Wine and Food of Formula 1: 3rd Race – Sepang, Malaysia

UPDATED: 4/3/2010 2:40 am – First Seven Rows in Starting Grid For Malaysian Grand Prix (see below).

UPDATED: 4/4/10 3:00 am – Race Results for Malaysian Grand Prix (see below)

Recap and Thoughts of Last Race: Australia    

Congratulations to last year’s FIA World Champion Driver, Jenson Button from Great Britain for winning the Australian Grand Prix two years in a row. With this win he also pushed his team, McLaren of Great Britain, into a tenth win in Australia leading all other teams for this circuit. Coming in second was Robert Kubica (Poland) for Renault (France), and Felipe Massa (Brazil), for Scuderia Ferrari (Italy) came in third. Fernando Alonso (Spain) also for Ferrari and the Bahrain winner, came in 4^th, Nico Rosberg (Germany) for Mercedes GP Team (Germany) came in 5^th, Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) for McLaren came in 6^th, Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italy) came in 7^th for Force India-Mercedes (India), Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) for Williams-Cosworth (Great Britain) in 8^th, Australia’s own Mark Webber came in 9^th for Red Bull Racing  – Renault (Austria), and for the 10^th place and in championship points was Michael Schumacher (Germany) for the Mercedes GP Team.    

Sebastian Vettel had pole position for the race as he did in Bahrain. Again, he was leading for most of the race, when he had mechanical failure. The Red Bull Team appears to have the fastest cars for this year’s F1 season, but unless they resolve their mechanical issues they will have one very frustrated driver on their hands. There is a chance that Vettel could have won both these races, but we will never know that for sure now. Some say it is just racing, that is true; however, mechanical failure is also “just” preventable too, so they better get their acts together soon. Michael Schumacher, racing for the Petronas Mercedes GP team, had a good starting position despite what some say was blocking in qualifying. However, he had a driver’s nightmare happen on the first lap when Alonso and Button appeared to have a run in and veered into Schumacher causing a bit of an accident. Schumacher however got the worst of it as his front wing was destroyed and had to make a pit stop early in the race to replace it. This pushed him to last place (the 24^th position), but he is tough and pushed forward with skill and finesse to finish in 10^th place to pick up championship points. Lewis Hamilton also had a great race considering he had a disastrous qualifying round. Because of that he started in the middle of the pack (in the 11^th row) to finish in 6^th grabbing more points as well.    

Mark Webber also had high hopes for at least a podium finish for his native Australia but that did not happen either. As far as Felipe Massa for Ferrari, Australia became his second consecutive podium finish coming in third and coming in second in Bahrain.    

The Driver’s Championship after two races (the highest point leader at the end of the season wins the FIA World Driver’s Championship):    

Fernando Alonso – 37 points, Felipe Massa – 33 points, Jenson Button – 31 points, Lewis Hamilton – 23 points, Nico Rosberg – 20 points, Robert Kubica – 18 points, Sebastian Vettel – 12 points, Michael Schumacher – 9 points, Vitantonio Liuzzi – 8 points, Mark Webber – 6 points, and Rubens Barrichello – 5 points.    

For the Constructor’s Championship after two races (same as drivers most points at end of season wins and please note full names of teams are given):    

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro – 70 points, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – 54 points, Mercedes GP Petronas Formula One Team – 29 points, Renault F1 Team – 18 points, Red Bull Racing Renault – 18 points, Force India F1 Team Mercedes – 8 points, and AT&T Williams Cosworth – 5 points.    

Personal thoughts regarding the FIA rule for this season on no pit stops for refueling. I expressed my reservations about this new rule in my last article. I still feel that the FIA needs to reconsider this. They are acting like an HMO telling a doctor what they can or cannot do for their patients. The teams and drivers need to determine when they need fuel, how they wish to start the race with a heavier or lighter car, and when to pit. I know it was done because of safety issues, but it has been around a long time with only a few incidents, so rather than rehashing this again, I will come back to it at season’s end.     

