Throwback: 10 info in regards to the final Malaysian GP in 2017 – A-Z Eventz

It’s official – 9 years after Malaysia waved goodbye to Formula 1, the world championship is coming again to the Sepang International Circuit, by probably the most unlikely of routes. Formula 1 and the FIA at this time confirmed that Sepang will host the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia from October 2-4, 2026, slotting in between the Azerbaijan and Singapore rounds as a alternative for the race that would not be held in Sakhir.

The announcement was made along with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Bahrain’s crown prince and prime minister, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa – the occasion stays topic to closing agreements and World Motor Sport Council approval, and ticketing particulars will likely be introduced quickly.

Yes, you learn that proper – it received’t be known as the Malaysian Grand Prix. More on that under, however with F1 confirmed to return, now’s pretty much as good a time as any to revisit the 2017 Malaysian GP, the race that was speculated to be our final. Here are 10 info about that weekend, a refresher on why the race was dropped within the first place, and the story of how a “Bahrain GP” ended up being held over 6,000 km from Bahrain.

10 info in regards to the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix

1. Max Verstappen received it the day after his twentieth birthday.

The Red Bull driver turned 20 on qualifying day, then celebrated by diving previous Lewis Hamilton’s pole-sitting Mercedes into Turn 1 on lap 4 and controlling the race to the flag on October 1, 2017. Remarkably, it was solely the second win of his profession, following the 2016 Spanish GP – this was lengthy earlier than the world championships began rolling in.

2. It was a Ferrari weekend from hell.

Sebastian Vettel arrived 28 factors behind Hamilton with the title combat very a lot alive, just for his engine to let go in closing follow. The alternative unit refused to run correctly in Q1, leaving him with no lap time and beginning lifeless final. It obtained worse – Kimi Raikkonen certified second however by no means took the beginning, his automotive pulled off the grid with an influence unit challenge earlier than the lights went out.

3. Vettel’s restoration drive set a lap document that also stands.

Charging from the again, Vettel carved his means as much as fourth and set the quickest lap of 1:34.080 on lap 41 – which stays Sepang’s official F1 race lap document to at the present time, just because the sequence by no means got here again. Come October, the present automobiles will lastly get a crack at it.

4. The most weird crash of 2017 occurred after the chequered flag.

On the cool-down lap, Vettel and Lance Stroll’s Williams made contact, the affect ripping the Ferrari’s left-rear wheel from its mountings. Vettel then famously hitched a trip again to the paddock on the sidepod of Pascal Wehrlein’s Sauber, whereas Ferrari sweated over attainable gearbox injury – and a grid penalty – forward of Suzuka the next weekend. It escaped with out one.

5. Hamilton nonetheless left with the spoils that mattered.

The Briton took pole with a 1:30.076 and completed second, stretching his championship lead over Vettel from 28 to 34 factors. He would wrap up his fourth world title three races later in Mexico.

6. Pierre Gasly made his F1 debut at this race.

The Frenchman was drafted in to switch Daniil Kvyat at Toro Rosso, making Sepang the venue of his grand prix bow. A sure Charles Leclerc additionally drove in first follow for Sauber that weekend. Both are nonetheless on the grid in 2026 – as are Hamilton (now in Ferrari purple) and race winner Verstappen – which means a number of drivers on this yr’s grid will get a Sepang reunion in October.

7. A free drain cowl almost wrecked the weekend.

Second follow was red-flagged when Romain Grosjean crashed closely at Turn 14 – Valtteri Bottas and Raikkonen had dislodged a drain cowl on the previous nook, and the Haas driver struck it subsequent time by, slicing a rear tyre and spearing him into the obstacles. Sound acquainted? Errant covers nonetheless hang-out F1 road and everlasting circuits alike at this time.

8. The race started and ended as a late-season fixture.

Sepang’s first two grands prix in 1999 and 2000 have been run on the tail finish of the season – the 2000 version was even the title-deciding finale – earlier than the race settled into its acquainted early-season slot from 2001 to 2015. For its closing two editions in 2016 and 2017, it moved again to October, paired with the Japanese GP.

9. The farewell drew the most important crowd in years.

A complete of 110,604 spectators turned up throughout the 2017 weekend, a wholesome soar from 88,828 in 2016, when race day itself attracted simply 45,000 individuals in a venue constructed for 120,000. Nothing sells tickets fairly like asserting the present is closing.

