Don't Say Goodbye Yet; F1 Might Return To Malaysia!

The F1 race has been a fixture in Malaysia for the past 18 years, but the race on Sunday marked the final time the Sepang Circuit would host the race.

Just as the tears were beginning to dry, Prime Minister Najib Razak offered a tiny glimpse of hope for all F1 fans out there: the race might return in the future!

The PM told The Star Online in a report that the government is not ruling out hosting the Grand Prix again in the future - providing that it's beneficial to the country.

He added that the government was forced to cancel the race because the returns from hosting the F1 event were not great and they were losing a lot of money.

"But that doesn't mean we can't reconsider it at some point of time in the future, provided economic returns are favourable to us," he was quoted by the online portal as saying.

The country has been hosting the race since 1999, but dwindling viewerships and race attendance have plagued the country for years.

In fact, Fortune magazine reported in October 2016 that last year's race in Malaysia only managed to move between 55 and 60 per cent of the tickets.

TV viewership in the country was reportedly the lowest in history too.

Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen won the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, while current World Drivers' Championship leader Lewis Hamilton finished second. Verstappen's Red Bull teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, came in third.