Malaysia 

Malaysia GP Practice Session - Courtesy of Lotus F1 Racing

The Race

The Malaysian Grand Prix (Sepang International Circuit).   The course was built back in 1999 as the first F1 track and race in Southeast Asia. It is a challenging course of 56 laps with twists and turns, but also has a few straight-aways that will be used by drivers to pick up speed and for passing. Sepang International Circuit is in the district of Sepang, in the state of Selangor, just outside of Kuala Lumpur. Last year’s FIA World Champion Driver and the winner of the Australian Grand Prix, Jenson Button of Great Britain is the Malaysian Grand Prix winner last year. He also held the fastest lap and was the pole sitter for last year’s race for the Brawn GP Team. This year though he will be racing for the McLaren-Mercedes team, with his teammate Lewis Hamilton another world champion driver.

This area is known for its torrential rain like in the 2009 when they stopped the race after 33 laps and the first eight drivers were all awarded ½ points. It is also hot and humid and will be quite tough for the drivers racing in these conditions if it happens for this race. Michael Schumacher won on this track for Ferrari in 2000, 2001, and 2004 and took pole position four times for Ferrari. Schumacher is now racing for the Mercedes GP Petronas Formula Team and although the constructor is German based, the sponsor is Petronas a Malaysian government owned natural oil company. The new Lotus Team is also based out of Malaysia, although I will always associate it as British and it was Lotus that British Racing Green became the color that most people wanted for their cars, especially Jaguars. So, I guess you can say that the home teams are Petronas and now Lotus.  

This will be a hard race to determine a favorite. If this were a horse race you would normally go with those that have won on the track before and good in rainy conditions (if it ends up raining that is), such as Button or Schumacher. Think we will all get a better handle of what the race will look like after practice, qualifying rounds, and weather conditions become known for race day. Like a horse race though, anything can happen such as in Bahrain and Australia where the pole sitter for both these races was taken out because of mechanical failure or the driver with the track’s most wins, getting left behind in an accident.  

F1 Race weekend begins (please check back as I will update this article with the starting grid and with race results over the weekend):  

Friday, April 2, 2010 will be televised practice runs for the teams and drivers. Practice runs are mainly to fine tune the cars and drivers, by testing the track, the cars, and allowing the drivers to get a feel for their cars and the track. If in the United States, this will be on Speed Channel at 1:00 am EST or March 1, 2010 at 11:00 am PST.  

Saturday, April 3, 2010 will be qualifying for the starting grid for the race itself. This will determine pole position (the inside 1st row position) in the final round. The starting grid this year will have twelve rows of two cars each. There are three qualifying rounds. The first round eliminates seven drivers/teams from moving forward to the next round. The second qualifying round will do the same, taking out the bottom seven drivers/teams, leaving the fastest ten. The third and final qualifying round will take the final ten drivers/teams and will determine the first five rows of the starting grid. It is a little more complicated than just fastest lap speed and there are situations where it is possible that a driver with a faster lap could end up in the back seven rows. In the United States, this will be live on Speed Channel at 4:00 am EST or 1:00 am PST 

UPDATED 4/3/10 2:45 AM – STARTING GRID (1st Seven Rows):

1st Row: Mark Webber (Australia) Pole Position, Fastest Lap 1.49.327 (this is his second pole position of his F1 career) racing for Red Bull Racing Renault; and Nico Rosberg (Germany), Fastest Lap 1.59.673 (this is his 1st time in the 1st row of his F1 career) racing for Mercedes GP Petronas which will be this new team’s first time in 1st row

2nd Row: Sebastian Vettel (Germany), Fastest Lap 1.50.789; and Adrian Sutil (Germany), Fastest Lap 1.50.914

3rd Row: Nico Hulkenberg (Germany), Fastest Lap 1.51.001; and Robert Kubica (Poland), Fastest Lap 1.51.051

4th Row: Rubens Barrichello (Brazil), Fastest Lap 1.51.511; and Michael Schumacher (Germany), Fastest Lap 1.51.717

5th Row: Kami Kobayashi (Japan), Fastest Lap 1.51.767; and Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italy), Fastest Lap 1.52.254

