Malaysian Grand Prix

History

Singapore and Shah Alam

From 1962 to 1965 an annual race weekend for motorcycles and Formula Libre cars was held at the Thomson Road circuit in Singapore, named the Malaysia Grand Prix. After Singapore gained independence from Malaysia in 1965 the event was renamed the Singapore Grand Prix and continued until 1973.

Between Singapore's departure from the Malaysian federation and the opening of Sepang Circuit, Malaysia hosted a range of other racing categories in the Malaysian Grand Prix at Shah Alam's own circuit between 1968 and 1995 including Formula Libre (1968), Tasman Formula, (1969–1972), Formula Atlantic (1973–1975), Formula Two (1977), and Formula Pacific (1978–1982).

Sepang International Circuit

As part of a series of major infrastructure projects in the 1990s under Mahathir Mohamad's government, the Sepang International Circuit was constructed between 1997 and 1999 close to Putrajaya, the then-newly founded administrative capital of the country, with the intent of hosting the Malaysian Grand Prix. Similar to the country's other tracks, the circuit is known for its unpredictable humid tropical weather, varying from clear furnace hot days to tropical rain storms.

The inaugural Grand Prix at Sepang was held in , and saw Michael Schumacher return to the sport after his absence due to a broken leg sustained at that year's British Grand Prix. Ferrari dominated the race, with Schumacher handing the victory to title-hopeful teammate Eddie Irvine, only for both Ferraris to be disqualified due to a technical irregularity, before later being reinstated.

From 2001, the Malaysian Grand Prix moved from the end of the season to the beginning, which has seen some topsy-turvy results as teams and drivers got to grips with their new equipment, with many races heavily influenced by the winners and losers of the scramble for position into the tight double hairpin bend at the first corner.

The 2001 event was hit by a heavy rainstorm in the middle of the race which made conditions very difficult. Conditions were so bad that the two Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello spun off almost simultaneously at the same corner. Remarkably, they both recovered to score a Ferrari 1–2, because for a long time they were nearly 5 seconds faster than anyone else on the field. Elsewhere, the race was even led by Jos Verstappen, surprisingly. However, as the track begun to dry, he fell back to seventh, but his efforts to keep positions were memorable.

On 8 April 2007, shortly before the 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix, Formula One president Bernie Ecclestone was quoted as stating that the circuit was getting "shabby" and "a bit tired" from the lack of care, describing it as "an old house that needs a bit of redecorating". He noted that the circuit itself is not the issue, but rather the surrounding environment; rubbish is said to be littered all over the place, potentially damaging the circuit's good reputation when it was opened in 1999.

The day before, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had met Ecclestone to discuss an extension of the Formula One contract beyond 2010. While the government had been given an additional extension to host the Grand Prix until 2015, the government was still mulling the offer, as of 23 April 2007. The circuit was given a renewed contract in 2006 to organise the Malaysian Grand Prix for another five years.

On 13 February 2008, the management of the Sepang International Circuit announced its aim to become Formula One's second night race from after Singapore, following discussions about buying a floodlighting system. Mokhzani Mahathir, the chairman of the circuit, was quoted as saying that the lights "might be custom made for the circuit." However, the organisers ended up settling for a late-afternoon start time.

The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix was held around sunset, starting at 17:00 local time (09:00 UTC). This proved disastrous due to heavy rainfall. The race was red-flagged and ultimately not restarted due to the low light level making it through the clouds. The race ended on lap 33, and with the regulations requiring 42 laps for full points, both driver and constructor results were halved in relation to points. Later that night, Jamiroquai made an appearance in a concert for the weekend.

On 7 April 2017, it was announced that the 2017 race would be the swansong of the Malaysian Grand Prix. The race's contract was due to expire in 2018, but its future had been under threat due to rising hosting fees and declining ticket sales. Malaysia's youth and sports minister at the time Khairy Jamaluddin said on Twitter: "I think we should stop hosting the F1. At least for a while. Cost too high, returns limited. When we first hosted the F1 it was a big deal. First in Asia outside Japan. Now so many venues. No first mover advantage. Not a novelty." The BBC reported that "Malaysia had struggled in recent years to attract a significant crowd, its appeal having been damaged by the more glamorous night-time event on a street track in Singapore."

Possible return of the Malaysian Grand Prix (2025)

In August 2025, the Youth and Sports Minister, Hannah Yeoh, told the Dewan Rakyat that there were no immediate plans for Malaysia to reinstate the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix, citing the high hosting fees and a congested international race calendar as the principal reasons why the federal government would not pursue an F1 return at this time.

