Malaysian Grand Prix off the calendar after 2018
According to Malaysia's Minister of Tourism and Culture, Nazri Abdul Aziz, the Sepang circuit will no longer host F1 after 2018, when the current contract expires.
The extension of the contract linking the Malaysian Sepang circuit and Formula 1 was called into question after a meeting between shareholders and the Malaysian Ministry of Finance. The decline in circuit attendance, the increasingly high cost of the lineup, and declining viewership dealt the final blow to Sepang’s future on the calendar after 2018.
Malaysian Minister of Tourism and Culture, Nazri Abdul Aziz, announced today that the Malaysian leg will no longer take place after 2018 due to the high costs and limited appeal of the race, according to him: « The current agreement is from 2016 to 2018, so once it ends, there will be no more Grand Prix. Attendance for F1 is declining and there is less interest in it now, he specifies.
The minister even estimates the expenses incurred: « We spend 64 million Euros per year; the cost of hosting the F1 has increased tenfold compared to the first time it came. »
In fact, the Asian leg will therefore still take place in 2017 and 2018 for the last time; the contract will not be extended beyond that.
Recall that a few weeks ago, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Khairy Jamaluddin, had already stated that F1 was too expensive in view of its appeal compared to the Moto GP race. Indeed, the race of the premier class of two wheels is much more attended and costs much less to organize.
The Sepang circuit first appeared on the calendar in 1999 and was the scene of tumultuous races, mainly due to the extreme conditions the circuit provides.
A few days ago, Bernie Ecclestone had already expressed doubts about the future of the Singapore and Germany Grand Prix. With the complicated financial situation of the Italian and British Grand Prix, the calendar could evolve rapidly in the coming years.