6th Row: Vitaly Petrov (Russia), Fastest Lap 1.48.760; and Pedro de La Rosa (Spain), Fastest Lap 1.48.771

7th Row: Sebastien Buemi (Switzerland), Fastest 1.49.207; and Jaime Alguersuari (Spain), Fastest Lap 1.49.464

SHOCKER: Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa for Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton for McLaren Mercedes were knocked out in the 1st qualifying round and will start in the back of the pack, while Jenson Button for McLaren Mercedes was knocked out of the 2nd qualifying round and will start in the middle of the starting grid. Button was last year’s Malaysian Grand Prix winner, last year’s world driver’s champion, and was the winner of the last race in the Australian Grand Prix. All I can say is wow to that turn of events. They are four of the best F1 drivers out there, so no doubt they will be making this an interesting race in trying to move up.

Sunday, April 4, 2010 is RACE DAY. In the US, Speed Channel will cover this live at 3:30 am EST or at 12:30 am PST.  

Updated 4/4/2010 3:00 am Race Results:

1st Place - Sebastian Vettel (Germany) for Red Bull Renault. After two pole positions in the first two races and failing to take the podium because of mechanical failures, Vettel starting from 3rd position pretty much led throughout the race after over taking his teammate, Mark Webber. This is Vettel’s 1st win of the season and his 6th career win.

2nd – Mark Webber (Australia) for Red Bull Renault. After winning pole position he was over taken by Vettel and both drivers for the Red Bull team led throughout the race. This is Webber’s 1st podium finish for the 2010 season. With this win the Red Bull has had five 1, 2 finishes for its history. 

3rd - Nico Rosberg (Germany) for Mercedes GP. Rosberg started in 2nd position. This will be his first podium finish for the 2010 season.

You should go to the special page I set up above called Formula 1: Intro, Wine, and Food for more detailed information on F1, race schedule, results (updated 4/3/10), championship standings (updated 4/4/10), links to all teams, drivers, racing circuits, and organizations that have websites to further your knowledge and enjoyment of the sport. You will also find a real-time television schedule of air time for the races on Speed Channel. This page will supplement the individual articles that I write and will also serve as an archive when the racing season ends and for the series of articles.

NEXT UP: China April 18, 2010 (race day)

Here are a few videos from YouTube that I thought you would enjoy (“This is Formula 1″ a very well done video from YouTube user Tifosi46; Malaysian Grand Prix Race Track Simulation by racer, Mark Webber and the Red Bull Team; and Highlights of 2009′s Malaysian Grand Prix byt the governing body FIA):  

 

the Batu Caves

A Brief Background on History, Culture, Customs of Kuala Lumpur (and Sepang), Malaysia

Malaysia has two distinct parts separated by the South China Sea – Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. It is in Southeastern Asia, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Singapore, and 1/3 of the island of Borneo (East Malaysia) at the South China Sea just south of Vietnam. All of these areas were part of the Malay Peninsula. The Malay Peninsula goes back to at least the 3rd Century BC/BCE (Before Common Era) with Indian influences as well as Chinese culture, these influences were well established by the 1st century AD/CE (Common Era). It was around the 14th (some say 15th) century that Islam became the dominate influence over the Malay Peninsula.  

The historical site for what is now Malaysia is Malacca (Melaka) is quite a tourist destination with its forts, churches, towers left by the Dutch, Portuguese, and British colonial forces. The British established colonies and protectorates in the 18th and 19th centuries in what would become Malaysia. This area was under occupation of the Japanese from 1942-1945. The British ruled various territories on the Malay Peninsula and formed the Federation of Malaya (now often called Federation of Malaysia) in 1948 and became independent from Great Britain in 1957. Malaysia itself was formed in 1963. This country has seen a lot of upheaval, in its brief history, and still does from time to time with communist, religious, and Indonesian unrest, Singapore’s secession from the Peninsula, political issues, poverty, and other issues. Some credit the 22 year term of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad beginning in 1981 and ending in 2003 as the person that brought change with a diversified economy. However, some will argue that Malaysia was already making progress in the 1970s and the Mahathir term brought authoritarian type rule to its government, along with corruption. His successor in 2003, and current Prime Minister, Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi many believe is the one that has opened government up, increased promotion of tourism, and is vying for a business friendly government, while others say the opposite. All of this of course, like anything, is subject to debate by its people, by other countries ability to export, companies trying to do business there, and other viewpoints.  