Yeoh said hosting fees payable to Formula One's commercial rights-holder (Liberty Media) were estimated at about RM300 million per year, and that a host nation would commonly be committed under a multi-year contract (typically three to five years), implying a total hosting fee commitment in the order of RM900 million to RM1.5 billion (USD215 million to USD355 million) over the contract period; she also noted additional annual costs to maintain Sepang International Circuit to FIA Grade 1 standards (reported at roughly RM10 million per year).

The minister argued that the RM300 million annual fee represented an opportunity cost for the ministry, noting that the same funds could be allocated to athlete development and other sports programmes; she added that Malaysia would also face stiff competition from neighbouring countries for a slot on the F1 calendar (for example, Singapore's ongoing presence and Thailand's approved plans to host a race), and that the regional and global racing calendar is already tightly scheduled.

Although the government indicated it would not underwrite the event at present, ministers said the door remained open for private or corporate sponsors to underwrite hosting costs; Sepang International Circuit (SIC) representatives also said that a comeback would require coordinated funding and planning and that the circuit remained willing to engage with stakeholders if funding and a calendar slot could be secured.

Winners

Repeat winners (drivers)

A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.

Drivers in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in 2026.

Repeat winners (constructors)

A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.

Teams in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in 2026.

Repeat winners (engine manufacturers)

A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.

Manufacturers in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in 2026.

• Built by Cosworth

** Built by Ilmor in 2003

*** Built by Renault

By year

A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.

Support races

Formula BMW Asia and Porsche Carrera Cup Asia have supported the Malaysian Grand Prix since 2003.

References

References

1. (17 October 1999). "The second coming of Schumacher Malaysian Grand Prix: Ferrari's talisman returns to poll position and can have a big say in title race". The Independent.
2. "GRAND PRIX RESULTS: MALAYSIAN GP, 1999". grandprix.com.
3. (19 March 2013). "2013 Malaysian Grand Prix – Preview". FIA.
4. "GRAND PRIX RESULTS: MALAYSIAN GP, 2001". grandprix.com.
5. "F1 boss says Sepang getting 'shabby'". [[Agence France-Presse]]/espnstar.com.
6. "Malaysia mulling contract to extend Formula One race until 2015". [[Associated Press]]/[[International Herald Tribune]].
7. "Malaysia closing on '09 race". itv.com/f1.
8. (1 October 2008). "Malaysian GP rules out night racing". ITV-F1.com.
9. (5 April 2009). "Button wins again but rain stops play at Sepang". F1 Fanatic.
10. "2017 race to be Malaysia's F1 farewell". formula1.com.
11. (19 June 2017). "France and Germany return as 2018 F1 calendar revealed". www.formula1.com.
12. (24 October 2016). "Malaysia considering dropping Grand Prix". Grand Prix Times.
13. Gray, James. (1 October 2017). "Why is the Malaysian Grand Prix getting CANCELLED? Last race explained". Express.co.uk.
14. "Malaysian Grand Prix: Sepang to drop off F1 calendar after 19 years of racing". BBC Sport.
15. (21 August 2025). "No plans to bring Formula 1 GP back to Malaysia, sports minister says". Reuters.
16. (21 August 2025). "Hannah Yeoh: Exorbitant cost to bring back F1 better spent on other sports". Malay Mail.
17. (21 August 2025). "Hannah Yeoh: Exorbitant cost to bring back F1 better spent on other sports". Malay Mail.
18. (21 August 2025). "F1 not returning to Malaysia for now, Dewan Rakyat told". The Star.
19. (21 August 2025). "No plans to bring Formula 1 GP back to Malaysia, sports minister says". Reuters.
20. (19 August 2025). "Funding, Planning Key To Malaysia’s F1 Comeback – SIC Chief". Bernama.
21. (21 August 2025). "No plans to bring Formula 1 GP back to Malaysia, sports minister says". Reuters.
22. (19 August 2025). "Funding, Planning Key To Malaysia’s F1 Comeback – SIC Chief". Bernama.
23. "Malaysian GP". ChicaneF1.
24. Singapore Fling, Motor Sport, March 2006, pages 72 to 77
25. [https://remembersingapore.org/2016/11/26/singapore-grand-prix-sixties-seventies/ Vroom Vroom… Looking Back at the Old Singapore Grand Prix, remembersingapore.org] {{Webarchive. link. (31 December 2018 Retrieved 31 December 2018)
26. Derek Fulluck, Elfin takes Malaysian GP, Autosport, September 27, 1968.
27. [https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/races/1969-malaysian-grand-prix 1969 Malaysian Grand Prix, www.motorsportmagazine.com] {{Webarchive. link. (31 December 2018 Retrieved 31 December 2018)