When Malaysia pulled the plug on Formula 1 in 2017, some mourned the end of a glamorous era. The turbo engines, the glittering paddocks, the fleeting spotlight on Sepang all gone. For a while, there were whispers that the race might return. After all, Singapore still basks in the glow of its night race, drawing celebrities and global eyeballs each September. Couldn’t Malaysia ride the same wave again?
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has now given a definitive answer: no. At least, not with government money. Bringing F1 back would cost RM300 million a year, with contracts binding Malaysia to three to five years of payments easily RM1.5 billion gone in a flash. On top of that, Sepang Circuit requires RM10 million annually just to stay FIA compliant. Yeoh’s message is clear: instead of pouring billions into a weekend spectacle, Malaysia should back its own athletes. For once, a politician isn’t buying prestige. She’s investing in people.
This is not just a fiscal decision. It is a philosophy shift. Formula 1 dazzles for three days, but local athletes fight for Malaysia’s flag every day. RM124 million already supports 363 podium athletes and nearly 10,000 development athletes across the nation. Now imagine what RM300 million could do. That sum could fund the Road to Gold programme multiple times over, or sustain grassroots sports for an entire generation.
The contrast is stark. One is a circus for the rich, broadcast on foreign channels. The other is the patient cultivation of talent from kampung courts to Olympic podiums. One leaves Malaysia with a hefty bill and a few selfies in the VIP stands. The other builds national pride that no price tag can measure.
Yet, the issue runs deeper than money. To invest in athletes is to treat them with dignity. Too often, smaller sports are brushed aside while big-ticket events hog the limelight. Take Silambam, a martial art with deep cultural roots in Malaysia. Reports say its leaders “missed” a crucial meeting in Melaka, which led to Silambam being dropped from Sukma 2026. Fine. But leadership in a multicultural, multi-sport nation cannot be reduced to tallying attendance like a school prefect. The real questions remain: Why did they miss the meeting? Did the Ministry make enough effort to bridge the gap? Were communication channels clear, transparent, and inclusive?
As I wrote before: We are Malaysians. We don’t need to beg for our place, and we should not be treated like beggars. If “support local athletes first” is to mean anything, it must begin with fair processes, equitable recognition, and respect. Otherwise, rejecting F1 becomes hollow symbolism cutting a global circus while still sidelining those who train and sweat in obscurity.
The choice before Malaysia is really about identity. Singapore pays top dollar for its F1 night race because it thrives on global branding. The event is promoted by a private company Singapore GP Pte Ltd with the government stepping in only through the Singapore Tourism Board for strategic support. In other words, the public purse is not footing the entire bill. That is the model Malaysia should learn from. Formula 1 is an expensive game; if the corporate sector wants the exposure, let them carry the cost. We are a much bigger nation than Singapore, yet it is the small city-state that will host F1 in 2026 without bleeding its treasury dry.
Meanwhile, Thailand is racing full throttle in the opposite direction. In June, its government approved a staggering US$1.2 billion bid to bring Formula 1 to Bangkok in 2028. It is a bold gamble on prestige and tourism, one that may pay off or weigh heavily on Thai taxpayers for years. Malaysia sits in between these two models. By 2027, we may well aspire to bring F1 back to Sepang but if we do, it should be under the Singapore model, with private promoters and corporate sponsors carrying the financial load, not ordinary Malaysians.
This is also about return on investment. F1 may deliver prestige, but at exorbitant cost. By comparison, MotoGP costs barely a quarter of the F1 fee yet delivers consistently high returns for Sepang International Circuit, drawing packed crowds and tourism inflows without bankrupting the treasury. It is a lesson in sustainability: go where the ROI is clear, not where the glamour blinds.
But perhaps the most compelling argument is emotional. Formula 1 may thrill for a weekend. But a Malaysian child watching someone like them hoist a medal, draped in the Jalur Gemilang, carries that fire for a lifetime. That is the difference between spending money and investing it. One is fleeting consumption. The other is nation-building.
The government has taken the right step in turning away from billion-ringgit vanity projects. Yet the harder work begins now. It is not enough to simply reallocate funds. Those funds must reach the right athletes, the right programmes, and the right communities. Bureaucracy must not smother passion. Inclusion must not be an afterthought. If Silambam’s fate at Sukma is any indication, then the promise to “support athletes first” must be tested in the details, not just declared in press conferences.
Malaysia’s sporting future will not be built in the glare of F1 floodlights. It will be built in the quiet training halls where athletes push through fatigue. In the dusty fields where grassroots coaches mould discipline and resilience. In the smaller federations where recognition often comes too late.
So let the engines stay silent at Sepang. Malaysia has bigger races to run races that don’t end at the chequered flag, but continue in every kampung, every school hall, every sports academy. Formula 1 was a luxury. Athletes are a legacy.
Annan Vaithegi - Championing the athletes, the nation, and the choices that define us.
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