F1 Malaysia GP: Sepang swansong and Hamilton’s veganism

Formula 1 will say goodbye to the Sepang International Circuit this weekend when the famous track hosts its final Malaysia Grand Prix.

In April it was announced that after 19 years, the 2017 Malaysia Grand Prix would be the last.

At the time, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak told CNN the country could no longer justify the cost of hosting an F1 race.

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Fox Sports Asia’s John Duerden believes F1 will miss Malaysia, but feels the “time is right” because of the emergence of the Singapore GP.

He said: “Malaysia had a good run but the emergence of Singapore and its iconic night race in the city’s centre also had an effect and perhaps the time is right. Ticket sales have been declining since 2014 and the predictability of the sport in recent years also does not help.”

Before Sepang’s swansong on Sunday though, there’s still plenty to discuss on and off the track in Malaysia. We take a look at the main talking points ahead of this weekend’s race.

Is Hamilton’s vegan switch a bad idea?

After winning last time out in Singapore Lewis Hamilton moved 28 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel in the F1 drivers’ championship.

The biggest talking point from Singapore was undoubtedly the spectacular three-way crash between Vettel, team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. But another story making headlines was Hamilton’s announcement he was going vegan.

Will the lifestyle change affect his title bid? The BBC spoke with performance biochemist Dr Rob Child, who said it could have a negative effect for Hamilton midway through a season.

“I think it is a bad idea to switch mid-season,” Child told BBC Sport. “Quite often changing a diet does throw up some issues that take some time to resolve. Ultimately during that period his performance could be compromised.

“It is a close battle in the championship and you are looking to gain every advantage you can wherever possible. Such changes are made during the off season with the athletes I work with rather than during the season.”

Alonso: Hamilton now big title favourite

In an interview with Sky Sports, McLaren driver Fernando Alonso said Hamilton is now the firm favourite for the championship after Vettel crashed out in Singapore.

Alonso told Sky Sports F1 that if Vettel wants to remain in the title race then the German cannot make anymore mistakes.

“Now the championship is not as it was before Singapore where the two were equal,” said Alonso. “Now there’s a clear advantage for Lewis.

“It’s a risky situation now for Vettel. There is no more room for mistakes, while before they were in the same position. Lewis has a better chance now, but there are still six races remaining and anything can happen.”

Mercedes battle with ‘gremlins’

Although Hamilton is seen as the F1 title favourite, in the second free practice (FP2) session he struggled at Sepang while Vettel set the pace.

After FP2, Vettel led the way ahead of Ferrari team-mate Raikkonen in second and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo in third.

Hamilton was sixth and his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Botta was seventh. Haas driver Romain Grosjean crashed out after puncturing a tyre.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was left frustrated, says the Daily Express. Wolff said: “You can compare Malaysia to Silverstone probably, where we have been very good at high speed.

“But we’ve not been very good at high speed here. There is a fundamental issue in the car that we need to find out.

“They are very complex so it can be a kind of detail that just unsettles the car. There is some gremlin in the car.”

New face on the grid

Pierre Gasly will make his F1 debut when he races for Toro Rosso in place of Daniil Kvyat. The 21-year-old Frenchman told Formula1.com that he is looking forward to the race in Sepang and does not feel any pressure.

“People probably might think that I am cracking a bit under that pressure,” said Gasly. “Quite the contrary. I have been working very hard in the past few years to make it to F1 - why should I crack now?

“This opportunity is simply fantastic - I have been dreaming about this moment since I was a kid. I have been working so hard, being so focused and probably forsaking many things that kids do, but wow, I am here now.”

How to watch the F1 Malaysia GP

Sky Sports will broadcast the Malaysia Grand Prix live on Sunday morning. The race, which starts at 8am UK time, will be shown live on Sky Sports F1 on channel 406. Coverage starts at 6.30am on Sunday with the track parade followed by the pit lane and race build-up.