Safety changes at Sepang

The circuit owners have constructed 18 extra safety fences around the track as part of the FIA's on-going desire to limit the hazards faced by trackside workers. The marshals have also received new guidelines instructing them not to attend a vehicle until it is at a complete standstill.

"The marshals are now more comfortable because the emphasis is on their safety," said clerk of the course, Jeff Amin. "Their reaction this time will be slower but certainly safer. The FIA officials visited us last month and asked us to put up the fences as barriers for the marshals along the track. Previously, the marshals stood behind smaller crash barriers.

"The marshals have undergone three weeks of training. They are well prepared for their tasks during the race and they will do a good job."

Over the past two seasons two marshals have been killed by flying debris following big crashes.