Qualifying - (Tonight) Saturday 3/23 3am CDT
Race - Tomorrow Sunday 3/24 3am CDT

Final Practice speeds (going on LIVE for about another 15 minutes) are showing the usual suspects.

1 Hamilton
2 Webber
3 Rosberg
4 Button
5 Sutil
6 Vettel
7 Raikkonen - (last weeks Aus GP winner)
8 Massa

Qualifying is LIVE about 3am tonight.

Possible MONSOON conditions again... Kuala Lumpur is in the rainy season. Expect tire strategy to dominate the GP once again.

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

Live stream available here

http://www.firstrow1.eu/watch/176375/4/watch-f1-malaysian-grand-prix---practice-3.html

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

When does Lewis Hamilton make the move to NASCAR? Its gotta be in couple of years.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

There is no way he is going to make the estimated $40mm in salary alone in NASCAR or anywhere else stateside. He may make 2-3x that much in Endorsements in Europe alone.

Short answer is: NEVER

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

I may be just drunk enough to indulge this.

Hopefully I can remain conscious.

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Never? I disagree. Someone will throw big money at him in the US.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

I'd rather UStream.

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These are estimates from last year before his $100M transfer fee alone to Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton's est. Wealth as of 2012
$265,889,400 USD
2012 salary $32,850,000 USD

Why the hell would he give that up to go to NASCAR, which only people in the US care about? (and which popularity is waning, as even yourself has noted) He is known as the "Billion Dollar Man" for a reason. There is no way to confirm what he is earning in endorsements. Granted, Hamilton is a special case, he is Balck, and grew up very publicly in the circuit. He is extremely popular in the UK and globally. He's like DE Jr, but he was world-class performance wise out of the chute.

If you think anyone in NASCAR is going to pony that up for an open wheeler (whom have had limited success; it's been well chronicled on these forums) you are out of your mind.

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

He's also not even the undisputed best driver in F1.

That would be Vettel.

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

Yeah but nothing will ever top the night your dulcet tones gently entered into my ear whilst I typed my responses.

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I see what F1 has to compete against in this country... plenty of weekend alternative choices for diversion at 3am...

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

I had to run out for cough* supplies.


Just to further emphasize how fucking STUPID Scorehead's thought's on NASCAR's financial ability to lure the top F1 drivers (let alone Hamilton), here is a list complied by Forbes.

The top 10 2012 NASCAR driver earners according to Forbes:

• Dale Junior. -- $25.9 million ($12.9 salary/winnings, $13M endorsements)
• 7-Time Johnson -- $23 million ($16.3M salary/winnings, $6.7M endorsements)
• Smokey Stewart -- $18.7 million ($12.7M salary/winnings, $6M endorsements)
• Big Daddy Gordon -- $18.1 million ($12.6M salary/winnings, $5.5M endorsements)
• Cousin Carl Edwards -- $13.7 million ($12.2M salary/winnings, $1.5M endorsements)
• Happy Harvick -- $13 million ($11.5M salary/winnings, $1.5M endorsements)
• Danica Patrick -- $12.9 million ($6.4M salary/winnings, $6.5M endorsements)
• Rowdy Busch -- $12.5 million ($9.6M salary/winnings, $2.9M endorsements)
• Pretty Boy Kahne -- $12 million ($11M salary/winnings, $1M endorsements)
• Miller Light Keselowski -- $11.4 million ($10M salary/winnings, $1.4M endorsements


So uhm... yeah. NEVER.

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

I'm watching the 1994 Pioneer Electrics 200.

Team Penske is looking good.

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Wtf is that? CART?



Current Weather conditions over the next hour in Sepang, Malaysia:


5 PM Sat Mar 23

87°F Scattered T-Storms
FEELS LIKE: 100°
HUMIDITY: 74%
PRECIP: 60%

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

I expect race conditions tomorrow to possibly look like:

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

Yep. One of the road races.

Al Unser Jr.
Emmerson Fittipaldi
Paul Tracy

Awesome.

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There are 3 types of compounds. Basically soft (dry), intermediate, and wet (which actually, have grooves, much like your all weather street tires). They are constantly changing the exact regulations year to year, but basically you have to use at least 2 if not all 3 types at least once during the race (losing time pitting each time for a change). The top teams startegize when to make these changes depending on the weather conditions on race day.

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

For example, if you are making hay on the soft tires, it starts raining and you all of a sudden start losing lap times to another team who just happened to put on wet or intermediates. There is a break-even point of lost time where it's better just to come in and get the proper tires.

There is no limit to the number of tires or changes, other than the teams ability and willingness t throw money around.

Other times, a team might have just put on the wet tires just to run a lap under the rules, and it starts raining... now the rest of the field is slopping around on the wrong tires.

This would be a lucky break. .... not to be confused with the

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

Hamilton reporting rain on his radio in turns 5 and 6.

If it starts pouring ... chaos will ensue!!

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

di Resta is on the wrong tires and is all over the place.

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

Topless fans celebrating near the Ferrari paddock.

At least on my stream, that is.. (which sounds Indian or something )

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

they have a helmet and rollbar

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the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

1. Sebastian Vettel (Ger), Red Bull - 1min 49.674secs
2. Felipe Massa (Bra), Ferrari - 1:50.587
3. Fernando Alonso (Spa), Ferrari - 1:50.727
4. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes - 1:51.699
5. Mark Webber (Aus), Red Bull - 1:52.244
6. Nico Rosberg (Ger), Mercedes - 1:52.519
7. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin), Lotus - 1:52.970 **
8. Jenson Button (GB), McLaren - 1:53.175
9. Adrian Sutil (Ger), Force India - 1:53.439
10. Sergio Perez (Mex), McLaren - 1:54.136


**Last week's winner Raikkonen incurred a penalty for blocking Rosberg, he will drop 3 places to 10th, with Button, Sutil, and Perez each sliding up a spot on the grid.

Vettel starts from pole again. The man is a machine.
Hamilton gambled that the track would continue to dry, staying out on his older tires. This never really happened, while both Red Bull guys and the Ferraris all pitted for a fresh set of intermediates before the final hotlaps.
Massa, the #2 guy at Ferrari, used the last hot lap of the session to edge out his more acclaimed teammate Alonso.

di Resta never quite got on the right tires after his adventures in Kitty Litter land and will start 15th.

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

Same time tonight.
Coverage begins at 2:30a CDT on NBC-SN

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

You guys are cracking me up with these threads, the only way I am up at that time is if I am just getting home from the bar. I would be in no such shape to participate in any type of discussion.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

The will replay the race in it's entirety tomorrow afternoon at 3pm on NBC-SN.

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

It would be a bit of a stretch to call it a discussion, more like me typing to nobody here in particular at 3 in the morning. I'm assuming Keeping Score is otherwise usually busy off typing/skyping/ A/S/L'ing to others at that hour that share his deviant lifestyle.

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

Good morning racefans!!!!!!!!!

Parade, errrr, formation laps underway for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

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CSFMB: Home of the small minded

Yeah, we got rain and drippy skies for today's race.

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CSFMB: Home of the small minded

Fernando Alonzo has a broken front wing and is throwing sparks everywhere.

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CSFMB: Home of the small minded