Malaysian government rules out F1 return for now

Malaysia’s sports minister has revealed that the country has “no current plans” to revive its Formula 1 race.

Earlier this month, the chief executive of the Sepang International Circuit stated that it was a “mistake” for Malaysia to drop its F1 race after 2017, citing the massive growth the series had witnessed in the interim.

Azhan Shafriman Hanif also highlighted the high cost of hosting the event, claiming that F1’s current owner Liberty Media had quoted $70 million as the hosting fee for the annual event.

While at no point did Shafriman say that Malaysia is actively pushing for an F1 return, he did say there is a mutual desire among all stakeholders to make the race happen again.

However, the country’s Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has now put cold water to any talks of reviving the Malaysian GP, highlighting the exorbitant costs as a major barrier.

“Hosting fees payable to Liberty Media are estimated at around RM300 million annually ($71 million), with contracts typically lasting three to five years,” said Yeoh.

“This would amount to a financial commitment of between RM900 million and RM1.5 billion.

“The 2025 calendar begins in February in Bahrain, with the first race on March 16 in Australia, followed by 23 other destinations. Malaysia would also face stiff competition from regional neighbours, including Singapore, which has hosted F1 since 2008, and Thailand, which is set to join in 2028.

“These factors combined mean that bringing F1 back to Malaysia is not in our current plans.”

Yeoh also stressed that any money spent on paying the hosting fee for F1 could better be allocated to other sports development programmes that would directly benefit the country’s athletes.

However, she did not completely shut the door on Malaysia hosting an F1 race further down the line, saying: "Formula 1 is a prestigious sports event that is followed by fans around the world,” she said. “So if we could afford it, it would be good to have it in Malaysia.”

Sepang CEO Shafriman also said on Wednesday that the circuit’s priority is securing an extension with Dorna for its annual MotoGP round, rather than pursuing an F1 return.

Sepang’s current contract for MotoGP expires after 2026.