Malaysia’s F1 return hinges on five-year plan covering funding, promotion and logistics, says FIA chief

Malaysia's potential return to the Formula One (F1) calendar hinges on developing a comprehensive five-year business plan that addresses commercial, promotional, and logistical demands, according to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

While praising improvements at the Sepang International Circuit, he highlighted the need for Malaysia to align F1 hosting with its economic and tourism goals.

The FIA and Formula One Management are open to discussing Malaysia's comeback, contingent on demonstrating a sustainable plan.

The successful hosting of the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang showcased Malaysia's capability, yet emphasized broader motorsport ambitions beyond F1.

SEPANG, Oct 5 — Malaysia would need a minimum five-year business plan covering the commercial, promotional and logistical requirements of hosting Formula One (F1) if it wants to make a permanent return to the championship.

Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said that the possibility of Malaysia returning to the F1 calendar remains open, but any move would require proper planning.

“The investment and the track are both great. You can see that a lot of things have improved. Anything is possible. I mean, look at the calendar. It is changing,” he told a media roundtable with selected Malaysian media on Sunday.

Ben Sulayem was in Malaysia for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, held on Oct 2-4 at the Sepang International Circuit.

The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix was supposed to take place on April 10-12. However, following the disruption arising from the West Asia conflict, it was rescheduled and held at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC).

Can Malaysia make a comeback to the F1 calendar?

Yesterday, the Motorsports Association of Malaysia president Tan Sri Mokhzani Mahathir said he believes the SIC has the capability and experience to host F1 again should Malaysia decide to return to the championship.

He said SIC’s experience in organising F1 remains intact, allowing the circuit’s management to ensure the event runs smoothly.

Ben Sulayem said Malaysia has a strong motorsport foundation and noted the improvements made to the circuit, but stressed that a long-term business plan would be crucial for any bid for a permanent F1 return.

“Malaysia deserves it. We have a very good relationship, and Formula One Management (FOM) is very open to this. You have to plan. Failing to plan is planning to fail.

“Have a business plan covering a minimum of five years, and we will support it,” he said.

Ben Sulayem added that the plan would need to address how the event would be financed and promoted, as well as the logistical aspects.

However, he said Malaysia would first have to determine whether hosting the F1 is in the country’s interests and fits its economic and tourism policies.

He noted that F1 is commercially stronger today, with greater public interest in the championship.

Asked whether there was room on the F1 calendar for Malaysia to return, particularly with several races already held in the Asia-Pacific region, Ben Sulayem said geographical balance was among the considerations.

He highlighted races in Australia, China, Singapore and Japan, adding that the championship could legally expand to 25 races from the current 24.

Ben Sulayem stressed that the FIA favoured having more teams rather than simply increasing the number of races.

“To us, balancing is one thing. But do we add another calendar? You know, I always said that having more teams is what I want rather than having more races. I need more teams,” he said, adding that Malaysia’s motorsport ambitions should extend beyond F1.

“You have a great fan base. You have enthusiasts. You have people who love motorsport. What do you give them?” he said, while advocating more accessible forms of motorsport, including karting, cross-car and rallying.

He said the response to the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia showed that the country’s motorsport enthusiasts had remained despite the country’s absence from the F1 calendar.

Bahrain-Malaysia cooperation

Ben Sulayem expressed satisfaction with the staging of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, describing the organisation as impressive, particularly the logistical effort and cooperation between Malaysian and Bahraini personnel.

“You have Malaysians and Bahrainis together from the start until the finish. The harmonisation, here on the ground, that’s what really amazed me. It is very impressive,” he said.

He said the event also benefited Malaysians by reviving experience in areas such as marshalling, volunteering and event organisation, and commended Malaysian motorsport fans and staff for being knowledgeable and passionate.

Asked about the overall organisation, particularly traffic management, Ben Sulayem said the focus should be on finding solutions rather than assigning blame.

