Moment in History

As Cornell Iral Haynes Jr once said, “It’s gettin hot in herre. So hot. So take off all your clothes.” For the nerds, that sage advice comes from Grammy award winning ahtist Nelly, and is especially important to remember as we travel to Malaysia for this weekend’s Grand Prix. Malaysia formally joined the F1 calendar in 1999 and has gained notoriety for its ever changing weather. Hot and humid sunshine can give way to torrential tropical storms at any moment. So buckle up. We’ve got a wild weekend ahead.

To get you in the mood (I trust you’ve already started playing Nelly’s greatest hits in the background), let’s revisit the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix. Formally known at the XI Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix (h/t to Mr. Petronas), the race was held on April 5th at the Sepang International Circuit. True to form it was raining on race day. The race was scheduled for 56 laps but was red flagged after only 31 laps. In an effort to slowly move to race to a night race, the organizers had pushed back the start of the race from 14:00 to 17:00 local time. So by the time a rain delayed lap 31 rolled around, it was getting dark and too dangerous to continue the race. Oops.

Further complicating matters, the race did not reach the FIA mandated 75% distance. Technically, it wasn’t an official race. A comprised was reached, however, and half-points were given to the top ten spots. It was only the fifth time in Formula One history that had occurred and the first time since the 1991 Australian Grand Prix. The 2009 race was also the fifth-shortest World Championship Grand Prix only covering a distance of 106.772 miles. As I said earlier, Malaysia is a wild place. Make sure to tune in this weekend.

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