Now, the grand F1nale

Lewis aims to put on a good show in final race at Sepang circuit

The Sepang F1 circuit will host its last race this weekend – and it will be a bittersweet event for many, including world championship leader Lewis Hamilton. He has seen joy, despair, mishaps and all kinds of weather but only won once in Sepang. Many national athletes will be there. Will you?

KUALA LUMPUR: Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, chasing his fourth world title and only his second victory at the Sepang F1 circuit, is sad that this weekend’s race will be the last to be held at the track.

The Mercedes driver, who is now leading the F1 world championship title, considers Sepang as a “home race” for his team due to its association with Petronas.

The Malaysian oil giant is the technical sponsor for AMG Mercedes.

Sepang first hosted the F1 in 1999, making Malaysia the second country in Asia after Japan to host the prestigious event.

“Obviously, I have been here many times, but this is my fifth season with Petronas now.

“It is definitely sad to think this is our last race at Sepang.

“Many drivers regard this track as one of the toughest, and this was from even before I joined Formula 1.

“It is definitely an epic grand prix for us in terms of the physical challenge, as well as for the car and the team,” said Hamilton, adding that he had many fond memories of the track.

“I remember my first 1-2 finish with McLaren Mercedes at Sepang (2014) and I also remembered the time when it rained like crazy (2009).”

In 2013, Hamilton, who had just moved to Mercedes, pulled up at the wrong pit stop – that of his old teammates in McLaren.

It was a while before he was waved on to the Mercedes pitstop.

In 2009, the rain was so heavy that the race had to be stopped after 31 of the 56 laps.

As the race did not reach the required 75% distance (42 laps) needed for full points to be awarded, half-points were given instead for only the fifth time in Formula 1 history.

“Really, the last couple of years have been spectacular,” he added.

Last year, Hamilton was leading when his engine failed and he had to retire from the race.

In 2015, Hamilton took pole position in a wet qualifying session but finished the race second behind Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

“They are taking away one of the toughest, if not the toughest, race of the season and it will be hard to replace,” said the 32-year-old, who promised to put up a memorable show for the fans this weekend.

“I really hope that we can do Petronas proud as they have been really great supporters of ours, and we have had such great success with them,” he said, hoping that he and compatriot Valtteri Bottas can bring a victory.

Bottas of Finland said it was a shame that they would not be racing in Sepang next year.

“I always have a great time visiting here. I love the track, so it would definitely be nice to finish the era of the Malaysian Grand Prix on a high.

“We definitely have high goals and high aims for this weekend,” said Bottas, who is third in the drivers’ standings.

Hamilton is leading the championship by 28 points. He has 263 points while Vettel is second on 235.

I really hope that we can do Petronas proud as they have been really great supporters of ours, and we have had such great success with them.

Lewis Hamilton