F1: Series Unlikely to Return to Malaysia anytime soon

Formula One is unlikely to return to Malaysia anytime soon as the government focuses its efforts on rebuilding the economy from the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic, the circuit’s boss said.

Azhan Shafriman Hanif, chief executive of the Sepang International Circuit which used to host the race, told reporters in Singapore late Wednesday the government may reconsider its options after two to three years.

Max Verstappen passes Lewis Hamilton’s superior Mercedes to win Malaysian GP in his debut year of 2017. It wasn’t his only win.

The Sepang track, located outside the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, first hosted the race in 1999, with the last Grand Prix held there in 2017.

Malaysia dropped out of the F1 calendar from 2018 amid the rising cost of hosting the event.

“At this juncture, the answer is no, not for the time being,” Azhan Shafriman said when asked if Malaysia was planning to host the race again.

“Perhaps in another two to three years when the economy has stabilized.”

AFP quoted him as saying that Malaysia previously hosted F1 “to put the country on the map” through sports tourism.

Sepang was always so hit and humid none of the teams or drivers enjoyed it

But for F1 to return, the government needs to study the “bigger picture” in terms of its benefits to the country.

“We need to know what is the return in terms of the spillover effect,” he said.

“We need to look at the rebranding, how do we monetize the platform. We need to talk about technology transfer, talent development and environmental sustainability.”

“If Formula One were to come back to Malaysia, it has to be hinged on something else, not only on the race. There must be another purpose why we are doing Formula One,” he said.