Published on, Aug. 22 -- August 22, 2025 10:32 AM

Malaysia on Thursday ruled out Formula One returning to the country in the near future, citing costs and an already packed racing calendar.

The Southeast Asian nation first hosted an F1 race in 1999 at its Sepang International Circuit, with the last grand prix held there in 2017.

Malaysia dropped out of the F1 calendar from 2018 amid the rising costs of hosting the event.

Sepang still annually stages MotoGP motorbike racing. Sports minister Hannah Yeoh said hosting F1 again would require the Malaysian government to pay about 300 million ringgit ($71.09 million) annually.

Beyond hosting rights, Yeoh said the circuit requires about 10 million ringgit a year to maintain to the required s...