| Sepang International Circuit | |
 | |
| Race information | |
|---|---|
| Number of times held | 36 |
| First held | 1962 |
| Last held | 2017 |
| Most wins (drivers) |  John MacDonald (4) Sebastian Vettel (4) |
| Most wins (constructors) |  Ferrari (7) |
| Circuit length | 5.543 km (3.444 miles) |
| Race length | 310.408 km (192.879 miles) |
| Laps | 56 |
| Last race (2017) | |
| Pole position | |
| |
| Podium | |
| |
| Fastest lap | |
| |
TheMalaysian Grand Prix (Malay:Grand Prix Malaysia, officially theMalaysia Grand Prix from 1963–1965 and 2011–2017 andMalayan Grand Prix in 1962) was an annualauto race held inMalaysia. It was part of theFormula One World Championship from 1999 to 2017 and it was held during these years at theSepang International Circuit. The Malaysian Grand Prix was held annually from 1962 to 1964 inSingapore, whilst it was a member of the Malaysian federation. Subsequent Grands Prix were held inPeninsular Malaysia.
From 1962 to 1965 an annual race weekend for motorcycles andFormula Libre cars was held at theThomson Road circuit in Singapore, named the Malaysia Grand Prix. After Singapore gainedindependence from Malaysia in 1965 the event was renamed theSingapore 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 atShah Alam'sown circuit between 1968 and 1995 includingFormula Libre (1968),Tasman Formula, (1969–1972),Formula Atlantic (1973–1975),Formula Two (1977), andFormula Pacific (1978–1982).
As part of a series of major infrastructure projects in the 1990s underMahathir Mohamad's government, theSepang International Circuit was constructed between 1997 and 1999 close toPutrajaya, 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 in1999, and sawMichael Schumacher return to the sport after his absence due to a broken leg sustained at that year'sBritish Grand Prix.[1] Ferrari dominated the race, with Schumacher handing the victory to title-hopeful teammateEddie Irvine, only for bothFerraris to be disqualified due to a technical irregularity, before later being reinstated.[2]
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.[3]
The 2001 event was hit by a heavyrainstorm in the middle of the race which made conditions very difficult. Conditions were so bad that the two Ferraris ofMichael Schumacher andRubens 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 byJos Verstappen, surprisingly. However, as the track begun to dry, he fell back to seventh, but his efforts to keep positions were memorable.[4]
On 8 April 2007, shortly before the2007 Malaysian Grand Prix, Formula One presidentBernie 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.[5]
The day before, Malaysian Prime MinisterAbdullah Ahmad Badawi had met Ecclestone to discuss an extension of the Formula One contract beyond 2010.[5] 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.[6] The circuit was given a renewed contract in 2006 to organise the Malaysian Grand Prix for another five years.[5]
On 13 February 2008, the management of the Sepang International Circuit announced its aim to become Formula One's second night race from2009 afterSingapore, 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."[7] However, the organisers ended up settling for a late-afternoon start time.[8]
The2009 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.[9] 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.[10][11] 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.[12] 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."[13] 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."[14]
In August 2025, the Youth and Sports Minister, Hannah Yeoh, told theDewan 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.[15][16]
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).[17][18]
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.[19][20]
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.[21][22]
A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.
Driversin bold are competing in the Formula One championship in 2026.
A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.
Teamsin bold are competing in the Formula One championship in 2026.
| Wins | Constructor | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Ferrari | 1999,2000,2001,2004,2008,2012,2015 |
| 5 |  Red Bull | 2010,2011,2013,2016,2017 |
| 4 |  March | 1972,1977,1978,1979 |
| Ralt | 1975,1980,1981,1982 | |
| 3 | Brabham | 1970,1971,1973 |
| 2 | Lotus | 1963,1965 |
 Elfin | 1968,1969 | |
 Renault | 2005,2006 | |
| McLaren | 2003,2007 | |
| Source:[23] | ||
A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.
Manufacturersin bold are competing in the Formula One championship in 2026.
| Wins | Constructor | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| 15 |  Ford * | 1963,1965,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982 |
| 7 | Ferrari | 1999,2000,2001,2004,2008,2012,2015 |
| 5 | Renault | 2005,2006,2010,2011,2013 |
| 4 | Mercedes ** | 2003,2007,2009,2014 |
| 2 | BMW | 1977,2002 |
 TAG Heuer *** | 2016,2017 | |
| Source:[23] | ||
* Built byCosworth
** Built byIlmor in 2003
*** Built byRenault
A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.
Formula BMW Asia andPorsche Carrera Cup Asia have supported the Malaysian Grand Prix since 2003.
