Thunderstorms to Hit Malaysian Grand Prix

According to the latest weather forecast for the upcoming weekend, the Malaysian Grand Prix will apparently be this year's first wet race. Not only that, but there is also the danger of the Sepang race being stopped for safety reasons. The predicted monsoon, added with the late scheduling of the race, might lead to some dark & unsafe racing for the final few laps.

As reported by GMM news agency, the Malaysian Meteorological Department issued a thunderstorm prediction for the upcoming week, with the weather worsening as of Friday (when the first practice sessions are scheduled).

Talking about the bad whether ahead, Sepang International Circuit's boss Razlan Razali revealed the race could be prove unsafe for the drivers if the rain will keep pouring down as it did on Monday. In an interview for Star newspaper, Razali admitted “it rained heavily during the predicted race duration on Monday” and can give no guarantees for the Sunday race.

The cloudy sky could also pose a problem in terms of visibility, as shown by some of the F1 drivers after the Australian Grand Prix. Although the whether was fine at Melbourne, the drivers still had a problem with the “twilight” racing in the last few laps (due to the late starting hour of the race).

The Malaysian organizers revealed changes in their hourly schedule for this weekend, as instructed by F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. The initial racing hour was moved later in the evening to make for better media coverage for the European fans. The Malaysian Grand Prix will therefore start at 5 PM local time.