Preliminary talks between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Formula One management over a potential return of the sport to Malaysia were disclosed to the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday by Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari.
Discussions are under way about returning Formula 1 to the Sepang circuit on a structured schedule, whether as an annual fixture or on a rotating basis shared with another host nation. Discussions within Malaysia point to a rotating F1 race model, with the possibility of partnering neighbouring nations to share hosting duties across different editions of the calendar.
Between 1999 and 2017, the Malaysian circuit at Sepang held a place on the Formula One calendar each year before organisers removed it, citing a drop-off in attendance figures alongside growing pressure from hosting-fee increases.
Hosting duties for the relocated Bahrain Grand Prix, scheduled across 2 to 4 October, fell to the circuit when it took on the event. That decision followed the venue's single-race turn as Bahrain Grand Prix host this season, an arrangement that brought in around $233 million in economic activity. The ministry's figure of close to RM950 million was attributed by him to Formula One Management as the source.
Attendance across the full race weekend reached approximately 261,000 people, with around 103,000 of those present on race day itself, according to figures Taufiq provided in a written parliamentary reply earlier that week. Ticket sales figures from the most recent data placed total purchases at just over 97,000, with attendance drawn from abroad accounting for roughly 50,000 visitors and an additional 5,000 foreign workers present at the event, he noted.
Addressing parliament that Thursday, he pointed out that attendance figures for 2017 had stood at roughly 30,000 — a number that has since grown to nearly 100,000 for the current edition of the event.
Three factors are under review before any formal recommendation on restoring the race to a permanent slot: what it would cost, what financial return it might generate, and whether Sepang International Circuit has the infrastructure in place to host it reliably. The minister was cited by a broadcast outlet as noting that hosting a Formula 1 race carries a considerable financial burden. The official noted that the expenditure involved would be considerable, and pointed to multiple dimensions requiring evaluation — among them whether returns could be expected to hold steady from one year to the next, and whether the necessary infrastructure would be in place to support the undertaking.
Chaired by the ministry, the committee draws together the Chief Secretary to the Government alongside representatives from every other ministry. Finalisation of the document is anticipated before the end of November, after which it will go to the Cabinet for a formal decision.
Funding set aside for athlete development and other sports remains outside the scope of any move to reinstate F1, he made clear. Under the arrangement in place for this edition, Bahrain absorbed the hosting rights fees through its partnership with SIC, a departure from how earlier editions were structured. Preparation outlays for the event ranged from RM10 million to RM16 million, a figure that contrasts with the roughly RM300 million ($73 million) that Sepang International Circuit representatives had previously put forward as a typical annual outlay for hosting.
Spa holds slots in 2027, 2029, and 2031 under the existing arrangement, while Barcelona's allocated years run across 2028, 2030, and 2032. The disclosure from Malaysia arrived within days of a separate agreement — a ten-year arrangement between Rwanda and Formula 1 for a Grand Prix to be staged in Kigali, with that race not expected to take place before 2030.
