F1 | Malaysian Government rules out return of Sepang GP: "Formula 1 is very expensive"

The Malaysian track is certainly one of the most beautiful of those not currently part of the Formula 1 calendar. The Grand Prix, located in the Sepang area, has been missing from the F1 calendar since 2017, the year of the last world championship race in Malaysia.

The Sepang International Circuit joined the sport in 1999 and remains one of the most popular circuits of the modern era, but due to the high management costs it is not currently possible to allow the Sepang organizers to sit down at the table with the FIA and Liberty Media. A lot of money is needed to bring the track back up to standard (level 1 license expired) and to make extraordinary interventions in view of the upcoming events.

“Formula 1 is very expensive,” Malaysia’s youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh told The Vibes – “We need 20 million Ringgit (just over 4 million euros, ed) just to update the track, and we would have had to wait for it from the Malaysian government. If we could host a Formula 1 Grand Prix, we would have done so already, but for now we cannot afford it and we will use the money for urgent repairs.” – the Malaysian politician and lawyer explained.

“So far the renovation works have gone well” – explained the managing director of the Sepang track, Azhan Shafriman Hanif – “All should be completed by April 27, just in time for the Porsche Carrera Cup event later this month.”

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Taking into consideration the way the local and global economy had been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Malaysian government therefore decided to focus on the “bigger picture” before taking the step of investing in a Formula 1 event:

“At this juncture, the answer is no, not for the time being,” Azhan Shafriman Hanif told reporters a few months ago, when asked if Malaysia will host Formula 1 again in the near future – “Perhaps in another two to three years when the economy has stabilised. We need to know what is the return in terms of the spillover effect. We need to look at the rebranding, how we monetise the platform. We need to talk about technology transfer, talent development and environmental sustainability.”