Malaysia considering bringing F1 race back, minister says
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Malaysia’s Sepang circuit returned earlier in October as a one-off host venue for a rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Malaysia is weighing a return to Formula One at Sepang, either every year or every few years, as the government studies costs and economic benefits.
- The circuit hosted F1 from 1999 to 2017, but was dropped after falling ticket sales and rising hosting costs.
- A report is due to Cabinet by November; the recent one-off race brought about RM950 million in economic returns, but ministers question if that can be repeated.
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KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia is considering returning as a regular host of a Formula 1 race, either annually or once every few years, with the government assessing the costs and economic benefits, its sports minister said on Oct 15.
Malaysia’s Sepang circuit had hosted a leg of the F1 championship annually between 1999 and 2017 before being dropped from the calendar amid declining ticket sales and concerns over rising hosting costs.
It returned earlier in October as a one-off host venue for a rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix, after the race was cancelled at its original venue due to ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
Discussions on bringing the race regularly back to Malaysia were still at an early stage, including a proposal to host it once every few years in partnership with another country, Youth and Sports Minister Mohammed Taufiq Johari told Parliament.
An assessment report was expected to be submitted to the Cabinet by November, he said.
“Staging F1 is not cheap. It involves quite substantial costs, and there are several important aspects that we need to assess,” he said.
While October’s event was estimated to have generated around RM950 million (S$298 million) in economic returns, the government would need to consider if “we would obtain the same returns (every year), and whether we are ready in terms of the various infrastructure requirements”, he said. REUTERS