After the “slow” winter break, we are certainly up to speed again. Three short days after the spectacular Australian Grand Prix the F1 Circus will set up camp in Sepang for this weekend´s Malaysian Grand Prix. While the teams have had a busy few days moving all the equipment to Malaysia and setting up the pit garages in Sepang, I have relaxed a bit in Melbourne. I have been coming to Melbourne every year since the city´s first Grand Prix back in 1996 but so far I have seen little but my hotel, the Albert Park circuit and the Tullamarine Airport. This year, I finally have the time to take a closer look at the city and I spent two great days in Melbourne.

This year, we have had fantastic weather during the Grand Prix weekend in Melbourne. Lots of sunshine and temperatures close to 40 degrees C has been a nice change from the cold weather in Denmark - when I called my wife this morning, she reported snow storm and temperatures around freezing point at home!

It could be even hotter in Malaysia this weekend. While the high temperatures in Melbourne have been pleasant, it is much more humid in Malaysia - we can again expect temperatures around 40 degrees, but with humidity up to 90%, it will feel very different from Australia.

The heat and the humidity make the Malaysian Grand Prix the most gruelling of the season for the drivers - I have been told that Panasonic Toyota Racing drivers Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock can expect to lose around four litres of fluid during the race! “The Malaysian Grand Prix is an extremely difficult race and a big challenge for any driver,” Jarno confirms. “But we have trained hard enough over the winter so we should be ready,” Timo - who has never raced at the Sepang circuit - adds.

The heat will also put extra strain on the cars, and you will see many additional air ducts on the cars in Malaysia - just to let more air pass through the car and cool down hot components like the exhausts, radiators and brake discs.

The Sepang circuit, located next to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport some 60 kilometres from Downtown, puts huge demands on the set-up of the cars. The slow sections require plenty of traction, while high stability levels are crucial particularly for the many fast corners. Good aerodynamic efficiency is also important In Sepang, which is quite hard on the rear tyres. With no traction control (banned this year, remember) and the heat it will be interesting to see how the rear tyres survive in Sepang.

The race this weekend will be the 10th. Malaysian Grand Prix - and my 200th Grand Prix in a row. I will tell you more about it in my diary after Friday´s opening practice sessions!

Panasonic Toyota Racing drivers Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock were in sixth and 17th. position respectively when the chequered flag went out after the second practice session for Sunday´s Malaysian Grand Prix here in Sepang.

Friday was another very hot day in Sepang. Temperatures reached 33 degrees C, which is what we can expect for the rest of the weekend. 33 degrees is less of what we experienced in Melbourne last week - and is likely to be quite a lot under what we will endure in Bahrain next month.

Still, Malaysia is the “hottest” race of the year (a few years ago, the organisers here in Sepang actually build their pre-race PR campaign around these very words - “The Hottest Race of the Year”). The reason is the high humidity - on some days it is over 90%!

“The heat and in particular the humidity makes it a bit uncomfortable,” Jarno confirms. “Australia was a very hot weekend as well but Malaysia is much more humid, which make it one of the hardest races of the year.”

Jarno´s colleagues agree. “You cannot begin to imagine how hot it gets in the car,” championship leader Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes says. “We have had a bit of a head start with the temperatures in Melbourne, but the focus is always on making sure you are well hydrated: Last year I was drinking up to four litres a day in the days leading up to the race. It was the hardest race I have ever competed in last year - even with all the preparation and really trying to look after your energy beforehand,” Hamilton goes on.

Jenson Button (Honda) says: “It is tough racing in these temperatures but that isn´t the real real problem - it is the humidity. It is one thing taking in hot air - but quite another taking in hot AND damp air. It is pretty tough to breathe and it can even get quite claustrophobic in the helmet.”

Adrian Sutil (Force India) says it is not just the heat and the humidity which make the Malaysian Grand Prix so hard: “Sepang is also a very bumpy track so it makes it very physically demanding. But I think I will be well prepared as Australia was also hot and I have been spending three days training in Malaysia to acclimatise.”

So much for the drivers and their problems in the heat. Sepang will also be a tough test for the tyres, and Bridgestone have brought their hard and medium dry compounds to Malaysia. The long straights leading into slow corners necessitate a lot of heavy braking, which put great demands on the tyres.

And then there is the threat of thunderstorms: The official weather forecast here in the Media Centre suggests temperatures around 33 degrees for the weekend here in Sepang - but also says “Thunderstorms” for both Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

It will all add to the excitement: The Malaysian Grand Prix could just be the hottest AND hardest race of the year!

Today´s qualifying for the 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix produced an interesting grid. After a difficult start of the season in Melbourne last week, Ferrari returned to form and Felipe Massa (on pole) and Kimi Raikkonen will start from the front row tomorrow.

Row two is an all-McLaren-Mercedes affair with Heikki Kovalainen third ahead of Melbourne winner and World Championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

And then comes...Panasonic Toyota Racing´s Jarno Trulli! The Italian was in great form today, was close to the front in all three qualifying sessions and ended up in a great fifth place as “best of the rest” immediately behind the Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes drivers.

“We are all very pleased with this result and it is definitely looking good for tomorrow´s race,” Jarno said after Panasonic Toyota Racing´s best qualifying result for a a very long time.

Timo Glock also made it into Q3 for the second race in a row and is 10th. on the provisional grid.

Everybody in the Panasonic Toyota Racing team is relieved that things are once again moving in the right direction after the difficult 2007 season.

This was also clear from an interview with Jarno in one of Malaysia's leading newspapers, the New Strait Times. It was published this morning, and this is what Jarno said about his chances for this weekend: “We are aiming for a decent performance. Of course we have to acknowledge who we are up against - like the Ferrari and McLaren teams. But still - we are hoping this will be a good race and a good season for Toyota.”

Jarno was then asked about his thoughts on Lewis Hamilton. “Except for on the track, don´t really know him that well,” Jarno replied. “But he has been racing very well and looks to have a promising future ahead of him.”

The interview was of course made before qualifying but it is interesting to note that Hamilton will start tomorrow´s Malaysian Grand Prix in fourth place - immediately before Jarno in fifth place!

As I write this late on Saturday afternoon, it is raining heavily. The rain started shortly after qualifying and a couple of showers made the GP2 race a dramatic affair. In the interview with the New Straits Times, Jarno also talked about the weather. “The weather is one of the things that make the Sepang circuit so challenging,” he said. “It can be scorching and dry one minute and very wet the next. This can instantly change the course of the race!”

Wet or dry - the Malaysian Grand Prix should be a great race for Jarno and the rest of the Panasonic Toyota Racing team!