Malaysia would like to bring back the national Grand Prix.

      In Malaysia they admitted that they had made a mistake when they gave up holding the national Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC).

      They had to abandon continuing their cooperation with Formula 1 because of a change in the economic situation: FOM payments were increasing while ticket sales were falling.

      But now SIC management sees things differently.

      “We don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past,” said Azhan Shafriman Hanif, the circuit’s chief executive, in an interview with the New Straits Times, Malaysia’s oldest English-language newspaper published in Kuala Lumpur. “We let Formula 1 leave the country, and now getting it back is very difficult. I hope we won’t make the same mistake with MotoGP.

      There is a sort of waiting list — many want to host rounds of the world championship, and of course the costs of such a project are very high. We were informed that the fee for the right to host a race is $70 million. That is for each race, and this does not include our annual costs for organizing and holding the Grand Prix, which are another 10 to 20 million Malaysian ringgit (USD 2.3–4.7 million).

      The waiting list is long, so there will be difficulties. But if we take a truly serious approach, we will probably be able to start negotiations.”

      According to him, the Malaysian government is already ready to give the project the green light: “Not only does SIC want to host a Formula 1 race. Many other stakeholders, both from government circles and from the corporate sector, would also like to bring it back.

      We must study Singapore’s experience, where everyone — from ministers to the corporate sector and the hospitality industry — acts together, and that makes success possible. Everyone contributes. If we want to bring back the national Grand Prix, that is exactly how we must act.”

      At one time the races held at the Malaysian circuit had excellent ratings thanks to the interesting track configuration and the unpredictable nature of the local weather. In total, from 1999 to 2017 the Malaysian circuit hosted 19 races.