Malaysia is a multicultural country with three main ethnic groups being the oldest and having a profound affect on the culture and geopolitics, they are the: Malays, Chinese, Indians and numerous indigenous people. The latter are collectively called Orang Asal or Orang Asli which means “original people”). Malaysia’s natural resources are petroleum, copper, tin, timber, natural gas, iron ore, and bauxite. It has an estimated population from July 2009 at 25,715,819 (a few current figures put this population at over 27,000,000) and a very young median age of 24.9. Its ethnic groups based on their 2000 census is 60.4% Muslim (the majority of Malay follow this), 19.2% Buddhist, 9.1% Christian, 6.3% Hindu, 2.6% Taoism, traditional Chinese, and Confucianism, 1.5% other, and 0.8% none. The official language is Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) with various forms of Chinese, English, Thai, Malayalam, and others also spoken. Its government is a constitutional monarchy. Its capital is Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia has thirteen states: Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka (Malacca), Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, and Terengganu. It does have one federal territory of Wilayah Persekutuan (WP) that has three components of the city of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya.  

Its legal system is based on English Common Law and Islamic Law is for Muslims. This article is about the region near where the F1 race is held and that would be the state of Selangor, with the race in the district of Sepang. Selangor is said to be one of the more developed, business friendly, and prosperous in Malaysia. It has the largest port in the country and has one of the highest per capital GDP, highest standard of living, and the lowest cost of living in the country. Its roots go back to the 16th century when rich tin deposits were found there. It is also home to the Hindu Shrine and Temple, Batu Caves where a large statue of the Hindu God guards the entrance and has a steep 272 steps.

There really is not much to say about Sepang itself as it is mainly the home of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (which is not actually in Kuala Lumpur) and the Sepang International Racing Circuit that attracts visitors throughout the world and is where this weekend’s race will be held. Most stay in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital. It is only about a ½ hour away and has many restaurants, top hotels, things to do, and nightlife. Sepang does have restaurants and hotels, but most are mainly around the airport. Sepang has become known for a planned community called Cyberjaya that is home to the Multimedia Super Corridor of Malaysia (MSC). Its own Silicon Valley, it is a portal for high tech call and data centers of which several of the international businesses located there use these technologically advanced services. It has become a hub for outsourcing call centers, often when you call a company to receive tech support or customer service, chances are you could be speaking with one of these call centers. 

Petronas Towers

Kuala Lumpur is a bustling city filled with culture, history, restaurants, commerce, and entertainment. It has the tallest twin buildings in Southeast Asia the Petronas Towers, and at one time they were the tallest buildings at 88 stories high (the highest right now is the Dubai Towers at 162 stories in Dubai, UAE). Built in 1998, these buildings have a sky bridge between the 41^st and 42^nd floors that in itself has become quite a tourist attraction, at least if you do not suffer from vertigo! One building is mainly used as the offices of government owned Petronas, the oil company that is also sponsor of the Mercedes GP team that is racing this weekend. The two buildings were over $1.6 billion to construct and more than eight million square feet. They contain some of Malaysia’s best of shopping arcades/malls, entertainment facilities, a museum, underground parking for 4,500 cars, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra perform in the symphony hall there, a mosque is also in the building, and a multimedia conference center, among other things. This city is filled with things to do, with a vibrant nightlife and restaurants that will please all tastes.

You should always check before leaving on any trip for updates on customs and the political atmosphere. This area, like others throughout the world can still have its share of political and religious unrest, along with customs that some are unfamiliar with.      

