KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Formula One could be on its way out of Malaysia after the countrys sports minister said we should stop hosting the grand prix and the chief of the Sepang International Circuit implied the dominance of Mercedes had stripped the sport of its excitement.There is a contract to hold an F1 race at Sepang through 2018 but the prospects of continuing beyond that are diminishing. An early exit could possibly be negotiated as F1s new ownership seeks to expand its presence in the United States without extending the season schedule.Amid falling ticket sales and television viewership, SIC chief executive Razlan Razali told local media that maybe it will do Malaysia good to take a break from hosting F1.The product (F1) is no longer exciting. Its being dominated by one team, Razali was quoted as saying.This criticism is despite Malaysias state oil company, Petronas, being both the major sponsor of the Mercedes team and the naming-rights sponsor of the local grand prix.The Malaysian sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin agreed with the SICs suggestion of taking a break from F1.I think we should stop hosting the F1. At least for a while. Cost too high, returns limited, he tweeted.When we first hosted the F1 it was a big deal. First in Asia outside Japan. Now so many venues. No first mover advantage. Not a novelty.Jamaluddin said the ticket sales were declined, TV viewership is down, foreign visitor numbers have decreased because of competition from races in Singapore, China and the Middle East and returns are not as big.The opinion of the sports minister is significant given the Malaysian race, like many others on the F1 calendar, is partially bankrolled by the government.His tweets were met with agreement on his feed, while some questioned why Malaysias F1 crowds continue to diminish while those at the neighboring Singapore Grand Prix are much higher.(Singapore is a) Night race in the city. Novelty. Nowhere else in the world. Even then ticket sales are down. Its a hot race during the afternoon vs Singapore night race in the heart of city w/ no restrictions on concert acts, Jamaluddin said. Cost of lighting up SIC prohibitive. We looked into it.The Sepang circuit will host Moto GP this weekend, and tickets sales for that event have consistently been much higher than for F1.Jamaluddin said Sepang should continue to host Moto GP and add other race series that do not have the huge hosting fees which Formula One commands.The Malaysian GP has been a permanent fixture on the F1 calendar since 1999 and was included in the provisional 2017 calendar issued last month. Vans Slip On Cheap . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. Vans Old Skool Clearance . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate. http://www.vanssalestore.com/vans-old-skool-clearance/grey-old-skool-cheap.html . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. Cheap Vans Shoes For Sale . Pedro scored from a pass by Lionel Messi in the 33rd minute and added two more goals in the 47th and 72nd after Valdes saved his second penalty in four days following his stop in Wednesdays 4-0 over Ajax in the Champions League. Vans Old Skool Sale . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.Lewis Hamilton says he will never be happy just to participate in F1 and will continue racing as long as he has a chance to win. The reigning world champion, who turned 31 in January, is in his 10th season of F1 and the early months of a new three-year contract at Mercedes.A three-time world champion, Hamilton also stands third in the all-time list of F1 race victors, while only Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna have secured more pole positions. The Briton says his passion for racing - and winning - remains as strong as ever.The goal in racing is to excel in every opportunity I have still, Hamilton said during a select media briefing in Sochi. Lewis Hamilton: F1 and beyond Read our Q&A with the world champion on his past, present and future I still want to win championships, I still want to win races. I dont know why I still have the drive to do those things because Ive had quite a few of them, but its because its what I love doing.So I will continue to do it while I love it - and not just to be in it, to win it. Im not here just to participate. I never have been and never will be. Where does Hamilton rank in F1 history? Lewis Hamilton Hamilton rank Most in F1 Wins 43 3rd 91 - Michael Schumacher Pole positions 51 3rd 68 - Michael Schumacher Podiums 90 4th 155 - Michael Schumacher Fastest laps 28 =5th 77 - Michael Schumacher Front-row starts 92 2nd 116 - Michael Schumacher Points 1,924 2nd 1,929 - Sebastian Vettel World titles 3 =5th 7 - Michael Schumacher Hamiltons father, Anthony, told Sky Sports in February he thought his son had seven to 10 years left in the sport.ddddddddddddThe three-time title winner will be a month away from his 34th birthday when his Mercedes contract expires at the end of 2018 and, although he has already indicated he will continue in F1 beyond that point, Hamilton admits he is unsure just how long his career will run.It could end soon, or it could go long, who knows how long its going to go on, Hamilton added. The cool thing is nothings planned - its the unknown. So do I feel I can drive as I do now in 10 years time? As long as I keep myself fit Im pretty certain I can. Do I want to drive? Time will tell.Hamiltons unsated ambition was apparent in adversity last weekend in Russia when the Mercedes drivers frustration at being denied a shot at victory was etched across his demeanour throughout.Either hes in for an Oscar or hes doing a very good impression of being crestfallen. That impresses me enormously that Lewis is taking so much pain, remarked Sky F1s Martin Brundle. Lewis Hamilton quells rumours that the Mercedes team changes are to blame for poor fortune Hes got three world championships in his pocket, its not always going to go his way, and its like hes fighting for his first. His chin is down a bit and hes taken all this as body blows whereas it would probably be very easy to say okay, maybe this is not my year - I will win it again next year.He is treating it like its his first-ever world championship. Dont miss the F1 Report for all the analysis of the Russian GP at 8:30pm on Wednesday on Sky Sports F1. Natalie Pinkham is joined in the studio by Sky Sports F1s David Croft and Marc Priestley. Every 2016 race live Fast and easy upgrade to watch every F1 session live on Sky Sports Also See: Hamilton expects 2016 grid penalty The Formula 1 gossip column ' ' '
