With two points currently to its name, Benson and Hedges Jordan Honda flies to the Sepang circuit for the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix to continue its World Championship challenge.

"Australia was a very encouraging start for us," said Jordan Chief Executive Eddie Jordan. "It was great to finally be racing with Honda, and to score points from the outset is the start we hoped for. We must now continue this trend."

Jordan Managing Director, Trevor Foster, echoes Jordan's sentiment that the team hopes to build on the success achieved in Australia, where the EJ11 cars showed strong reliability and speed. "Melbourne has historically been a good circuit for Jordan," says Foster, "whereas we do not have a particularly good track record in Malaysia, so this weekend it will be important for us to maintain the competitive form we have shown in testing and the first race. Sepang has very modern and excellent working facilities but this is a race where the heat will test drivers and cars to the limit. We feel confident but have the same concerns as every other team with regards to the conditions. Running the car under different climatic conditions, however, will at least enable us to gain further data and understanding of how the EJ11 cars behave in different environments."

Both Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli returned home to Monaco after the Australian Grand Prix. Heinz has enjoyed some valuable time at home with his family whilst maintaining his fitness programme. Jarno spent a day at home before flying to the Maldives last Wednesday where he trained with Italy's World Champion skier, Alberto Tomba. Both drivers have planned early arrivals in Malaysia to acclimatise.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen on the Malaysian Grand Prix
"Personally, I’m looking forward to racing on the most modern race track in the world. The people are very welcoming and have warmed to F1. Jordan seems to have a strong following in Malaysia, similar to Japan. I look forward to this race and think Malaysia is one of the most innovative and multicultural countries in Asia. Sepang circuit has very quick corners, is smooth to drive and is demanding. Hot and humid weather conditions make racing there that bit more difficult than on other circuits. In order for us to achieve a good set-up, we will need every technical device on hand to create as much downforce as possible. I would say that the most challenging aspects of Sepang are probably turns 7 and 8 as they stand out in my mind as particularly technically demanding."

Jarno Trulli on the Malaysian Grand Prix
"I enjoy racing at Sepang as it’s a challenging circuit for many reasons. It is a flowing track, but the extreme heat makes driving there very physically exhausting. I have spent a few days training in the Maldives since I returned from Australia though, so feel in good shape for Malaysia. I also think it will be an interesting race as this circuit is one that can help us to really understand the true potential of the EJ11."

Circuit Information
Sepang circuit lies next to the city's main airport, about forty five minutes south of central Kuala Lumpur, and was purpose-built for Formula One as a state of the art racing circuit, the first of its kind in Malaysia. This will be the third consecutive Grand Prix the track has hosted and its excellent facilities provide a high quality working environment for teams and drivers. Sepang has an unusually wide track which allows for good overtaking opportunities, but is still a challenge for drivers with its variety of tight and flowing corners and two fast and long straights on either side of the spectacular canopied grandstands. The hot track temperature creates low grip level, with the heat also making this race hard on engines. A good car balance is required for the quick corners although the track's flowing nature makes it light on the brakes.

Now scheduled at the opening end of the season, as opposed to the end, the Malaysian Grand Prix stands a greater chance of seeing rain for the race, although the heat and humidity will still be intense. In four of the last five years it has rained in Sepang on 18 March, which could make for an exciting race, although, having completed wet weather testing in Silverstone last week (see below) Benson and Hedges Jordan Honda has good telemetry data to work from for wet weather set-up.

Chassis Details
Heinz-Harald Frentzen Chassis 04
Jarno Trulli  Chassis 03
T-car   Chassis 02

Circuit Details
Sepang International Circuit, Jalan Pekeliling, 64000 KLIA, Selangor, Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Circuit Length: 5.543 km 
Race Distance: 56 laps = 310.408 km

Timetable (local time)
Time difference is GMT + 8 hours

Friday 16 March
Free Practice:  11.00 - 12.00  13.00 - 14.00

Saturday 17 March
Free Practice:  09.00 - 09.45  10.15 - 11.00
Qualifying:  13.00 - 14.00

Sunday 18 March
Warm-up:  10.30 - 11.00
Race:   15.00

Latest Testing Information
EJ11 chassis 02 was flown back from Australia in order for the team's test driver, Ricardo Zonta, to complete a two day test in a 2001 specification car at Silverstone on 8th and 9th March. Ricardo posted the fastest lap time as wet weather persisted throughout the first day and the team concentrated its efforts on wet set-up car development in the morning and tyre testing for Bridgestone in the afternoon. With his first dry run in the EJ11, Ricardo enjoyed the second day and ran a comprehensive tyre testing programme, completing the maximum mileage required. The team will resume testing on Wednesday 21 March for three days in Barcelona.