Sepang International Circuit

How it began

The circuit was built next to Kuala Lumpur International Airport to a design by Hermann Tilke — one of the first tracks he designed from a clean sheet. It opened in 1999.

The first World Championship Malaysian Grand Prix was held on 17 October 1999. Michael Schumacher made his comeback in it after breaking his leg and let his team-mate Eddie Irvine, who was fighting for the title, go past; after the race both Ferraris were disqualified over their bargeboards, but the court of appeal reinstated the result.

The Malaysian Grand Prix was held here from 1999 to 2017. The last one, on 1 October 2017, was won by Max Verstappen; the organisers chose not to renew the contract. In 2026 the circuit returned to the calendar: on 4 October it hosts the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The track

The lap is 5.543 km long with 15 corners, and the race is 56 laps. Two long parallel straights separated by a hairpin, a wide track and corners of every radius made Sepang the model for Tilke’s circuits in the years that followed.

The main challenge is the climate: tropical heat, humidity and sudden downpours, which have interrupted the race more than once.

Memorable races

On 18 March 2001 Ferrari finished first and second after Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello both went off in the rain and pitted together for intermediate tyres. On 5 April 2009 the race was stopped by a downpour after just over thirty laps and never restarted; half points were awarded, and Jenson Button was declared the winner.

On 24 March 2013 Sebastian Vettel passed his team-mate Mark Webber against the “Multi 21” team instruction and won. On 29 March 2015 he took his first win for Ferrari here. On 2 October 2016 race leader Lewis Hamilton’s engine failed, and Daniel Ricciardo won.