KUALA LUMPUR – The Sepang International Circuit (SIC) has dismissed speculation that Malaysia could host the opening race of the 2027 Formula One (F1) season.
SIC chief executive officer Azhan Shafriman Hanif confirmed this when contacted by Bernama today, giving a brief response: "This is not true."
The denial follows a social media post by F1 Lead, an F1 news portal, suggesting that Sepang could be considered as an alternative venue for the 2027 season opener if security concerns in the Middle East were to disrupt the race calendar.
The post claimed that Malaysia's iconic circuit could be in the running to host the opening race if Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were unable to stage their respective Grands Prix (GPs) due to security concerns.
According to the official F1 website, the Bahrain GP is scheduled to open the 2027 season from March 12 to 14, followed by the Saudi Arabian GP from March 19 to 21.
Last month, SIC hosted the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain GP in Malaysia 2026 after the race at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir was cancelled earlier this season due to geopolitical tensions in West Asia.
Malaysia hosted the Malaysian GP at Sepang from 1999 to 2017, before the race was dropped from the F1 calendar. –BERNAMA