Government minister rules out F1 race

F1 fans may have to wait a little longer before an iconic race returns to the calendar following a statement from a government official.

Despite talks that the Sepang International Circuit could return to the F1 calendar, the Malaysian government has ruled out an immediate comeback.

The sport raced in Malaysia from 1999 until 2017, but was dropped from the 2018 calendar due to the rising costs of the event. Sepang still hosts an annual MotoGP race, but finances remain a barrier for a potential F1 race.

Sports minister Hannah Yeoh said hosting the series again would cost 300 million Malaysian ringgit (US$71 million) per year alone, while the circuit would need to invest in maintenance costs at around 10 million Malaysian ringgit (US$2.4 million) per year.

“Malaysia must also bind itself to a contract of between three to five years with Liberty Media [Formula 1's commercial rights holder], amounting to a commitment of about 1.5 billion ringgit [US$354.8 million] during this period,” Yeoh said to parliament.

F1 Malaysian GP return hits stumbling block

While Yeoh highlighted the financial pressures of hosting a race, she remained hopeful Malaysia could once again host a F1 race.

“The current race calendar is very tight and if Malaysia is interested in hosting again, we will have to compete with other countries for a place on the calendar,” she added.

“We are open to this and can cooperate. Formula 1 is a very prestigious sporting event that is followed by many fans around the world. So if we could afford it, it’s a good-to-have event in Malaysia.”

Third party support could facilitate a return to the F1 calendar, with Malaysian multinational oil and gas company Petronas a candidate to help launch a Sepang comeback.

Currently, the Singapore GP is the only F1 race that takes place in Southeast Asia; however Thailand is committed to hosting a Bangkok street race which would bolster the sport’s presence in the region.

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