MARCH 22, 2007

Malaysia - We're not dropping out

The Malaysian Grand Prix may not have been a runaway success in recent years but the locals are not about to quite and walk away, despite the fact that Singapore is coming on strong with plans for a race in September 2008. The current contract with the Formula One group runs for a few more years but it seems that Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his ministers have decided that they want the race to go on for as long as possible to bring more people to Kuala Lumpur. It is unlikely that the government will be willing to pay crazy fees but the desire to keep the race seems solid.

The track will host its first F1 tests next week and all the teams apart from Spyker will be present. The track hopes to sell out this year but Malaysians have a habit of buying their tickets at the last minute which makes it hard to judge in advance. It is unlikely that the race makes a profit but this is not the primary aim of the event.

A new Grand Prix in Singapore will probably hurt the Malaysian event but the authorities hope that interest will be strong enough to help balance the books.