Petronas has dismissed talk of a potential return of Formula One to Malaysia, which came about yesterday when Reuters reported that the national oil and gas company was planning to bring the race back here in 2026. The report by the news agency had cited three unidentified sources as saying the plan to bring back the F1 race was revealed during a company town-hall earlier this week.
However, in a statement that was issued last night, the company said that there had been no discussions on the matter. “Petronas refers to the news reports published on January 31, 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,” the statement said.
The country began hosting a leg of the F1 world championship at Sepang in 1999, but declining ticket sales and rising costs of hosting the event saw the federal government pulling the plug on the race after the final outing in 2017.
Talk of F1’s return to Sepang has been going on for while. Back in 2022, speculation of a potential return abounded after a social media post on the Sepang International Circuit’s then Twitter page hinted at the possibility, but this rumour was quickly quashed.
Then, last year, Motorsports Association of Malaysia president Mokhzani Mahathir said that there was the possibility of Malaysia hosting a F1 race again in the next three to five years if companies are willing to foot the bill.
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