Malaysian GP ticket sales boosted by Lotus

Malaysian team Lotus and Petronas' major sponsorship deal with Mercedes Grand Prix have been a big boost for Grand Prix ticket sales in Malaysia, according to Sepang's circuit boss Razlan Razali.

"The last six months have seen a tremendous development for Malaysian motorsport," Razali is quoted as saying by Autosport.

"We have seen Lotus F1, which is backed by Tony Fernandes, as the new Malaysian team. Then Petronas was searching for a new partner; there was a lot of speculation and suddenly, out of the blue, it came out with Mercedes. It's a really good development – a World Champion team with the return of Schumacher.

"So for us, as Malaysians, it cannot get any better than this. It is good for us and the country, especially."