Speculations of a possible Sepang comeback set to be addressed
BUKIT MERTAJAM: The chatter over a potential new Formula 1 race in Malaysia will be resolved today.
The buzz had come about when the final two races of the season in Qatar on Nov 29 and Abu Dhabi on Dec 6 could not be held due to the Middle East conflict.
A London-based motorsport channel called The Race reported that Malaysia and Turkiye were among the countries being considered to host an F1 race in October.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, when asked about this by reporters after visiting a school here yesterday, he merely smiled and said: “F1 ... we will announce on Sunday. Okay?”
Malaysia last hosted a Formula One race in Sepang in 2017, before the event was dropped from the calendar due to hosting and licensing costs.
On another issue, Anwar said at a separate event that Malaysians should look at the scale of government spending before accepting allegations made by critics.
He said the government spent between RM40bil and RM50bil a year to keep the price of RON95 petrol at RM1.99 per litre.
Tensions in the Middle East and disruptions affecting the Strait of Hormuz had pushed up world prices for fuel, fertiliser and other imported goods, he said.
“Petrol is not priced at RM1.99. The government pays the difference,” the Prime Minister said.
“While Petronas supplies about half of Malaysia’s fuel needs, the other half has to be imported.”
He said many neighbouring countries have much higher fuel prices, but the Malaysian government continues to subsidise petrol and diesel to ease the burden on the rakyat.
Anwar also said the government spent about RM15bil to RM16bil each year on Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah programmes.
Furthermore, he said extra aid had been given to students, including an additional RM100 book aid for university students, while the recent civil service pay revision would cost the government another RM18bil a year.
“We are doing everything we can to protect the rakyat while carrying out reforms.
“I urge the people to understand the scale of our spending before listening to other claims,” he told reporters after opening the National Training Week 2026 at Universiti Teknologi Mara’s Permatang Pauh campus.
On governance, Anwar said poor governance had placed a heavy burden on public finances, citing Felda as an example.
“Felda was once among the world’s most successful plantation organisations before political interference and poor management resulted in billions of ringgit in losses. We have to allocate almost RM1bil every year to service its debts,” he said.
