Grapevine: More News from the Paddock - Malaysian GP

Bring On the Women

Michael Schumacher has revealed that he is not as strong as some women, and put that point forward to suggest there is no reason why there should not be a female driver in Formula One in the future. However, because the ratio between female and male drivers is just one in 100, the four-time World Champion believes another female driver is unlikely to make it into Grand Prix racing for some time to come.

"There are women who are a lot tougher than I am," he was reported as saying in the local press. "I do not see why they cannot make it as an F1 driver but it will be tough." But Schumacher was then reported to criticise motor racing's female fraternity on a lack of effort. "Women have excelled in sports and I am sure they have what it takes to become successful in motorsports," he said. "But the problem is they do not try hard enough."

New Baby

The Japanese engine director of Sauber Petronas, Osamu Goto, took a break from the hustle and bustle of Grand Prix racing for the Malaysian race to spend time with his wife Mika and their new daughter Karin, who was born in Switzerland on March 6, three days after the opening Grand Prix in Australia. The 52-year-old Goto, former head of Honda's Formula One engine project, will also miss the next race in Brazil but will return to the track for the San Marino Grand Prix.

Smouldering Sepang

The Sepang track became shrouded in fog on Saturday as 250 local firefighters continued in their attempts to extinguish a peat fire just 15 km from the track. The visibility at the circuit and its surroundings was reduced, although not to a level where it became dangerous for the drivers or too much of a problem for the spectators. The fires were reported on Friday, but the effects were minimal then and David Coulthard said he hadn't been affected by the peat smoke - the only smoke that worried him had been at the back of his McLaren.

Quick March

Silverstone better watch out if the organisers of the Malaysian Grand Prix succeed in setting the benchmark for a crowd exodus after the race on Sunday. With empty grandstands and poor attendance at the start of the event, the organisers have sent ticket sellers to the KL international airport in a last-ditch attempt to attract more crowds.

But despite this, they are expecting up to 100,000 people to attend and they have set a target of 45 minutes to get them all out at the end of the race. The dual carriageway road system in and out of the Sepang circuit, they believe, is adequate to dispatch the 30,000 cars in double-quick time, and it will leave officials at the Northamptonshire circuit hoping their new dual carriageway exit will have the same effect.