F1 Rumor: Malaysia GP may return in 2026 (Update)

We are downgrading this rumor to ‘false’ today.

A proposed backer has poured cold water on new reports that Malaysia could soon be back on the Formula 1 calendar.

Sepang, located close to Kuala Lumpur, hosted the sport between 1999 and 2017, eventually opting to bow out after the Malaysian sports minister declared the “cost too high”.

There were rumors of a potential return for the Malaysian GP last year, but the new sports minister insisted that despite F1’s soaring popularity, F1 remains “very expensive”.

“For now, we can’t afford to have the races,” minister Hannah Yeoh, still the sports minister today, added.

However, reports this week have surfaced that suggest that Petronas, Malaysia’s state-owned oil company that sponsors the Mercedes team, could put up the money.

A spokesperson for Petronas, however, played down the reports.

“We wish to confirm that there have been no discussions regarding the return of Formula 1 to the Sepang circuit,” they declared.

Malaysia’s state oil company Petroliam Nasional, or Petronas, is looking to bring back Formula One races to Malaysia in 2026, after a nine-year hiatus, according to three Reuters sources with knowledge of the matter.

Malaysia hosted a leg of the F1 world championship at its Sepang International Circuit (SIC) from 1999, but by 2017 fans could not take the high humidity and temperatures and stopped buying tickets. With ticket sales down, the race collapsed.

Petronas’ plan to bring back the F1 race was revealed during a company town hall led by the firm’s President and Chief Executive Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Aziz on Tuesday, the Reuters sources said.

Last year, Malaysia’s sports minister Hannah Yeoh said hosting an F1 race was “very expensive” and that: “If we could host an F1 race, we already would have done it – but for now, we can’t afford to have races.”

Petronas has been a sponsor of the Mercedes team since 2010, with the partnership bearing eight constructors’ and seven drivers’ world championships.

The track, which was circuit designer Hermann Tilke’s first to have made it into Formula 1, proved popular among drivers for its fast, challenging layout.

The Sepang International Circuit has retained FIA Grade 1 status since F1 last raced at the track, with several other series, including MotoGP, having raced there since.