Good news for Red Bull? 'Sepang open for F1 return'

The Sepang International Circuit keeps the options for a Formula 1 return open. This means that in the future we might see another Malaysian Grand Prix on the calendar. If it comes to that, that could be good news for Red Bull Racing.

The Red Bull cars always match the characteristics of the Malaysian circuit well. The last two Grands Prix were won by the Austrian racing stable. In 2016 with Daniel Ricciardo and in 2017 it was Max Verstappen who grabbed the victory with no less than twelve seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

High costs can become a problem

After that, however, the Malaysian government decided to stop housing Formula 1. This was due to the fact that the organisation of the motor sport event costs around 90 million euros annually, while that money was not earned back. The MotoGP is still greeted annually at the circuit of Sepang.

Azhan Shafriman Hanif was recently appointed CEO of the Sepang circuit and according to the top man many factors have to be taken into account, one of which is the high cost of organising a Formula 1 Grand Prix. “It (hosting the F1 again) is not on my top priority at the moment, but if the opportunity comes by and the offer is good, I’m very supportive of this idea because this event (F1) brings the branding part of Malaysia."

Sepang will then consult with the government

According to Hanif, Formula 1 is still part of the branding of Malaysia. "Let’s say if we agree to host the F1 race for a longer period, we will hold a discussion with the government since the hosting fee is not cheap and also the money that we spend must be worthy to the government and also the fans", the Chief Executive Officer is quoted by Bernama.