Malaysia to scrap F1 race after 2017

Shanghai: The last Malaysian Grand Prix will run on Oct. 1, bringing an end to a race that has been a fixture on the Formula One calendar for 19 years.

F1 officials at the Chinese GP and the Malaysian government made the announcement on Friday.

Despite a contract to host the event through 2018, the government decided this year’s race would be the last due to the high cost of staging the event and declining ticket sales and tourism figures.

“Hosting the F1 has helped promote the country as a destination for international sports and tourism. However, it’s time for the government to assess the F1 race due to the changes since we first hosted the race in 1999,” Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement.

Competition from other races in Asia has taken a toll on the Malaysian GP. In his statement, Najib noted that when the race was first held at Sepang International Circuit nearly two decades ago, there was only one other Asian country on the F1 calendar, Japan.

Now, six Asian countries host F1 races, including nearby Singapore, which has one of the most popular races, run at night through the city streets.

The end of the Malaysian GP was anticipated since late last year when Malaysia’s sports minister indicated the country might not renew its contract when it expired.

State oil company Petronas will continue to sponsor the Mercedes team, the prime minister said in his statement.

Practice aborted in Shanghai over safety fears

China’s notoriously murky air cut short practice sessions at the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday, prompting speculation of a radical schedule shuffle to prevent the race being scuttled entirely. Smog and damp weather combined to interrupt morning practice and force the cancellation of the afternoon running without title hopefuls Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel logging any timed laps. Formula One officials also said the race’s medical helicopter would not have been able to land at a suitable hospital in the city, where poor visibility had caused a number of commercial flight delays.

With further poor conditions forecast, one option for organisers could be to bring the race forward from Sunday to Saturday as a precaution, while Hamilton offered an alternative suggestion.

“Sat program: 3 practice sessions, qualifying Sunday morning and then race. Who’s down for the switch up?” he tweeted.

The three-time world champion, who alleviated some of the boredom by running over to the vast main grandstand to throw signed baseball caps to screaming fans, added: “Seriously tho, this could actually be a blessing in disguise.” (Agencies)