Focus on ... the title fight
Could this be Nico Rosberg's year? He has never led the drivers' standings this late in the season and has rarely been on such convincing form as he was in Singapore. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, has struggled to kick start his season following the summer break following an engine penalty in Spa, a bad start in Monza and set-up issues in Singapore. The records of previous years point toward Hamilton edging Rosberg over the next six races, but the beauty of this sport is that anything can happen. One retirement and the title could swing dramatically one way or the other; one collision and we could be set for all-out war between the Mercedes drivers.
This weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix will be crucial to the title race. If Rosberg can extend his lead with a win, it will leave him a minimum of 15 points ahead of Hamilton and would mean the reigning world champions has gone two months without a victory. If Hamilton wins and Rosberg finishes second the gap will close to just one point, effectively resetting the championship with five races remaining. Bring it on.
In need of a podium
After his run of three podiums in four races leading up to the summer break, Max Verstappen's record since racing resumed looks rather disappointing. It's far from a crisis, but with Daniel Ricciardo coming within 0.4s of a win in Singapore, a podium ahead of his teammate this weekend would turn attention back to his side of the garage.
In need of points
Jolyon Palmer has just six races left to prove he deserves a place on the F1 grid next year after his first 15 have passed without a point. In such a competitive driver market, only a series of points finishes are likely to convince the relevant decision makers that he should be given another chance next year. Kevin Magnussen scored a point in Singapore, but Malaysia is a very different track and only a mixed up race is likely to offer points on Sunday.
ESPN prediction
Although Ferrari won in Malaysia last year, it's hard to look past a Mercedes victory this season. Lewis Hamilton has now gone three races without a win and desperately needs to prove that Singapore was just a one off. When Hamilton is fired up it is almost impossible to beat him and if the current situation doesn't motivate him it's hard to know what will.
Weather
It's easy to predict thunderstorms in Sepang -- they happen pretty much every day -- but it's harder to predict exactly when and where they will strike. F1 weather experts at UBIMET say: "As forecasting for Malaysia contains a degree of uncertainty, thundery showers cannot be excluded completely from the practice, qualifying or race sessions. Due to this uncertainty, further forecast details will be provided on a regular basis closer to the event."
We say: "Bring your umbrella".
A lap with Romain Grosjean
"Big braking into turn one - it's very similar to China, both turns one and two. Long right-hand side corner, then a left hairpin. You need good traction. Then you have a long straight line going to turn four. Big braking, 90-degree right-hand side corner going up a crest. Then you have very high-speed corners going through turns five and six, almost flat out.
"Then it's a small brake for the double right-hand turn eight. It's a mid-speed corner with very tricky traction going through to the next turn, another left-hand side hairpin. The right corner is very long. It's quite good fun when the car is well balanced. You then have a bit of straight line going to turns 12 and 13. Flat-out left corner, big braking, with g-forces from taking the corner. Then it's a long straight line approaching the final corner. Big braking to carry minimum speed, then it's full-throttle as early as you can to finish the lap."
Tyres
Available compounds: Hard, Medium, Soft
Not a lot of variation in tyre choices for Malaysia - Merc and Ferrari choices identical... pic.twitter.com/2U254oDPYK
— Nate Saunders (@natesaundESPNF1) September 20, 2016
Tyre facts, courtesy of Pirelli:
• Track temperatures are nearly always high: it's actually possible to fry an egg on the asphalt.
• In the past, wear and degradation has been high, making a multi-stop race likely.
• Heavy rain has often been a feature of the Malaysian Grand Prix, even causing red flags. It also means that any rubber laid down is washed away, affecting the weekend's track evolution.
• Thermal degradation is an important factor, again due to high ambient and track temperatures.
• Sepang is a varied circuit but there are also some fast corners with high lateral energy loads.
• The new surface should mean that the track is a lot less bumpy.
• The front-left tyre gets worked hardest, which tends to be the limiting factor in stint lengths.