Sepang F1 return hinges on five-year business plan: FIA chief Ben Sulayem

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has been given a clear route back to the Formula 1 (F1) calendar by the world motorsport governing body Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said Sepang International Circuit's return will depend on a credible, long-term business plan backed by the government and strong fan demand.

Ben Sulayem said Malaysia has the track, motorsport heritage, and fan base to support a return, but any bid must show that hosting F1 makes commercial, tourism, and economic sense for the country.

"If Malaysia wants to go back to F1, I said it very clearly: a plan, a five-year business plan, knowing how you will cover it," he said at an interview with selected media a few hours before the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia started on Sunday.

The 65-year-old Emirati also stressed that Malaysia would need a strategy to promote the race and fill the grandstands, as F1 now operates on a significantly stronger commercial footing than when Sepang last hosted the championship.

"The whole thing has to work together. Before, it was in a way random. But Formula 1 was never as strong as today, commercially."

Sepang successfully stepped in to host the Bahrain Grand Prix following its cancellation amid regional security concerns, bringing F1 back to Malaysia for the first time since 2017.

Ben Sulayem said the successful operation demonstrated that Malaysia remained capable of hosting a major F1 event, while also highlighting Sepang's logistical advantages within the regional calendar.

He said a potential Malaysian return would have to be assessed alongside the existing Asian races in Australia, China, Japan and Singapore, as the FIA and Formula One Management (FOM) seek to balance the calendar.

The FIA president nevertheless said "everything is possible", pointing to the changing nature of the F1 calendar and the increasingly close relationship between the FIA and FOM.

"Malaysia, the investment and the track are great. You can see a lot of things have been improved," he said.

However, he cautioned that the decision ultimately rests with Malaysia.

The government, he said, would first have to determine whether F1 fits its economic and tourism policies before developing a formal proposal with the commercial parties involved.

"It's not about, 'Oh, let's do this.' It is a plan. Is it good for the government when it comes to the business side? Is it in their policy in the economic and tourism?

"Then there is a plan, and there is a request, and then, of course, we sit there, the commercial side sits, FOM sits, see what's beneficial."

Ben Sulayem also urged Malaysia to look beyond F1, saying the country had the potential to strengthen its wider motorsport ecosystem, including rallying, karting and other disciplines.

For now, a permanent return remains an ambition rather than a commitment.

But after nine years away, Sepang has demonstrated that the door to F1 is not closed — and the next step could be for Malaysia to decide whether it is prepared to build the business case to walk through it.