Nine years later, F1 is back at Sepang, and this time Malaysia isn't paying the bill

When Max Verstappen won the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix, a day after he turned 20, few people at Sepang thought it would be the last F1 race in Malaysia for nearly a decade. It was.

On 4 October 2026, F1 cars will race at Sepang again. The event is officially the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, hosted in Malaysia. Here's how it happened and why it's such a big deal.

A proud history, 1999–2017

Sepang joined the F1 calendar in 1999. Eddie Irvine won that first race for Ferrari, and it was also Michael Schumacher's comeback after he broke his leg. Hermann Tilke's design, with its long back straight and huge double-decker main grandstand, became the template for a generation of modern circuits. For 19 years Malaysia was one of F1's home fixtures in Asia. Sebastian Vettel won there four times. Fernando Alonso and Schumacher won three each. Races were famous for the heat and the storms, like in 2009, when a downpour stopped the race and only half points were awarded.

Malaysia also had its own names in the sport. Alex Yoong raced for Minardi in 2001–2002 as the country's first F1 driver, and Petronas became one of the sport's biggest partners through Mercedes.

Why it ended

In 2017 the government decided to drop the race after that year's event, a year before the contract was due to end. The official reasons were rising hosting fees and falling crowds and TV interest. By then, Singapore's night race had become the region's showcase.

How it came back

In February 2026 war in the Middle East forced the cancellation of the April Bahrain GP. F1 and the FIA needed a safe replacement venue that could be ready fast. Sepang still holds an FIA Grade 1 licence and hosts the MotoGP every year, so it fit. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said the deal "allows Formula 1 to preserve a Grand Prix that would otherwise not have happened."

The deal is also cheap for Malaysia. Bahrain pays the rights fee (estimated by HLIB Research at RM285–326 million) and keeps ticket sales and race proceeds. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia's main direct cost is around RM16 million in Sepang track upgrades, with no FIA registration fee. He pointed out that hosting normally costs "hundreds of millions or at least RM1 billion." Anwar said Malaysia was chosen for its political stability, efficient administration and infrastructure.

What it could be worth

HLIB Research estimates the weekend could generate RM1.1 billion to RM1.3 billion in economic activity. Its reasoning is that F1 visitors typically spend 1.5 to 3.6 times more than average tourists. The race also falls during China's National Day Golden Week and in Visit Malaysia Year 2026, and Gulf Air is launching direct Bahrain–Kuala Lumpur flights from 29 September.

Fans have responded. All 10,000 RM200 "Madani" tickets for MyKad holders sold out within days. The K1 and F grandstands followed soon after, and organisers are expecting more than 110,000 spectators across the weekend.

Is this a one-off, or an audition?

For now it's a one-off. SIC CEO Azhan Shafriman Hanif has said a permanent slot on the calendar would cost Malaysia "at least RM300 million" a year. He also noted that host countries typically earn back about three times what they spend. Former SIC boss Datuk Razlan Razali has said a permanent return is unlikely.

But a full, loud, well-run Sepang weekend in front of a global TV audience is the best pitch Malaysia could make. When the lights go out at 3pm on 4 October, the country will be showing F1 what it has been missing.

Sources: Formula1.com; Wikipedia; Malay Mail; The Star; paultan.org; Media Selangor; Asian Motorsport.