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Malaysia is considering sharing an F1 race with another country. Here's how it could work

Instead of a yearly Grand Prix, Malaysia is weighing a deal to host F1 every few years, alternating with another country. A report goes to the Cabinet in November.

By Behind the Paddock4 min read

Kimi Antonelli congratulates Max Verstappen in parc fermé in front of the Sepang grandstands
Kimi Antonelli congratulates Max Verstappen in parc fermé in front of the Sepang grandstandsPhoto: Behind the Paddock

Malaysia may not want Formula 1 every year after all. Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari told the Dewan Rakyat, Malaysia’s lower house of parliament, that the government is considering hosting a Grand Prix once every few years, in cooperation with another country, rather than signing up for an annual race.

“This is still at an early stage, and we need to assess its feasibility,” he said. He also told parliament that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has already held early talks with F1’s CEO.

The minister’s comments were carried by the national news agency Bernama, and reported by Reuters, The Star, Free Malaysia Today and Utusan Malaysia.

Why now?

It follows the success of this month’s one-off race at Sepang, when the Bahrain Grand Prix was moved to Malaysia because of the conflict in the Middle East. It was F1’s first visit since 2017, and the numbers were huge:

  • 261,000 fans over three days, with 103,000 on race day
  • Nearly 100,000 tickets sold, against only about 30,000 at the last race in 2017
  • About RM950 million (about US$230 million) in economic returns, by the government’s estimate
  • Organised in just two months

We looked at what a permanent return would take the week of the race. Cost was the biggest obstacle then, and it still is now.

Why share a race?

“Staging F1 is not cheap. It involves quite substantial costs,” Taufiq said. Any return also must not take money away from athletes and other sports. Sharing the slot would cut the bill, while keeping Sepang on the calendar.

The minister also questioned whether this year’s crowds could be repeated every year. A race every few years makes each one more of an event.

Has F1 done this before?

Yes. From next year, Spa and Barcelona take turns on the calendar. Germany’s Hockenheim and the Nürburgring once did the same.

Cars race through Eau Rouge at Spa-Francorchamps, left, and Liam Lawson on the main straight at Barcelona-Catalunya in 2019, right

Spa (left) races in 2027, 2029 and 2031, Barcelona (right) in 2028, 2030 and 2032. Photos: Petr Urbanek/Unsplash and Dutch Photo Agency/Red Bull Content Pool

The government hasn’t said which country Malaysia might partner with.

What happens next

November is the big moment. A government committee is deciding whether Malaysia should bid at all, and its report is due by the end of the month, before it goes to the Cabinet.

“Malaysia will decide whether to bring back F1 after a government committee completes its assessment,” Taufiq said.

Who is deciding: the committee is led by the Youth and Sports Ministry, with all ministries and the Chief Secretary to the Government, Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar. The government wants any benefits to reach beyond the ministry and Sepang International Circuit.

What it’s weighing:

  • Cost against return: could a race bring in anything like this year’s RM950 million every time? When we looked at a permanent return, a circuit official put the cost at around RM300 million (about US$75 million) a year. This year, Bahrain paid most of the fee. Next time, Malaysia would be paying.
  • Demand: could Malaysia sell nearly 100,000 tickets again, not just once?
  • Infrastructure: Taufiq said the government must check “whether we are ready in terms of the various infrastructure requirements.”
  • Other sports: the money can’t come out of athletes’ funding. The ministry spent RM5.6 million (about US$1.4 million) last year on 29 grassroots motorsport programmes.

After that: a yes from the Cabinet still isn’t a race. Malaysia would need a deal with F1, and a partner country to share the slot. The calendar is crowded, and newcomers like Rwanda are already in the queue. Sepang is reported to be pushing for 2028, while one paddock source told ESPN that 2030 is the earliest it could happen under current deals.

Taufiq also admitted the basics need work: public transport, traffic management and spectator facilities all need to improve. Anyone who walked out of Sepang on race night will agree.

The Petronas Towers lit up at dusk above KLCC Park in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Towers, about an hour’s drive from Sepang. Photo: Esmonde Yong/Unsplash

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