Malaysia will not pay any registration fees to the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) for the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2026, with the government only expected to spend up to RM16 million to upgrade the Sepang International Circuit (SIC).
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the F1 race, scheduled to take place at SIC from Oct 2 to 4, will be hosted in Malaysia without the country bearing the usual high costs associated with organising a Formula 1 event.
“Alhamdulillah (the hosting) is after more than a decade. Previously, the cost was hundreds of millions when we hosted it in 2017. Today, we are hosting it without paying registration costs to the company and it is free,” he said during the Semarak Kenegaraan programme at Kem Syed Sirajuddin, Gemas.
Anwar said the government’s main expenditure would involve repair and upgrading works at SIC, with costs estimated between RM10 million and RM16 million.
“If there is some expenditure needed to repair the track. The track that is currently used for cars, motorcycles and others needs to be improved slightly, I estimate around RM10 million to RM16 million,” he said.
He added that other countries typically spend hundreds of millions or even up to RM1 billion to host Formula 1 races, while Malaysia’s investment would mainly focus on preparing the circuit for global teams, drivers and engineers.
“Others who organise it, the expenditure is hundreds of millions or a minimum of RM1 billion. We are asked to spend RM16 million (to repair the track that will become) the focus of all the world’s top racers, the most advanced vehicles in the world and thousands of engineers who will fly to Sepang, Malaysia,” Anwar said.
The Prime Minister said Malaysia was selected as the host from dozens of countries due to three key factors: security, efficiency in handling the event and strong infrastructure.
Formula 1 previously announced that Sepang International Circuit would host the rescheduled race in October, with the event officially named the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
The race will take place on Oct 4 at the circuit located near Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), marking Formula 1’s return to Malaysia after years away from the calendar.
