By Dr. Amarjeet Singh @ AJ
Yes — But This Time, We Must Build an Industry Around It
Motorsports Enthusiast | Business Strategist | Tourism & Attractions Professional
The engines have gone quiet again at Sepang.
But something else has started.
A conversation.
Should Formula 1 return permanently to Malaysia?
As someone who loves sport and motorsports, my immediate emotional answer is YES.
But as someone who looks at business, tourism, marketing, operations and economic sustainability, my answer is slightly different:
YES — provided Malaysia does it differently this time.
We should not spend hundreds of millions of ringgit simply to say:
“Malaysia has Formula 1.”
We should ask a much bigger question:
How can Formula 1 become an economic engine for Malaysia?
And after what happened at Sepang this weekend, that question deserves serious consideration.
261,000 PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY GIVEN US AN ANSWER
Formula 1 returned to Sepang from 2–4 October 2026 after a nine-year absence, albeit unusually as the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, rather than the Malaysian Grand Prix.
The response was extraordinary.
261,000 spectators attended across the weekend, with 103,000 on race day — the largest event attendance in Sepang International Circuit’s history. (BERNAMA)
Think about that.
Nine years without Formula 1.
Then one opportunity arrives — and hundreds of thousands turn up.
That is not merely nostalgia.
That is market demand.
The rain came. The heat came. The race itself was delayed by 93 minutes.
The fans stayed.
Sepang was alive again. (BERNAMA)
And immediately after the event, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim confirmed that discussions have begun with Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali about the possibility of bringing Formula 1 back to Malaysia more permanently.
Importantly, the Prime Minister also said it is still early and that the costs and implications must be evaluated. (BERNAMA)
That is exactly what Malaysia should do.
Don’t rush.
Don’t get carried away by emotion.
But don’t waste this opportunity either.
SEPANG IS STILL A GREAT RACING CIRCUIT
We sometimes forget what Malaysia already owns.
Sepang International Circuit is a world-class motorsports asset.
The 5.543 km circuit has 15 corners, long straights, high-speed sections and enormous braking zones. Formula 1 itself describes Sepang as fast, flowing and challenging, with multiple overtaking opportunities. (Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website)
The circuit is at least 16 metres wide and reaches approximately 22 metres at its widest sections — giving drivers considerably more room to attack, defend and choose different racing lines. (Sepang International Circuit)
Then Malaysia adds another unpredictable ingredient:
our weather.
Heat.
Humidity.
Sudden tropical rain.
Changing track temperatures.
Tyre degradation.
A dry race can suddenly become a wet race.
A straightforward strategy can collapse in minutes.
That unpredictability is part of what made Sepang special.
The circuit does not need to be invented.
We already built it.
The question is how intelligently we monetise it.
BUT F1 CANNOT JUST BE ABOUT TICKET SALES
This is where Malaysia needs to think much bigger.
The estimated cost of securing a permanent F1 slot could exceed RM300 million annually, according to the SIC CEO, with hosting rights alone estimated around US$70–80 million. (BERNAMA)
That is serious money.
Therefore, the debate cannot simply be:
“Can Malaysia afford RM300 million?”
The correct question is:
“What economic value can Malaysia create from that RM300 million?”
Before this year’s race, MOTAC targeted around 300,000 tourists around the event, including an estimated 50,000 international visitors, while a Hong Leong Bank Research projection cited by RTM put the potential economic impact at around RM1.3 billion through sports tourism and foreign visitor expenditure. (RTM News)
Other economists estimated that F1 could stimulate more than RM1 billion in economic activity through aviation, hotels, F&B, transport, retail and tourism. (BERNAMA)
Those projections now need to be tested against the actual 2026 results.
Publish them.
How many foreigners came?
Where did they come from?
How long did they stay?
How much did they spend?
How many hotel room nights were generated?
How much additional airline revenue?
How much F&B spending?
How much retail spending?
How much tax revenue?
How many temporary and permanent jobs?
How many SMEs benefited?
How much international media exposure did Malaysia receive?
That is how we determine whether F1 is expensive — or an investment.
DON’T SELL A RACE. SELL MALAYSIA.
This is where I believe our strategy must change.
Imagine purchasing an F1 ticket together with:
3 nights Kuala Lumpur + race ticket + airport transfer + KL city experience + Malaysian food trail + shopping vouchers + post-race Langkawi/Penang/Sabah package.
Now F1 becomes the hook.
Malaysia becomes the product.
Someone travelling from Europe, Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea or the Middle East should not fly thousands of kilometres to Malaysia, watch Formula 1 and immediately fly home.
We should fight for every additional night that visitor stays in Malaysia.
That additional night means another hotel room.
Another restaurant meal.
Another Grab or taxi trip.
Another shopping visit.
Another attraction.
Another domestic flight.
Another Malaysian employee earning income.
That is where the economic multiplier begins.
LOOK AT WHAT SINGAPORE BUILT AROUND F1
Singapore provides an important lesson.
It did not merely build a race.
It developed Grand Prix Season Singapore around the event, with race-themed dining, retail, entertainment and experiences extending beyond the circuit itself. (Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry)
From the event’s inception in 2008 through 2024, Singapore reported more than S$2.2 billion in incremental tourism receipts associated with its Formula 1 race. (Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry)
And during the current 2026 Singapore race period, international business conferences and approximately 40 associated events are taking place around the Grand Prix week. Reuters reports an official estimate of roughly S$145 million in incremental tourism receipts annually from F1. (Reuters)
That is the lesson.
