Malaysian Sports Minister provides a shocking revelation on the future of F1 in Sepang
The last F1 race held at the Sepang International Circuit was in 2017, it was won by Max Verstappen.
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SIC. Image via Mashable SEA.
The Sepang International Circuit is a motorsports track located on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, close to the international airport. This track hosted Formula 1 races between 1999 and 2017. The four-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel, holds the lap record in this circuit. The then-Ferrari driver clocked 1:34.080 during the 2017 Malaysian GP. Though the track does not host F1 races anymore, it is the venue for the highest class of motorcycling. It hosts the Malaysian motorcycle GP.
The Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister, Hannah Yeoh, revealed that the government granted RM20 million (Malaysian Ringget) for infrastructure and other upgrading works at the Sepang International Circuit. (It is well known as SIC). Hannah Yeoh spoke at a buka pause event at SIC. She explained F1’s return to Malaysia and revealed they could not afford to host F1 races anytime soon.
Hannah Yeoh stated, “F1 is very expensive. We had to wait for RM20 million from the government just to upgrade the track. If we could host an F1 race we would already have done it, but for now, we can’t afford to have the races. For now, we will use the money for urgent fixes.” Yeoh also explained that the government would provide financial assistance for SIC’s development.
F1 will return to SIC once the country’s economy has stabilised
“Motorsports is expensive, and the ministry does not want SIC to bear the burden alone. If it is a sport, it should be developed together with the ministry.” There are millions of dollars involved in Formula 1. They have a huge profit margin. Hosting an F1 race is no joke. Though there are massive benefits in hosting an F1 race, which would undoubtedly help boost the country’s popularity and economy, there is a large amount of money needed for track development and other expenditures related to the sport.
Azhan Shafriman Hanif, the SIC chief executive officer, spoke about the monetary help from the government. It would help SIC to become one of the top-class tracks once again. The track renovation regarding the resurfacing works has been going well. However, this is for the other racing events that will be held there. It has nothing to do with Formula 1 as of now.
Last season, Azhan Shafriman Hanif declared F1 could return to the iconic Sepang International Track. It is only after the country’s economy has stabilised. He explained that they need to look at rebranding and focus on monetizing the platform. The SIC chief executive believes it is vital to discuss technology transfer, talent development, and environmental sustainability. They want F1’s return to SIC to be purposeful. However, it does not look like they will host an F1 race anytime soon in a packed calendar.
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Sugantha Meena
(493 Articles Published)