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Thunderstorms, monsoon rain and Sepang Sundaes – it must mean we are ready for the second round of the 2014 Formula One season. Join The Roar for live race coverage from 7:00pm (AEST).
Two weeks have passed since Daniel Ricciardo was stripped of his podium finish in Australia for repeatedly ignoring the FIA over the use of the Gill fuel flow sensor.
Whilst Red Bull Racing have appealed the decision and are strongly confident that they have done no wrong, they must wait a gruelling two weeks before their case is heard before the appeal court in Paris.
All eyes then will be on the Red Bull team this weekend to see how they manage with the fuel flow meter.
The challenge ahead of this particular weekend comes in the form of the weather and endurance.
Weather at this time of year in Malaysia is always a handful and it is rare to see a Malaysian Grand Prix weekend go unaffected by inclement conditions.
The Sepang circuit also differs from Albert Park in terms of layout, the former being a very technical circuit with a combination of fast bends, long straights and twisty corners.
Coupled together with humidity, the race will be a physical challenge.
Looking for a favourite this weekend you need not go past Mercedes AMG. Nico Rosberg took the chequered flag with a dominant performance in Melbourne two weeks ago, confirming the force of the Brackley based team.
But it will be an interesting battle within the team as Lewis Hamilton will be out for blood after taking home zero points in the first race.
Whilst people widely remember Multi-21 from 2013 thanks to Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, there was a similar scenario at Mercedes involving Rosberg and Hamilton.
With their cars as outright favourites to win the race, we could see some internal sparks. That is unless their management handle the situation better than Red Bull did twelve months ago.
But with the weather in play, it will likely be the usual suspects hovering around the top-five positions.
Despite bad luck for Williams in round one, they still have a very competitive car and it’s just a question of things going their way this weekend.
The mixed weather may also help Ferrari, who were on the back foot in Melbourne throughout the entire weekend.
Red Bull, after Ricciardo’s performance, appear to have a strong package, but reliability may be come into play again, with world champion Sebastian Vettel hoping to open his account this weekend.
And you never know, maybe Marussia or Caterham can register a sneaky point if the conditions and reliability of other cars are no good.
Nonetheless we’re in for another cracking race weekend.
Join me at 6:30pm (AEST) as we start the build up to the race and of course race commentary from 7:00pm (AEST).
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