Formula One News — March 2006

The 2006 Malaysian Grand Prix looked like being a really interesting race but as things turned out, it was not a classic. The early demise of Williams and Kimi Raikkonen and the lack of performance of others meant that Giancarlo Fisichella had things pretty much how he wanted them.

Malaysian GP - Sunday Press Conference

Malaysian GP - Race Notes

Malaysian GP - Sunday Photos

Malaysian GP - Sunday Team Quotes

Malaysian GP - Race Incidents

Malaysian GP - Race Results

Giancarlo Fisichella has had a difficult time so far this season but an engine change after Bahrain, allowed because his car failed to finish for other reasons, meant that the Italian went to steamy Malaysia with the potential to outshine his rivals.

The important point to be made is that the grid for the Malaysian Grand Prix will not be published until Sunday morning and thus it is possible that there will be teams who will decide to change engines before the race begins.

Malaysian GP - Saturday Photos

Malaysian GP - Saturday Press Conference

Malaysian GP - Saturday Team Quotes

Malaysian GP - Qualifying Results

Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso continued their Bahrain battle in Malaysia on Saturday morning, the two men ending the session first and second, separated by 0.05secs.

Malaysian GP - Practice Session 3 Results

The Pirelli company is in a state of flux at the moment but it is doing well with 14.6% growth in revenues last year and profits up by 32%. The company is involved in the tyre and communications industries and in real estate development. There was a fourth division involved in the cable industry but this has been sold off.

Honda F1 test driver Anthony Davidson set the pace in the second practice session with an impressive last minute lap of 1m35.041s, which put him three-tenths of a second faster than Alexander Wurz's Williams. Also in the hunt were Fernando Alonso (Renault) and Felipe Massa (Ferrari).

At the moment there is much talk about the future of Juan Pablo Montoya and whispers that he is talking to a lot of different teams. The logic in the paddock is that Montoya will go to Renault next year to replace Fernando Alonso.

Malaysian GP - Friday Photos

Malaysian GP - Friday Press Conference

Malaysian GP - Friday Team Quotes

Malaysian GP - Practice Session Results

The word on the street in Italy is that Italian tyremaker Pirelli is considering a bid for the role of F1 tyre supplier next year when F1 switches to a single tyre supplier. The FIA will decide the identity of the supplier after a tendering process which will be beginning shortly.

Alexander Wurz set the fastest time of the Friday morning session with a best lap of 1m34.946s, which was half a second faster than the fastest lap of the race in 2005, set by Kimi Raikkonen at 1m35.483s.