30/03/2015
NEWS STORY
Officials at Sepang have confirmed that the current contract has been extended until 2018, having signed new three-year deal.
The circuit, which hosted Malaysia's first Formula One World Championship race in 1999, the event most famous for the return of Michael Schumacher following his Silverstone accident, was the first F1 track to be designed by Hermann Tilke.
Though it is not widely regarded as his best work, in recent years there has been growing affection for the Malaysia track, even if the weather conditions often make spectating (and racing) difficult.
"The Sepang International Circuit (SIC) today announced that the contract to host the Formula One Malaysia Grand Prix has been extended for another three years until 2018," read the official statement concerning the contract extension.
"Malaysian Prime Minister, Y.A.B. Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak, revealed the news of the extension after the conclusion of the seventeenth edition of the 2015 F1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit.
"The contract for the extension was signed following the successful negotiations between SIC and Formula One Management. The Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix has been a major annual sporting event in the country since it was first hosted here in 1999."
With F1 gradually being eradicated from Europe, even certain races in the east are thought to be under threat as new economies seek to become part of the F1 dream however, this new three year-deal ensure Malaysia keeps its place for a few more years.
That and the fact that it hosted a race yesterday which breathed new life into a flagging sport.
Check out our race gallery, here.