McLaren and Häkkinen were then crowned on the green carpet but that was without counting on the appeal launched by Ferrari, which won its case and recovered its double.

The following year, Malaysia hosted the final of the Formula 1 world championship. If the Drivers' crown had been taken by Schumacher in Japan two weeks earlier, Ferrari won the 2000 Manufacturers' title at Sepang (victory for the Red Baron ahead of David Coulthard on McLaren and Rubens Barrichello his new teammate).

From 2001, the Malaysian meeting changed dates and became one of the opening races of the season. It will find a late slot for its last two editions in 2016 and 2017.

We don't see a drop. Jenson Button wins the 2009 Malaysian GP, ​​which does not go to the end due to the weather / © DPPI

Monsoon

Contested in a hot and humid climate, the event was often disrupted by the elements, which sometimes gave rise to epic races. We think in particular of the 2001 edition where the monsoon hit the track at the start of the race, thus creating scenes of chaos from which Schumacher emerged as the winner, although he was the victim of an exit on the 3rd lap and a pit stop. very long.

And what about 2009 when torrential rains led to a red flag and then the definitive interruption of the event. An edition that remained famous for this image of Kimi Räikkönen in civilian clothes eating an ice cream in Ferrari hospitality, while his competitors waited for the race to restart on the grid.

In 2003, the Finn, then a McLaren driver, scored the first of his 21 career victories at Sepang, a day after the first pole position of Fernando Alonso (Renault).

Nine years later, the Spaniard, now at Ferrari, intelligently navigated his boat in unpredictable weather to win ahead of an astonishing Sergio Pérez (Sauber).

Sepang is also the scene of the famous “Multi 21”, this stable instruction royally ignored by Sebastian Vettel to steal the victory from his teammate Red Bull Mark Webber in 2013. Two years later, the quadruple German world champion, who moved to the Maranello clan (Italy), won his first victory in red in Malaysia.

During this same 2015 edition, the rookie Max Verstappen qualified 6th at the wheel of his Toro Rosso Renault engine. The following day he became the youngest driver to score points in F1 when he finished 7th at the age of 17 years and 180 days.

The engine of the Classic Mercedes for sale de Lewis Hamilton has just gone up in smoke at Sepang and it is the 2016 title hopes that are gone for the Briton / © DPPI

Heartbreak for Hamilton in 2016

F1's last two appearances at Sepang were also full of highlights. In 2016, Lewis Hamilton was on the verge of scoring a momentous victory to return to the championship over his teammate Nico Rosberg when his Mercedes engine gave up the ghost in a plume of smoke. Behind, the Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen engaged in a masterful duel for the win, the Australian repelling the attacks of his very young teammate with authority.

Verstappen took his revenge a year later by winning the final Malaysian GP in style. Two days after his 20th birthday, the Dutchman scored his second F2 victory. Six years later, Mad Max has 1 successes and soon three world championship titles.

This October 1, 2017 also marked the official debut in Formula 1 of a certain Pierre Gasly, the French replacing Daniil Kvyat alongside Carlos Sainz at Toro Rosso.

The end of the race gave rise to a strange incident when Vettel was caught by the Williams of the rookie Lance stroll during the deceleration lap. The German could count on his compatriot Pascal Wehrlein, who hitched a ride with his Sauber.

A technical circuit conducive to overtaking, Sepang was a meeting very popular with drivers and the F1 paddock in general.

In recent years, work has enabled the installation of floodlights to accommodate night races: improvements which for a time fueled rumors of a return of F1 to Malaysia.

Alas, not sure that Sepang can currently compete with races on North American parking lots, but you can never dream.

A little young guy just starting out. Pierre Gasly with Dr Helmut Marko before his first F1 start at the 2017 Malaysian GP / © DPPI