In my preview last year for another website, (more paw-paw than passion - Ed), I wrote that it was "No surprise that there has never been a Malaysian Formula One driver." So now we're surprised: there is a Malaysian Formula One driver, there's a Malaysian Grand Prix - the fourth - and you could almost say that Paul Stoddart's Minardi team is partly Malaysian - thanks to the support that it has from this country. And when it's not being Australian, British or Italian.

So now Alex Yoong carries his country's flag in Grand Prix racing, and no doubt he will be feeling very proud but a little anxious at the same time. After the Australian Grand Prix, Minardi-hysteria will be at its peak and at times like these, people like Paul Stoddart and his excellent PR man Graham Jones have their hands full trying to tell people that they are not about to win the next Grand Prix just because they have finished fifth in the last one! Those of us who know Grand Prix racing know that it's not like that, but you try telling that to excitable Malaysians, Colombians or even the odd Australian. The fact that Alex overtook the admittedly ailing David Coulthard in Malaysia won't make their task any easier!

As a country, Malaysia is the youngest in the World Championship calendar but even so, that doesn't mean that it hasn't had a certain motor sporting heritage. It has, for instance, hosted a round of the Asian Pacific Rally championship, and back in 1985, a round of the World Sports Car championship was held at the Shah Alam circuit. I was commentating that day and my co-commentator set off as though it was a ten lap Formula Ford race. By lap 30 his voice had completely gone, and I had the mike to myself for the rest of the day.

I digress - as usual.

So now, to add to that heritage, there is a Malaysian driver, of part Malaysian, part British extraction. Prince Bira (or Birabongse, to give him his full name) of Siam, now Thailand, was the closest that this area of Asia had previously got to a Grand Prix driver.

There have only really been two racing circuits in Malaysia for cars, both, curiously, based near the old and new airports serving Kuala Lumpur. The first goes under several names: Shah Alam is perhaps the official name, but it was also known as Batu Tiga and even Selangor, referring to the state palace which overlooks it. Racing began there in 1968 and it was here that the 800 kms sports car race took place in 1985, won by Jochen Mass and Jacky Ickx in a Porsche 962. The circuit had been specially modified to host the race but it wasn't a success. Incidentally, holder of the circuit's lease for ten years was Alex Yoong's father, and Alex spent his early teens pounding around the track in a Honda road car in all weathers.

While cars may not have raced internationally at the circuit again, it was the venue of World Motorcycle championship events from 1991 to 1997, while the following year, the championship visited Johor - but only once.

Meanwhile, however, Malaysia's motor sport interest was increasing. Proton, with an ostensibly Mitsubishi-based machine driven by Karamjit Singh, entered the Group N class of the Asia Pacific Rally championship with sponsorship from national petroleum company Petronas. They then entered into an agreement with Sauber who badged their Ferrari-sourced engines Petronas and they have carried that name ever since. Last year, Petronas also provided lubricants for the engine. In the mid-nineties, Jackie Stewart's cars carried support from the Malaysian tourist board with the 'Visit Malaysia' slogan.

Since then, of course, the Sepang circuit has been constructed a few minutes drive from the new KLIA, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, about 50 kilometers from KL itself. It was almost exactly three years ago - after the 1999 Australian Grand Prix - that the circuit was officially opened and this year's race will be fourth since that time. It was noticeable, then, how proud Malaysia's prime minister was of the circuit that was really his baby. But he also made a point of demonstrating Malaysian-built cars. There were many Proton displays, but perhaps more surprising was that Dr Mahathir, the prime minister, and his wife arrived in separate TVRs. They are made under licence in Malaysia, and are regarded as Malaysian cars!

Since then, however, Alex Yoong has joined Minardi and now Malaysia have their own Grand Prix, their own driver and they now support two Grands Prix teams in Sauber and Minardi who sport the names of several sponsors.

Previous form

Ferrari have won all three Malaysian Grands Prix held so far with both cars finishing each time and only once lower than second - third. McLaren have filled the final place on the rostrum each time, but it's interesting to note that both Stewarts finished in 1999 and Jaguar filled the final points-scoring place a year later. Jordan, Williams(finally) and McLaren finished off the top six last year.

Michael Schumacher has started from pole all three times so far, and of course could have won every race if he hadn't given up victory in 1999 to Eddie Irvine who was in contention for the championship that year. The Ulsterman has finished first and sixth, but suffered a water leak last year.

Of the rest, Barrichello has the best form, finishing all three races: second last year, with a third from fourth on the grid for Ferrari, and fifth from sixth on the grid for Stewart n the years before that. Coulthard has been second and third(from eighth on the grid) for the last couple of years.

Prediction time