F1 race returns to KL with new champion

F1 race returns to KL with new champion

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): For a race only one year old, the Malaysian
Grand Prix already has a lot of history.

Last year, Michael Schumacher made a spectacular return to the
Formula One season after a three-month break to recover from a
broken leg. He won pole position, gave up the race lead to then-
Ferrari-teammate Eddie Irvine, was disqualified after the race,
then reinstated.

Now, he returns to the Sepang course near Kuala Lumpur as the
newly crowned world champion. His manager says new souvenirs,
labeled "World Champion 2000," are already being prepared,
possibly for sale by Sunday's season-ending race.

Schumacher clinched his third Formula One title by winning the
Japanese Grand Prix on Oct. 8, moving past two-time champion Mika
Hakkinen on the second pit stop.

It gave Schumacher a 12-point lead in the season standings and
a third world driving title to go with the pair he earned with
Benetton in 1994 and 1995.

He had pursued a third crown for Ferrari, coming close twice.
After starting the season brilliantly - winning five of the first
eight races - he slumped, allowing Hakkinen to overtake him.

Then Schumacher recovered to win in three continents as he won
the Italian, U.S. and Japanese races.

He returns to Malaysia in triumph. Last year, after missing
six races following a crash at the British Grand Prix in July, he
returned to racing in Sepang.

He had the pole position and then led the race before moving
aside to allow Irvine to go ahead. The Ferraris finished first
and second and gave Irvine a temporary lead in the standings.

Then, the Ferraris were disqualified for a technical
violation. Less than a week later, the decision was overturned
and Ferraris' 1-2 finish was reinstated. But Hakkinen snatched
the driver's title from Irvine in the Japan.

Malaysian Grand Prix officials hoped this season would go down
to the wire and maneuvered to have their race as the final one.
But while the race should be as exciting as any Formula One
contest, for Schumacher, win or lose, it will still amount to a
victory lap.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, a racing enthusiast, was a
driving force to bring Formula One to his country. The track, 70
kilometers south of Kuala Lumpur near the airport, was built for
280 million ringgit (about US$80 million).

Malaysia spent 30 million ringgit giving the track and
surrounding area a face lift since last season. More than 100,000
fans attending in 1999, and it was telecast to more than 150
countries according to racing officials.

This year, race organizers improved the stands and safety
features around the circuit. Even if it rains Sunday, a new
drainage system would quickly help improve conditions.

Schumacher's victory in Japan thrilled Ferrari fans all over
the world. But a bit of suspense hangs in the Sepang air, to see
whether a bizarre set of circumstances could rob the venerable
Italian stable of the constructors championship.

Ferrari leads archrival McLaren by 13 points. Hakkinen and
McLaren teammate David Coulthard need to finish at least first
and third and to shut Ferrari out of the points to snatch the
constructors title.

However, if Schumacher and teammate Rubens Barrichello score
at least three points, or if a McLaren doesn't win the race,
Ferrari will have the constructor and driving double for the
first time since 1979, when Jody Scheckter paced Ferrari to both
victories.

Ferrari won the constructors title in 1982, 1983 and 1999, but
Scheckter was the last Ferrari champion driver until this year.