UPDATE: Petronas has released a statement regarding the potential of an F1 reprisal. “PETRONAS refers to the news reports published on 31 January 2024 on the potential return of the Formula One Grand Prix to Sepang, Malaysia, in 2026. We would like to confirm that there have been no discussions on bringing the sport back to the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit.”
Earlier reports suggested that Malaysia’s state oil company Petronas was setting plans in motion to bring Formula 1 back to the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) for 2026, according to Reuters‘ sources.
Reuters’ three sources said that Petronas’ President and Chief Executive Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Aziz revealed the plans in a company town hall meeting on Tuesday.
Neither the sources (unauthorised to converse with media) or F1 itself responded to requests for comment on the matter.
Designed by German engineer Hermann Tilke, SIC made its F1 debut in 1999. The circuit immediately etched itself into the history books by setting the stage for Michael Schumacher’s comeback from a broken leg at the ’99 British GP at Silverstone.
Schumacher, after a six-race absence, outqualified the field by 0.947s. The German then raced to support teammate Eddie Irvine, concerning victory to his number two driver who had found himself in a title fight with McLaren’s Mika Hakkinen.
A bargeboard illegality saw the win stripped from Irvine which was then controversially overturned to set up a title fight in the ’99 season finale.
Since its debut and through to its final race on the F1 calendar in 2017, Sepang continued to serve up iconic moments, including Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber’s ‘multi-21’ exchange in 2013 or Sergio Perez’s surprise podium for Sauber a year prior.
Set in a stunningly humid client with a tendency for changeable weather, Sepang is a well-loved circuit amongst F1 fans, with stunning grandstands adorning the massive back straight, connected by a tight hairpin to an equally long start/finish straight.
The tight opening chicane encouraged overtaking manoeuvres and dramatic race starts and the rest of the layout featured fast sweeping corners blended into rises and declines and heavy braking zones too.
The costs associated with hosting F1 saw Sepang drop off of the calendar and in 2022 the word was that costs would prevent a return.
“At this juncture, the answer is no, not for the time being,” SIC Chief Executive Azhan Shafriman Hanif told The Straits Times when asked if Malaysia was planning to attract F1 to the venue outside the capital Kuala Lumpur.
“Perhaps in another two to three years when the economy has stabilised,” he added.
Reuters’ sources suggest that the time could be right for Petronas and SIC to tempt F1 back to Malaysia once again and a 2026 goal coincides with the expiry of three circuits’ deals on the current calendar, Baku, Circuit of the Americas and Barcelona – with the latter recently succeeded as Spanish GP host by Madrid from ’26 onwards, but still hopeful for an extension.
In F1’s absence, Sepang has hosted MotoGP and in October 2023, Petronas secured naming rights to the venue on a three-year deal.
Petronas has maintained an F1 presence as a title partner to the Mercedes F1 team.