“Everybody can complain, but do you have a solution?” he said. — Bernama

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国际汽联主席穆罕默德·本·苏莱姆表示，马来西亚能否重返一级方程式 (F1) 赛历，取决于能否制定一项全面的五年商业计划，以满足商业、推广和物流方面的需求。

在赞扬雪邦国际赛道的改进的同时，他强调马来西亚需要将F1赛事举办与自身的经济和旅游目标结合起来。

国际汽联和一级方程式管理公司愿意讨论马来西亚重返F1赛场的事宜，前提是马来西亚能够拿出可持续的计划。

马来西亚在雪邦成功举办巴林大奖赛，不仅展现了马来西亚的赛车能力，也凸显了其在F1之外更广泛的赛车运动雄心。

雪邦，10 月 5 日讯——马来西亚若想永久重返一级方程式锦标赛，至少需要一份涵盖商业、推广和后勤需求的五年商业计划。

国际汽车联合会（FIA）主席穆罕默德·本·苏莱姆表示，马来西亚重返F1赛历的可能性仍然存在，但任何行动都需要妥善的计划。

“投资和赛道都很棒。你可以看到很多方面都有所改善。一切皆有可能。我的意思是，看看赛程安排。它正在发生变化，”他周日与部分马来西亚媒体举行的圆桌会议上说道。

本·苏莱姆当时在马来西亚，观看10月2日至4日在雪邦国际赛道举行的巴林大奖赛。

2026 年巴林大奖赛原定于 4 月 10 日至 12 日举行。然而，由于西亚冲突造成的干扰，比赛被重新安排，并在雪邦国际赛道 (SIC) 举行。

马来西亚能否重返F1赛历？

昨天，马来西亚赛车运动协会主席丹斯里莫克扎尼·马哈蒂尔表示，他相信如果马来西亚决定重返F1锦标赛，沙巴国际赛车场有能力和经验再次举办F1赛事。

他表示，雪城国际赛道在组织F1赛事方面的经验依然丰富，这使得赛道管理团队能够确保赛事顺利进行。

本·苏莱姆表示，马来西亚拥有强大的赛车运动基础，并注意到赛道的改进，但他强调，对于任何希望永久回归F1的申办而言，制定长期的商业计划都至关重要。

“马来西亚值得拥有这项赛事。我们关系很好，一级方程式管理公司（FOM）也对此持开放态度。你必须做好计划。不做好计划就等于计划失败。”

他说：“请制定至少涵盖五年的商业计划，我们会予以支持。”

本·苏莱姆补充说，该计划需要解决活动的融资和宣传问题，以及后勤方面的问题。

但他表示，马来西亚首先必须确定举办F1赛事是否符合该国的利益，是否符合其经济和旅游政策。

他指出，如今F1的商业实力更强，公众对这项赛事的兴趣也更大。

当被问及F1赛历上是否有空间让马来西亚回归，尤其是在亚太地区已经举办了多场比赛的情况下，本·苏莱姆表示，地理平衡是其中一个考虑因素。

他重点介绍了在澳大利亚、中国、新加坡和日本举行的比赛，并补充说，该锦标赛可以合法地从目前的 24 场比赛扩展到 25 场比赛。

本·苏莱姆强调，国际汽联更倾向于增加参赛车队数量，而不是简单地增加比赛场次。

“对我们来说，平衡赛程是一回事。但我们是否应该增加另一个赛程呢？你知道，我一直说我想要的是更多车队，而不是更多比赛。我需要更多车队，”他说道，并补充说马来西亚的赛车运动雄心应该超越F1。

“你们拥有庞大的粉丝群体，你们拥有狂热的爱好者，你们拥有热爱赛车运动的人们。你们能为他们带来什么呢？”他说道，同时倡导更易于参与的赛车运动形式，包括卡丁车、越野赛车和拉力赛。

他表示，马来西亚对巴林大奖赛的反响表明，尽管马来西亚没有参加F1赛事，但该国的赛车运动爱好者依然热情不减。

巴林-马来西亚合作

本·苏莱姆对在雪邦举办的巴林大奖赛表示满意，称其组织工作令人印象深刻，特别是后勤保障工作以及马来西亚和巴林工作人员之间的合作。

“从始至终，马来西亚人和巴林人都在一起。这种实际的和谐配合，真的让我感到惊讶。这非常令人印象深刻，”他说。

他表示，此次活动也让马来西亚人受益匪浅，因为它让他们重拾了在赛事组织、志愿者服务和赛事管理等领域的经验，他还赞扬了马来西亚赛车运动爱好者和工作人员的知识渊博和热情。

当被问及整体组织情况，特别是交通管理方面时，本·苏莱姆表示，重点应该放在寻找解决方案上，而不是追究责任。

“每个人都可以抱怨，但你们有解决办法吗？”他说道。——马新社

今天在下议院：议员们将就朝圣基金、1963年马来西亚协议中的石油和天然气权益、粮食安全和老龄化问题质询部长们。

国家能源公司称，一名男子在巴生一家第三方电力安装公司因涉嫌盗窃电缆触电身亡。

警方从武吉安塔拉邦一路追捕斯巴鲁汽车至黑风洞，两名男子因涉嫌克隆车被捕。