F1 'asks Sepang for $70 MILLION' to bring Malaysian GP back

Sepang International Circuit director Azhan Shafriman Hanif has revealed that F1 have proposed a budget of $70 million for the circuit to make a return to the F1 calendar.

The Malaysian Grand Prix ran consistently at the Sepang International Circuit between 1999-2017, before rising hosting fees and declining ticket sales led to the circuit abandoning its contract one year early, and it has not been seen on the calendar ever since.

In that time, Sebastian Vettel won four Malaysian GPs, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso won three apiece, and Max Verstappen claimed only his second career race victory at the final event in 2017.

Since it dropped off the F1 schedule, there have been sporadic murmurings about a return for the Sepang International Circuit, but it has never come to anything and the track's main priority has been MotoGP.

Now, however, circuit director Hanif has revealed that there is appetite for a return, but that the hosting costs are higher than ever.

"We don't want to repeat the mistakes of the past," Hanif said in statements reported by the New Strait Times. "We let Formula 1 go, and now it's very difficult to bring it back. I hope we don't make the same mistake with MotoGP.

"There's a waiting list to return [to F1], and the costs are obviously very high. They proposed a budget of $70 million. That's for each race, and it doesn't include our organisational costs.

"There are a lot of people on the waiting list, so it won't be easy. But if we're really serious about it, maybe we can start discussing it."

Which tracks may return to F1 schedule?

That 'waiting list' that Hanif referenced likely consists of the likes of the Turkish Grand Prix, and the Portuguese Grand Prix at Portimao, both of whom have made their intentions clear recently about a potential comeback.

There are also a number of new tracks that are waiting to make their F1 berth, including the incoming new Saudi Arabian and Madrid tracks, a new state-of-the-art circuit in Thailand, and a race in either Kyalami or Cape Town being tipped to ensure F1's return to Africa.

On top of this, the F1 calendar is already jam-packed, with the 2025 season hosting a joint-record amount of events, with 24 race weekends taking place across 21 different countries between March-December.

In this sense, fan favourite track Malaysia may have to wait quite some time before it can be reintegrated back into F1, but there is talk that Malaysia could host the official launch of the motorcycle world championship in early 2026.

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