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Formula 1

Circuit boss reveals $70 MILLION cost to bring F1 back

The Malaysian Grand Prix ran consistently between 1999-2017

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 20 August 2025 17:00

A major circuit director has revealed a high price named by F1 for his track to return to the schedule in the future.

Azhan Shafriman Hanif, director of the Sepang International Circuit, claimed that the sport's organizers have made it 'very difficult' to bring the Malaysian Grand Prix back, revealing a $70m figure quoted to him.

The race ran from 1999-2007, with Sebastian Vettel winning four times, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso winning three apiece, and Max Verstappen claiming only his second career race victory at the final event in 2017.

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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 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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