Ahead of this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix, the Sepang International Circuit has undergone some renovations including nine corners being altered.
Earlier this year, the whole venue was resurfaced along with updating drainage and run off areas. Dromo, an Italian racetrack design company carried out the work, founder Jarno Zaffelli said, “Almost all corners will be more demanding in terms of vertical load while the last corner will do the opposite, with reverse camber and low speed, the grip will rely mainly on the tyres.”
Nine corners of the Malaysian track have been updated. At Turn 15 the inside of the corner has been raised by one metre, changing the racing line. In the past, a pool of standing water would form if weather conditions were bad, with a new lateral gradient of -4% compared to +2% at the apex this should improve drainage.
Along with fifteen, a further eight Turns have had their gradients altered, Turns 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12 and 13. With these improvements, organisers are aiming to improve drainage and/or drivability of the corners. With resurfacing the circuit, the bumps on the rundown to Turn 1 and Turn 4 have been ironed out.
Following the inspection by FIA race director Charlie Whiting, the homologation report said: “The entire track surface and the fast lane of the pits have been resurfaced to very high standards.
“In a number of locations the levels of the track have been re-profiled to make the corners flow better or to improve drainage.
“This is high quality work. The works carried out to the circuit appeared excellent. The general condition of the installations was first class.”
