Fans hoping to witness the comeback of the Malaysian Grand Prix will be disappointed after the Sepang International Circuit’s CEO, Azhan Shafriman Hanif, made it clear that the costs involved in hosting Formula One events are making it impossible for the track to plot a return.
F1 returned to Malaysia in 1999 at the newly constructed Sepang International Circuit. Concocted by track design icon Hermann Tilke, who also designed the Yas Marina Circuit and Sakhir International Circuit, among others, the 5.5km-long course promoted exciting wheel-to-wheel action, aided by the two long straights joined by a sharp hairpin turn. It remained on the calendar every year between 1999 and 2017, although Max Verstappen’s triumph there was the final running of the event, with rising hosting fees and declining ticket sales cited among the reasons for the Malaysian GP ceasing to continue.
However, with the F1 calendar having expanded to 24 events since then and historic tracks such as Imola and Zandvoort returning to the schedule in 2020 and 2021 respectively, fans have hoped for a return for the popular event. However, those hopes have been extinguished following comments from the circuit’s CEO.
“We do not want to repeat the mistakes of the past,” Shafriman said. “We let Formula One go, and now it is very hard to get it back. I hope we don’t make the same mistake with MotoGP.
“There is a waiting list to get back in, and of course, the costs are very expensive. We were quoted US$70 million (£52m) race fees [by Liberty Media]. That is for each event. That does not include our setup costs, which are in the region of RM10 (£1.75m) to RM20 million (£3.5m) for each event.
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“In total, it would cost us more than RM300 million [£52.6m] to bring back the race [annually]. A lot of people [countries] are queuing, so it won’t be easy. But if we are really serious about it, then maybe we can start the conversation.”
With F1 thriving around the world, CEO Stefano Domenicali has been vocal about his desire to take the sport to new markets. With Imola axed for 2026, Zandvoort leaving the schedule after next year, and Spa-Francorchamps heading for circuit rotation, spots are opening for new events.
Thailand, South Korea and South Africa are among the leading contenders to step onto the schedule, with a street race in Bangkok being the most advanced plan on Domenicali’s radar. Officials in Turkey have also stated their intention to bring the Istanbul Park Circuit back to the calendar after two successful editions in 2020 and 2021.