McLaren head to the Malaysian Grand Prix full of hope after a winter of discontent was forgotten with a stirling weekend at Albert Park.

Despite Jenson Button’s admittance that the team was expecting to be racing the Force India team, Australia represented a performance that simply shocked the F1 community.

While unlikely to be simply a one-off, the high-speed Malaysian track represents an totally different challenge to the tighter Albert Park track.

A genuine chance to gauge the speed of the car will be thwarted by the biggest variable out there though – an absolute deluge that only Malaysia does best.

A look at the BBC’s weather forecast shows the country is in for a week with so much rain that it could make Britain look as dry as the sun.

The Official Formula 1 site looks even further ahead, painting a picture of black clouds and white light similar to fireworks in a night sky – something the team will be confident they can mirror on the track.

However, even if the car had been the dog it once appeared to be, the chances are that the team would still love playing in the puddles. Button was the coolest man on the track to take the (half) race win at the last Malaysian downpour in 2009, while both his race victories last season were taken in wet conditions.

The fact that Hamilton took the team’s last race victory at the last wet weather race (Spa-Francorchamps) also deserves both attention and applause – in fact, a total of 5 of Hamilton’s 14 race wins have come in wet weather races. This represents the second-best percentage of wins to have come in wet races, beaten only by the man he shares a stable with.

“Even if the car had been the dog it once appeared to be, the chances are that the team would still love playing in the puddles.”

So then, what can stop the Silver Arrows from taking the gold medal this weekend?

Well for one, it appears that no amount of rain can stop the sensational Sebastian Vettel from being on fire right now. The world champ would have won the past 5 races in a row but for a blow-up in Korea, while he stormed to a simple pole and win in the season opener.

Throw in the German’s equally brilliant record in the wet, and it will take a gigantic effort to simply be in a position to even challenge him. Whether the team has made the developments to outpace a Red Bull car that has simply been the class of the field since the middle of 2009 remains to be seen.

Coming in to the start of the season, Mclaren would have been delighted with having a chance to amaze rather than malaise in just the second race of the season.

A hard day’s work saw the team taking 28 points, while the signs already point to the team scoring a 10/10 showing in the Malaysian monsoon.

The Malaysian Grand Prix takes place on the 8th, 9th and 10th April. For all of the build-up, latest news and reaction stay right here on Formula 1 FanCast.

Related posts: