Lights on at Sepang? Mercedes backs Malaysian F1 return as night race idea gathers pace

Malaysia's potential return to the Formula One calendar has sparked renewed interest in the Sepang International Circuit, with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team expressing eagerness to race there again.

The team reminisces about the overwhelming fan response at the Petronas Twin Towers and considers Sepang a home-like venue.

Additionally, global lighting company Signify is prepared to support a potential night race in Malaysia, though this depends on the organizers' intentions.

As F1 explores expansion in Asia, Malaysia, alongside countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and South Korea, is under consideration for future race hosting.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 — Malaysia’s return to the Formula One (F1) spotlight has renewed interest in the Sepang International Circuit, with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team keen to race there again and global lighting technology company Signify ready to provide solutions for a potential night race.

Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord said Malaysia felt somewhat like a home race for the team, recalling the enthusiastic reception from thousands of fans during a promotional event at the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur ahead of the recent Bahrain Grand Prix (GP) in Sepang.

He added that the team would welcome another opportunity to race at Sepang despite a disappointing result at the Bahrain GP.

“Yeah, 100 per cent. I know the result wasn’t great in Sepang, but we had an amazing weekend,” he told a media briefing hosted by Mercedes and its lighting technology partner Signify during the recent Singapore GP.

Lord was responding to a question on the prospect of Malaysia returning to the F1 calendar on a permanent basis.

Malaysia hosted the Bahrain GP from Oct 2 to 4, 2026, after the race was relocated from the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir amid the conflict in the Middle East. The race had originally been scheduled for April.

Recalling the team’s appearance at the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur ahead of the race, Lord said thousands of fans had gathered to welcome Mercedes.

“There were thousands and thousands of people. I was talking to colleagues at Petronas. They were like, you guys locked down the city. For us, it feels a little bit like a home race in Malaysia. We’d love to go back. We might ask them to resurface the circuit as well. It would be brilliant to go back,” he said.

Separately, Signify chief executive officer As Tempelman said technological capability would not be an obstacle should Malaysia decide to organise an F1 night race at Sepang.

“Well, I dare to say that technology will not be a constraint. So we can fix that, right? And we can, of course, if there were a night race in Malaysia, I’m sure we can find solutions. I have no doubt about it whatsoever,” he told Bernama.

However, Tempelman stressed that any such undertaking would first depend on the intentions of race organisers and the relevant authorities.

“The question, it all starts with, you know, what the organiser is and the authorities want from the event. And I think that is the first step that needs to be taken if Malaysia actually wants a night race. But if we were to come at that point, we will make sure we engineer the right solution,” he said.

DZ Engineering general manager Roberto Grilli, meanwhile, expressed interest in submitting a proposal involving Signify’s lighting technology should Sepang decide to host a night race.

He said the company valued its long-standing partnership with Signify, citing the quality of its lighting products as a key reason for continuing the collaboration.

DZ Engineering has worked with Signify on motorsport lighting since the inaugural Singapore F1 night race in 2008, with their collaboration extending to the Las Vegas GP and Formula E races in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, and London.

At Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit, the introduction of Philips ArenaVision LED floodlights in 2023 reduced lighting power consumption by 30 per cent compared with the previous metal-halide system.

Meanwhile, F1 is reportedly considering competing bids from several Asian countries for a place on its calendar, with Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and South Korea among those interested.

Asia is also set to host nine F1 races in 2027, compared with Europe’s eight, following the return of the Turkish GP, marking the first time the region would overtake Europe in the number of races.

On the prospect of Thailand joining the F1 calendar, Lord welcomed the possibility, although he acknowledged the significant commitment and investment required to stage a race.

“I think it would be a wonderful addition to the calendar. There is no doubt about that. We’d be very excited to go if that comes onto the calendar in the years ahead. Absolutely,” he said.

Lord also expressed support for F1’s return to India, describing its previous venue as an excellent circuit and facility.

India is working to address tax and regulatory hurdles to facilitate F1’s return to the Buddh International Circuit near New Delhi in 2028, more than a decade after the Indian Grand Prix was discontinued following its third edition in 2013 due to taxation and regulatory disputes.

“It feels like a round in India would be a very natural and logical part of the sport,” he said.

He noted, however, that complexities surrounding major sporting events would need to be addressed, while decisions on hosting agreements rested with Formula One’s management. — Bernama

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马来西亚重返一级方程式赛历的可能性重新激发了人们对雪邦国际赛道的兴趣，梅赛德斯-AMG Petronas一级方程式车队也表达了再次在那里比赛的渴望。

球队回忆起在吉隆坡双子塔球场球迷的热烈反响，并将雪邦视为如同主场一般的场地。

此外，全球照明公司昕诺飞 (Signify) 也准备支持在马来西亚可能举办的夜间比赛，但这取决于组织者的意愿。

随着F1探索在亚洲的扩张，马来西亚与泰国、越南和韩国等国家一起，正在被考虑作为未来举办比赛的地点。

吉隆坡，10 月 19 日——马来西亚重返一级方程式 (F1) 赛场，重新激发了人们对雪邦国际赛道的兴趣。梅赛德斯-AMG Petronas 一级方程式车队渴望再次在那里比赛，而全球照明技术公司 Signify 也准备为可能的夜间比赛提供解决方案。

梅赛德斯车队副领队布拉德利·洛德表示，马来西亚站对车队来说感觉有点像主场比赛。他回忆起在最近巴林大奖赛（GP）在雪邦举行之前，在吉隆坡双子塔举行的宣传活动中，数千名车迷的热情欢迎。

他补充说，尽管在巴林大奖赛上成绩令人失望，但车队仍然欢迎再次有机会在雪邦赛道参赛。

“是的，百分之百。我知道在雪邦的成绩不太好，但我们度过了一个非常棒的周末，”他在最近新加坡大奖赛期间由梅赛德斯及其照明技术合作伙伴昕诺飞举办的新闻发布会上说道。

洛德是在回答有关马来西亚能否永久回归F1赛历的问题时做出上述表态的。

2026年10月2日至4日，马来西亚承办了巴林大奖赛。此前，由于中东冲突，比赛场地从巴林萨基尔的巴林国际赛道迁至马来西亚。该赛事原定于4月举行。

洛德回忆起车队在比赛前亮相吉隆坡双子塔的情景，他说当时有成千上万的粉丝聚集在一起欢迎梅赛德斯车队。

“当时人山人海。我和马来西亚国家石油公司（Petronas）的同事们聊过，他们说，你们把整个城市都封锁了。对我们来说，这感觉就像在马来西亚的主场比赛一样。我们很想回去。我们或许还会请他们重新铺设赛道。回去参赛真是太棒了，”他说道。

另外，Signify 首席执行官 As Tempelman 表示，如果马来西亚决定在雪邦举办 F1 夜间比赛，技术能力不会成为障碍。

“嗯，我敢说技术不会成为制约因素。所以我们可以解决这个问题，对吧？当然可以，如果马来西亚真的要举办夜间比赛，我相信我们一定能找到解决方案。对此我毫不怀疑。”他告诉马新社。

然而，坦普尔曼强调，任何此类举措首先取决于赛事组织者和相关当局的意图。

“问题在于，一切都始于主办方和当局对这项赛事的期望。我认为，如果马来西亚真的想要举办夜间比赛，这是必须迈出的第一步。但如果到了那个时候，我们会确保制定出合适的解决方案。”他说道。

与此同时，DZ Engineering 总经理 Roberto Grilli 表示，如果雪邦赛道决定举办夜间比赛，他有兴趣提交一份涉及 Signify 照明技术的提案。

他表示，公司非常重视与 Signify 的长期合作关系，并指出 Signify 照明产品的质量是双方继续合作的关键原因。

自 2008 年首届新加坡 F1 夜间比赛以来，DZ Engineering 一直与 Signify 在赛车运动照明方面开展合作，他们的合作还扩展到拉斯维加斯大奖赛以及在沙特阿拉伯迪里耶和伦敦举行的电动方程式比赛。

新加坡滨海湾街赛道于 2023 年引入飞利浦 ArenaVision LED 泛光灯，与之前的金属卤化物灯系统相比，照明能耗降低了 30%。

与此同时，据报道，F1正在考虑来自几个亚洲国家的竞争性申办，以争取在其赛历中占有一席之地，马来西亚、泰国、越南和韩国均对此表示感兴趣。

随着土耳其大奖赛的回归，亚洲将于 2027 年举办 9 场 F1 比赛，而欧洲则举办 8 场，这将标志着该地区首次在比赛场次上超过欧洲。

对于泰国加入F1赛历的前景，洛德表示欢迎，尽管他也承认举办一场比赛需要大量的投入和资金。

“我认为这将为赛程表增添一项精彩的活动。这一点毋庸置疑。如果未来几年它能被列入赛程，我们一定会非常兴奋地参加。绝对的。”他说道。

Lord 还表示支持 F1 重返印度，称其之前的举办地是一个优秀的赛道和设施。

印度正努力解决税收和监管方面的障碍，以促成 F1 于 2028 年重返新德里附近的佛陀国际赛道。此前，由于税收和监管纠纷，印度大奖赛在 2013 年举办了第三届后便停办了，至今已超过十年。

他说：“感觉在印度举办一轮比赛是这项运动非常自然和合乎逻辑的一部分。”

但他指出，大型体育赛事的相关复杂问题仍需解决，而举办协议的决定权则在于一级方程式赛车的管理层。——马新社

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