The Food and Wine of Malaysia    

The Wine (and Drink)    

Like Bahrain, and a few other countries and cities where F1 races are held, some of them do follow Islamic Law and because of this, alcohol will not be available everywhere. Mainly as it is now, those that do not follow the Islamic faith are fairly free to drink, but should always be respectful of the country’s customs. You will find wines and anything else you care to drink in Malaysia, its states, and cities.  Because of the Chinese population there and others, alcohol has been fairly prominent at nightclubs, restaurants, bars, and events, and other things. However, wine has not been a favorite in general in Malaysia up to now. In my research on the wine industry in Malaysia, I really did not find one exactly. In looking up wineries, there were a few that said they were wineries, mainly producers of other alcohol, that said they produced wine but they did not show what it was that was produced or where the winery was. In talking with a few people in the trade, Malaysia is finding a path for wine but is not quite there yet. It relies heavily on exports, and according to the Australian government, they now lead France as the leading exporter of wine since 2001 with a market share of 45-50%. They also go on to say that red wine (mainly Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz) is favored over white wines accounting for 80% of Australia’s sales volume. Because of the diversity of its population and prosperity, in some areas, wine is now becoming a sought after commodity in Malaysia. Exporting there though can have its curve balls, as there are numerous taxes imposed and hoops you need to jump over.    

There are established wine retailers and wine brokers that are making inroads in Malaysia, especially in the state of Selangor, and cities where there is economic growth and tourism. One of these is Denise Wine with locations throughout Malaysia. They not only sell wines from all over the world, they also teach their patrons about wine, have events, and have wine clubs. Along with retailers like Denise Wine, many restaurants and hotels are also highlighting wine tastings and education for this growing market of consumers.      

Again, because Malaysia recognizes Islamic Law, Muslims are prevented from drinking any alcohol.  If I understand the law, a Muslim will also be prevented from touching alcohol of which many Muslim owned establishments will be prevented from serving or selling it as well. However, in Malaysia, you will not find it difficult to find restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, pubs, and stores from serving or selling wines and alcohol.

Tea Plantation

Tea and coffee houses adorn most areas in Malaysia. Iced tea is a favorite in the country’s hot and humid weather. The British left their mark, but so did the Chinese and Indian cultures. There are of course Starbucks, but also a lot of smaller and locally owned tea and coffee houses throughout Malaysia. Although not in the area where the race is held, Cameron Highlands in Pahang is known for having wonderful high tea presentations and the leading manufacturer of black tea in Malaysia, BOH Plantations  is located there. 

 Food 

Malaysian Food

As there is the Malaysian Peninsula and Eastern Malaysia, the cuisine is a bit different in these areas. One thing is for sure, there is a lot of fusion going on. In Malay food, use of herbs and roots are used in dishes such as lemongrass, chilies, ginger, garlic, shallots, tamarind, daun kemangi (a basil), kunyit basah (turmeric root), among many others. Coconut (Masak Lemak ) is also used in many dishes, as is curry. There is also an ingredient used frequently in many dishes, and is much like anchovy paste, called Belachan (there are numerous other spellings for this depending on region). This is made with tiny baby shrimp (some use brine). Rice is used in almost everything and with any meal. As the state of Selangor is in the Malaysian Peninsula there will be a bit more about this area rather than Eastern Malaysia. One thing with Eastern Malaysian food is they too use a lot of rice and similar herbs, spices, and roots; however, they do appear to like to color their rice! Blue, red, even black. They use various petals from flowers and herbs to get these colors. Sweet foods are loved throughout Malaysia as well, especially desserts.

Traditionally Malaysian dishes are not served in courses, they are all served at the same time, including desserts. However, many restaurants and at hotels you will find dishes served in courses for most part.   

Below you will find an overview of a few favorite foods in the Malaysian Peninsula (all dishes can have variations as any dish can depending on region, culture, or chef):    

Nasi Lemak. Is often a morning breakfast. It is rice cooked in coconut milk and served in a banana leaf for most part, with cucumber, anchovies, peanuts, hard boiled egg.    

Roti Canai (can be called Roti Prata). Crispy Indian style pancake served with a dipping sauce. This is often a favorite appetizer and the dip used is often chicken curry and further herbs and roots such as lemon grass, tamarind, among others, and the Belachan paste is often used.     

Cheers then enjoy!    

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