The Grand Prix should be the centrepiece — not the entire product.
MALAYSIA NEEDS AN “F1 MONTH”
I would go further.
Don’t create three days of Formula 1.
Create a Malaysia Motorsport Month.
Start the activation two or three weeks before race weekend.
Bring motorsports into Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor and eventually other states.
Car exhibitions.
Classic-car gatherings.
Supercar convoys.
Motorcycle festivals.
Karting championships.
University engineering competitions.
Sim-racing tournaments.
Automotive technology exhibitions.
EV showcases.
Motorsports career fairs.
Mechanic and engineering workshops.
Driver appearances.
Team exhibitions.
Concerts.
Food festivals.
Malaysian cultural nights.
Fashion.
Music.
Corporate networking.
Investment forums.
Tourism packages.
School programmes.
Then after the race?
Don’t stop.
Run post-F1 tourism programmes encouraging international visitors to discover Malaysia.
AND BUILD THE MALAYSIAN MOTORSPORT INDUSTRY
This, to me, is even more important.
If Malaysia spends hundreds of millions bringing F1 here but does nothing for Malaysian motorsports, then we have missed half the opportunity.
F1 should become the top of a pyramid.
Underneath it should be:
Karting → junior racing → national championships → engineering → mechanics → race management → marshals → automotive technology → data analytics → media → sponsorship → tourism → events → Malaysian drivers and teams.
Our universities should be involved.
Our automotive industry should be involved.
PETRONAS, Proton, Perodua and the wider automotive supply chain should be involved.
Our engineering students should see motorsports as a laboratory.
Our children should be able to see pathways into racing, engineering, aerodynamics, mechanics, event management and sports business.
Then Formula 1 is no longer merely entertainment.
It becomes an industry catalyst.
BUT THERE MUST BE ACCOUNTABILITY
And this is where I would insist on something different.
If public money is involved, Malaysia should establish an independent F1 Commercial & Economic Oversight Committee.
Not to interfere with race operations.
To protect the investment.
The committee should include expertise in:
finance and audit, tourism economics, motorsports, event management, sponsorship, marketing, aviation, hospitality, transport, digital media, security and government procurement.
Every major ringgit should have an objective.
Every campaign should have a KPI.
Every sponsorship package should have measurable commercial value.
Every year there should be an independently reviewed F1 Malaysia Economic Impact Report published after the event.
Measure international arrivals, visitor expenditure, hotel occupancy, average length of stay, ticket revenue, sponsorship, merchandise, F&B, transportation, SME participation, media value, digital reach, employment and tax contribution.
Then Malaysians can judge the investment based on data rather than political arguments or emotion.
WE ALSO HAVE TO LEARN FROM THIS WEEKEND
The 2026 return was spectacular, but it wasn’t perfect.
There were reports of major transportation and shuttle difficulties, particularly on Friday, with fans complaining of long waits and crowd congestion. Conditions reportedly improved subsequently. (AsiaOne)
That feedback matters.
If Malaysia wants a permanent F1 event, the visitor experience begins before someone reaches the circuit.
Airport.
KLIA Express.
Bus.
Road.
Parking.
Shuttle.
Pedestrian movement.
Entrance.
Security.
Food.
Toilets.
Signage.
Connectivity.
Exit.
Getting 100,000 people into a venue is one challenge.
Getting 100,000 people out efficiently is another.
A world-class race requires a world-class end-to-end visitor journey.
SO, SHOULD MALAYSIA BRING FORMULA 1 BACK?
I believe we should seriously pursue it.
But not because F1 sounds glamorous.
Not because politicians can stand beside racing cars.
Not because Malaysia hosted it before.
And certainly not simply because we miss hearing Formula 1 engines around Sepang.
Bring it back because we can demonstrate that it creates economic value.
Bring it back to grow tourism.
Bring it back to strengthen Malaysia’s international brand.
Bring it back to develop motorsports.
Bring it back to create opportunities for Malaysian businesses and SMEs.
Bring it back to inspire another generation of drivers, engineers, mechanics and motorsports professionals.
Bring it back to attract investment.
And build an entire festival economy around it.
ONE RACE. ONE COUNTRY. ONE GLOBAL STAGE.
261,000 spectators have just reminded us what Sepang can become. (BERNAMA)
The world has seen Malaysia hosting Formula 1 again.
Now the question is whether Malaysia can transform that attention into something much bigger.
If the numbers make sense, negotiate hard.
Find corporate partners.
Reduce taxpayers’ exposure.
Build tourism packages.
Create an F1 month.
Develop Malaysian motorsports.
Measure every ringgit.
Audit every major expenditure.
Publish the economic results.
And turn Sepang into something greater than a racetrack.
Make it the beating heart of Southeast Asian motorsports.
Formula 1 should not come back merely because Malaysia wants a race.
Formula 1 should come back because Malaysia has a plan.
A plan for tourism.
A plan for business.
A plan for motorsports.
A plan for our young people.
A plan for international exposure.
And above all —
a plan to turn the roar of 20 Formula 1 cars into economic opportunities for millions of Malaysians.
Bring F1 back — but this time, build an industry around it.
By Dr. Amarjeet Singh @ AJ
#Formula1 #F1Malaysia #Sepang #SepangInternationalCircuit #MalaysianGP #MotorsportsMalaysia #SportsTourism #VisitMalaysia #TourismMalaysia #MalaysiaMotorsports #EconomicImpact #Malaysia
Amarjeet Singh Sran (amarjeetsinghsran5@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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