10. It was the nineteenth F1 Malaysian GP – however the thirty seventh Malaysian Grand Prix total.

The race’s identify lengthy predates Formula 1’s arrival in 1999, with earlier editions held as non-championship occasions, most notably at Shah Alam’s Batu Tiga circuit. Sepang, by the way, was the primary F1 venue designed from the bottom up by Hermann Tilke, whose fingerprints would go on to look on almost each new circuit since.

Why the Malaysian GP was dropped

The finish was confirmed on April 7, 2017, when then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak introduced that the cupboard had agreed to cease internet hosting F1, citing low returns relative to the price of staging the race. The contract really ran till 2018, however the plug was pulled a yr early in a choice Sepang International Circuit (SIC) described as mutually agreed with Formula One Management.

The numbers made for grim studying. Then tourism and tradition minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz put the annual invoice to host and organise the race at round RM300 million (about US$67 million on the time), whereas ticket gross sales and TV viewership had been sliding for years.

Singapore’s evening race, launched in 2008, had siphoned off a lot of the regional glamour and company spend, whereas depressed oil costs have been squeezing authorities coffers. MotoGP, in contrast, was promoting out at Sepang – so SIC doubled down on two wheels.

The economics by no means improved. SIC chief government Azhan Shafriman Hanif has stated Liberty Media quoted a internet hosting payment of round US$70 million (RM296 million) per version for a comeback, earlier than SIC’s personal RM10-20 million in operating prices, and as not too long ago as 2024, then youth and sports activities minister Hannah Yeoh stated flatly that Malaysia couldn’t afford it.

How a “Bahrain GP” ended up at Sepang

Which brings us to 2026, and an answer no person noticed coming. This season was meant to function a document 24 rounds, 4 of them within the Middle East – however the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs, each scheduled for April, have been known as off after battle involving the US, Israel and Iran erupted within the area in March. That mattered commercially: in accordance with BBC Sport, F1 must stage at the very least 21 races or danger triggering clauses that would see rights charges returned to broadcasters and sponsors.

Plan A was to reschedule Bahrain, in Bahrain, for October 4. ESPN reported that F1 was able to announce precisely that earlier this month – proper up till Iranian missiles landed in Bahrain, at which level groups have been instructed at Spa that no race within the kingdom would occur this yr. Alternatives floated included a second race in Baku, a repeat go to to Las Vegas or Singapore, and Portugal’s Portimao, whereas Imola is claimed to be on standby as a season finale ought to the Qatar and Abu Dhabi rounds additionally fall by.

Instead, Sepang obtained the nod – FIA Grade 1 licensed, race-ready due to MotoGP, and situated conveniently every week earlier than the Singapore GP, forming an Asian triple-header with Baku and Marina Bay. Because Bahrain retains the naming rights – and is reportedly footing the invoice – the race will formally run because the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, neatly sidestepping the internet hosting payment drawback that killed the Malaysian GP within the first place. Strange because it sounds, F1 has kind right here: the San Marino GP was at all times held at Imola in Italy, and the Nurburgring as soon as hosted the Luxembourg GP.

It all got here collectively at outstanding pace. Motorsport outlet The Race first reported the Sepang choice on Thursday, youth and sports activities minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari confirmed lively discussions on Friday, PM Anwar teased an announcement on Saturday – and by Sunday, the deal was achieved, introduced by F1 and the FIA along with the Malaysian PM and Bahrain’s crown prince and prime minister.

In the official launch, F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali stated the settlement saves a grand prix that may in any other case have been misplaced from the calendar, and reveals as soon as once more the game’s means to adapt and ship, thanking the leaders of each international locations. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem credited the Motorsports Association of Malaysia and the Malaysian authorities for making the return attainable, whereas Prince Salman stated Bahrain was proud to face as “a pillar of stability for Formula 1” amid the regional challenges. PM Anwar, for his half, stated the collaboration displays the shut friendship between the 2 nations and reaffirms Malaysia’s readiness and functionality to host main worldwide occasions. The remainder of the 2026 calendar is unchanged, and knowledge on ticket gross sales will likely be launched quickly.

So there you’ve got it – 9 years on, that 2017 farewell seems to not have been goodbye in spite of everything. Would you purchase tickets to look at a Bahrain GP at Sepang this October? Share your ideas within the feedback.