Malaysia promises to be a busy weekend for Fiat Yamaha team director Davide Brivio, who arrived in Kuala Lumpur early to check out the newly resurfaced Sepang circuit.
With weather forecasts predicting rain and the Grand Prix Commission set to announce a decision over tyre regulations for next season, there is plenty for the Italian to think about both off and on the track in Malaysia.
Sepang is one of the widest tracks on the calendar, and high track temperatures are always a factor in the tropical climate. With its four major hairpins allied to some fast and frequent changes of direction, the 5.5km circuit provides a stern workout for the entire set-up and, therefore, attracts a large turnout for its annual winter testing opportunities.
However, after being completely resurfaced since pre-season testing back in February, Brivio knows that his team, like all others. will have to wait until the first free practice session on Friday morning to see how useful any previous data will be.
“We had a great test here in February, but it looks like the resurfacing has changed the track a lot, so we don't know what the grip will be like,” the Italian said, “It means we go there in pretty much the same shape as everybody else, with some doubts about what we tested. The weather forecast we have is predicting rain each afternoon, so there are question marks over the track and the conditions.
“Apart from that, this is a circuit we have enjoyed a lot of success at in the past, and Valentino [Rossi] has won here many times, so we have to be confident. The YZR-M1 went brilliantly at Sepang in pre-season testing, so now we will have to see how much better our rivals are after a full season of development. I'm glad to be going straight there from Australia, because there's no time to sit about feeling disappointed about what happened Phillip Island. I'm still determined to get a good result before the end of the season and Sepang is a good place to do it."
