A permanent F1 return to Malaysia would depend on a deal both sides accept

Formula 1 would listen if Malaysia wanted a more permanent place on the calendar, BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson said. Any deal, he added, would have to satisfy both sides.

Benson said Malaysia dropped off the calendar because its government was no longer willing to pay the rights fee, believing the expense was not justified by the return.

The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia was staged at Sepang. Benson said the race returned to the calendar only because Bahrain’s Crown Prince wanted to stage it in Malaysia, F1 was willing to accommodate him, and he struck a deal with the Malaysian government.

The 2026 event drew a record crowd of 261,000, more than double the previous largest weekend attendance of 126,690, Benson said.