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The chance of rain is on everyone’s mind for the Malaysian Grand Prix, but there are other questions to answer and many points of interest this weekend.
There can be no question that Red Bull have the fastest, meanest car on the track.
This appears to be especially evident in qualifying.
However, yet again, it is their reliability that will be tested in the extreme heat. The team needs a problem free weekend, with a serious hall of points. Red Bull must also consider their race strategy, having failed to get their team in on slicks in the drying damp.
It will be their race to lose.
The winners of the Australian Grand Prix McLaren are not expecting to be as quick around Sepang.
The talk will centre around Hamilton, who had hood problems on the Melbourne streets, qualified poorly, and then criticised his team after pitting a second time for fresh tyres when he felt strong.
His race, however, was impressive, despite people pencilling in his teammate Button as the hero on the day.
Hamilton proved he is a true racer and a formidable opponent on the track – but he must get his head right and not just wait for the race to prove himself once he shuts out the world.
Button, on the other hand, will continue to rely on his smooth style to protect his tyres, and was a star performer off the track, impressing the Aussie media with his candid friendly attitude.
Ferrari will be hoping their run of luck continues as they are now some 50 points ahead of their closest rivals Red Bull.
Alonso looks particularly strong, as he cleverly avoided tangling with his teammate Massa ahead of him to hold off Hamilton behind and continue bagging points in the championship.
Massa appeared uncomfortable on the Melbourne track, made mistakes, and was down from his best. He had no pace or no desire to catch and pressure Kubica in the seemingly inferior Renault.
He must look to step up.
The forgotten team seems is Mercedes GP, who put in two average showings in Bahrain and Australia.
Whispers suggest the car is not set up right, with too much weight in the front and with less poise and grip on the track compared to rivals. Schumacher gave a few clues in his Malaysian GP preview statement, stating that he will be tuning his conservative race setup more towards qualifying.
The former Brawn team are certainly off to a slower start this year. However, it is likely their development resources will catch them up through the grid as races go on.
But by this time their rivals may have gained a big lead.
Of the new teams, Lotus F1 will be hoping for a good showing in their ‘home’ grand prix of Malaysia. I met a number of Malaysians in Melbourne who are thrilled both with the team, as well as their embrace of social media.
Virgin will be hoping to reach the finish line for the first time, and Hispania are hoping to make progress in finding time from their chassis, with the team claiming to be able to wring least two seconds per lap out of their car as the season moves forward.
The weather variable will again add considerable spice to the event.
All reports indicate this week at the Sepang circuit the weather has been hot and humid all day with thunderstorms belting the track. Will it be a rain master battle or will the track just flood and cause the race to be cancelled?
The other questions to be answered look to be season long debates – will anyone make two stops, and will any change be on the way for this season to make overtaking more possible and races more competitive?