Formula One (F1) racing event in Malaysia which is the brainchild of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was terminated in 2017 after 19 years of organizing in the country.
The weather conditions in Malaysia and the challenging design of the Sepang Circuit are one of the attractions for F1 riders and fans around the world.
During the first race at the Sepang Circuit in 1999, F1 fans around the world were lucky to see a historic moment when the then Scuderia Ferrari rider, Michael Schumacher made a comeback after suffering a broken leg due to an accident during the British Grand Prix a few months earlier.
Schumacher teammate Eddie Irvine emerged champion in the inaugural edition of the F1 event at the Sepang Circuit while Schumacher finished second.
The Sepang International Circuit Sdn Bhd (SIC) and F1 contracts were supposed to expire in 2018 but the Malaysian government acted to terminate the contract in 2017 due to economic factors.
One of the main reasons for the Malaysian government to act in this way is the lack of encouraging ticket sales. The Grandstand ticket price reaches RM2000 while the price for children is around RM600.
If you want to compare with other countries such as Singapore, the ticket price in that country reaches RM4000. However, Malaysians still cannot afford to buy F1 tickets worth RM2000.
The F1 race in Malaysia in 1999 was the first race in Asia to be held outside of Japan. But in 2008, the Singapore Grand Prix quickly became one of the biggest F1 races in Asia due to its central city position and held at night.
That factor has attracted many fans to watch the F1 race in Singapore.
The Malaysian government had to spend about US $ 67 million when organizing an F1 race. Unfortunately, the return on income earned is not worth it.
In 2016, only 45,000 spectators were present to watch the race at the Sepang Circuit. It looks like a lot but the amount is only half of the actual capacity that can be accommodated by the Sepang Circuit at one time which is a lot. 120,000 people.
In 2017, ticket sales started to increase by 65% after the SIC reduced the ticket price by 85% and that time was also the last race in Malaysia.
Malaysians themselves are also less and less fond of watching F1 because the vibrancy and competition in the sport does not raise the adrenaline anymore like the Schumacher-Mika Hakkinen rivalry from the McLaren team.
In the past, Malaysia gave birth to an F1 rider, Alex Yoong, who raced for the Minardi team in the 2001 and 2002 seasons. However, his career in F1 did not last long and he got involved in other motoring events after that.
Malaysians now prefer MotoGP racing due to its cheaper ticket prices and competition in MotoGP is seen to be more intense especially world riders such as Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa are still competing.
Apart from that, the factor of the appearance of a rider from Malaysia a few years ago, Hafizh Syahrin, is seen to attract Malaysians to watch the MotoGP race.
In 2018, Tun Dr. Mahathir once expressed his desire to bring F1 back to Malaysia and planned to hold the race at night.
However, his wish has not 'seen his shadow' after he resigned earlier this year. Will F1 be brought back to Malaysia by the country's new leaders? Together we look forward to it.
