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MotoGP1 July 20262 min readBy Motorsport News

Malaysia Locks In MotoGP at Sepang Through 2031 in Five-Year Deal

Malaysia has signed a five-year extension to keep MotoGP at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit through 2031, cementing one of the sport's best-attended rounds and doubling down on the international motorsport event it built after F1 walked away.

Malaysia Locks In MotoGP at Sepang Through 2031 in Five-Year Deal

Key Takeaways

  • 1.The 2025 Malaysian Grand Prix drew 190,977 spectators across the weekend, the highest attendance in the event's history and among the biggest crowds anywhere on the calendar.
  • 2."Malaysia is an important market for MotoGP, where we have a strong fanbase and have seen the positive economic impact of MotoGP increase year-on-year," he said.
  • 3."We are delighted that the Government has granted full approval at the Cabinet Meeting on 15 April 2026 for the renewal of MotoGP Malaysia from 2027 to 2031," said Minister of Youth and Sports Dr.

Malaysia will keep its place on the MotoGP calendar until at least 2031 after Sepang signed a five-year extension, announced on Tuesday, that secures the Petronas Grand Prix through the end of the decade.

The deal covers the 2027 to 2031 seasons and was cleared at the highest level of government. "We are delighted that the Government has granted full approval at the Cabinet Meeting on 15 April 2026 for the renewal of MotoGP Malaysia from 2027 to 2031," said Minister of Youth and Sports Dr. Mohammed Taufiq Johari.

For Malaysia the event has grown into far more than a race weekend. "This renewal goes beyond securing Malaysia's place on the MotoGP global calendar," Taufiq said. "MotoGP Malaysia has become a platform that brings Malaysians together, strengthens our sense of national pride."

The numbers back the enthusiasm. The 2025 Malaysian Grand Prix drew 190,977 spectators across the weekend, the highest attendance in the event's history and among the biggest crowds anywhere on the calendar. The country has hosted MotoGP since 1991 and has staged it at Sepang since the circuit opened in 1999, making it one of the championship's longest-running Asian fixtures.

MotoGP chief executive Carmelo Ezpeleta cast the extension in commercial terms. "Malaysia is an important market for MotoGP, where we have a strong fanbase and have seen the positive economic impact of MotoGP increase year-on-year," he said. "Sepang is a fantastic home for our sport – well-connected to one of the world's truly global cities: Kuala Lumpur."

The agreement also protects a piece of infrastructure that reaches beyond the race itself. Sepang hosts MotoGP's pre-season tests, giving teams and manufacturers their first hot-weather running of the year, and its layout has long been a favourite of riders for its mix of long straights and heavy braking zones.

There is a pointed backdrop to the commitment. Sepang built its international motorsport reputation on Formula 1, but Malaysia dropped its F1 grand prix after 2017 amid rising hosting fees and falling returns. Locking MotoGP in for another five years, as Malaysian media have framed it, is a deliberate move to safeguard the country's marquee global sporting event — and to keep alive the longer-term ambition of one day producing a homegrown MotoGP world champion.

This year's Malaysian round runs from 30 October to 1 November, with the championship expected to reach Sepang deep into a title fight that has swung between several riders across the season.

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