F1: Petronas Dismisses Sepang Return, Andretti Bid Rejected

Petronas has denied the rumours of Sepang’s return to the F1 calendar

Talks on a potential return of Formula One (F1) to Malaysia have resurfaced recently, as indicated by a report by Reuters suggesting that Petronas is said to bring the Malaysian Grand Prix back on the F1 calendar for the 2026 season.

In response to such rumours, Petronas has put up an official response to snub and deny them, where the national energy firm said there had been no discussions pertaining to this matter.

“Petronas refers to the news reports published on 31 January 2024, on the potential return of the Formula One Grand Prix to Sepang, Malaysia, in 2026. We would like to confirm that there have been no discussions on bringing the sport back to the Petronas Sepang International Circuit,” the official statement reads.

Prior to the Reuters’ news report, rumours regarding Sepang’s return to F1 initially started back when Petronas gained the commercial naming rights for the SIC, with said firm also being the main title sponsor for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team – one of the leading constructors currently on the grid.

Additionally, the Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM) president Mokhzani Mahathir also commented last year that there was a possibility of F1 returning to Malaysia in the next 3–5 years, as long as they managed to get enough commercial sponsors to foot the hosting costs.

The Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix was first held back in 1999, right after the completion of SIC, where it has garnered rave reviews from the fans of the sport as one of the most challenging and exciting tracks on the F1 calendar. Due to poor ticket sales and the rising cost of hosting, the Grand Prix was pulled out of the F1 calendar for good after its final outing back in 2017.

Meanwhile, Andretti Global's bid to enter F1 has been rejected

On the topic of F1, the bid from American racing outfit Andretti Global to enter F1 has been rejected by the sport’s corporate entity, Formula One Management Ltd. (FOM). Through this bid, said racing outfit was poised to join the F1 grid as the 11th team for the 2025 season, backed by American automotive giant General Motors (GM) via its Cadillac brand.

“Our assessment process has established that the presence of an 11th team would not, in and of itself, provide value to the Championship,” F1’s official statement reads. “While the Andretti name carries some recognition for F1 fans, our research indicates that F1 would bring value to the Andretti brand rather than the other way around.”

Prior to this bid rejection, F1’s governing body, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), had already given Andretti and co. the green light to enter F1, citing that the team had already met its standard for success, considering its deep involvement in other top motorsport disciplines like IndyCar, NASCAR, and IMSA, to name a few.

In response to this bid rejection, Andretti Global has also put up an official statement, which reads, “Andretti Cadillac has reviewed the information Formula One Management Limited has shared and strongly disagrees with its contents. Andretti and Cadillac are two successful global motorsports organisations committed to placing a genuine American works team in F1, competing alongside the world’s best.”

“We are proud of the significant progress we have already made on developing a highly competitive car and power unit with an experienced team behind it, and our work continues at pace. Andretti Cadillac would also like to acknowledge and thank the fans who have expressed their support,” the statement continues.