F1 Sepang 2026 MyKad tickets reportedly from RM200 — in 2017, entry started at RM58.68
▲ A rainbow over Sepang International Circuit, with the distinctive SEPANG grandstand visible in the distance. Formula 1 returns to Sepang in October 2026 after a nine-year absence. (Move Auto photo)
Formula 1 will return to Sepang International Circuit from October 2 to 4, nine years after the last Malaysian Grand Prix. As the event approaches, reported MyKad three-day ticket prices have begun circulating online, starting from RM200 and reaching as high as RM2,083.40 for the Main Grandstand. For long-time Malaysian fans, that raises an obvious question: how much did it cost to watch F1 at Sepang in the past?
First, there is one important distinction. The 2026 event is not the formal revival of the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Formula 1 and the FIA have confirmed the race under the official name Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026, with Sepang hosting the event from October 2 to 4. In simple terms, it is the Bahrain Grand Prix being held in Malaysia.
As of August 12, Formula 1's official ticket store already carries a dedicated page for the event. However, Move Auto has not yet been able to independently verify the complete reported MyKad price structure through the official ticketing page. The 2026 figures below should therefore still be treated as reported prices until the organisers confirm the final local ticket structure.
Reported MyKad three-day tickets from RM200
The reported 2026 MyKad three-day prices are as follows:
| Stand / Area | Reported price |
|---|---|
| G Hillstand | RM200.00 |
| C Hillstand | RM809.60 |
| B Hillstand | RM809.60 |
| F Grandstand | RM1,291.40 |
| K1 Grandstand | RM1,386.00 |
| Main Grandstand | RM2,083.40 |
The RM200 entry point is not entirely new to the public discussion. In late July, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim referred to complaints that even the cheapest F1 tickets were around RM200 while discussing the possibility of more affordable “Tiket MADANI” options for Malaysians.
In 2017, three days of F1 started at just RM58.68
Go back to 2017 and the prices look dramatically different.
For the final Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, standard three-day tickets started at just RM58.68 for the K2 Hillstand, while the Main Grandstand was priced up to RM613.68.
Malaysians also received special MyKad pricing. The Main Grandstand cost just RM336.18, while the F Grandstand was RM169.68 and K1 Grandstand RM225.18.
If the 2017 MyKad Main Grandstand price of RM336.18 is compared directly with the reported 2026 figure of RM2,083.40, the newer price is roughly 6.2 times higher.
But that does not mean Sepang F1 ticket prices simply “rose sixfold in nine years”.
2017 was an unusually cheap farewell race
The reason is simple: 2017 was not a normal year.
Malaysia had already decided to end its Formula 1 hosting agreement, and Sepang International Circuit introduced its lowest-ever ticket prices to encourage more fans to attend the final Malaysian Grand Prix. Organisers also acknowledged at the time that maintaining strong spectator numbers had become increasingly difficult.
Looking back just one year earlier gives a much more balanced comparison.
For the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix, the F Grandstand cost RM296.80, K1 Grandstand was RM699.60, while Main Grandstand tickets ranged from RM360.40 to as much as RM1,876.20, depending on the seating zone. The VIP Team Tribune was even higher at RM2,459.20.
So while the reported 2026 Main Grandstand price of RM2,083.40 is clearly much higher than the special 2017 farewell rate, the difference looks far less dramatic when compared with premium seating prices from 2016.
▲ The pit lane and main grandstand at Sepang International Circuit. (Move Auto photo)
Sepang hosted Formula 1 for 19 consecutive years
Sepang first joined the Formula 1 World Championship calendar in 1999, with Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine winning the inaugural Malaysian Grand Prix.
From 1999 through 2017, Malaysia hosted Formula 1 for 19 consecutive seasons. Sepang became known for its fast corners, long straights, extreme heat, high humidity and unpredictable tropical rain.
The final Malaysian Grand Prix took place on October 1, 2017, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen taking victory ahead of Lewis Hamilton. He remains the most recent Formula 1 Grand Prix winner at Sepang.
Why did Malaysia stop hosting F1?
The main problem was not the circuit itself. It was the economics.
When Malaysia ended its Formula 1 hosting agreement, one of the key reasons was that the cost of staging the race had become increasingly difficult to justify against the returns generated for the country. Ticket sales, spectator numbers and tourism-related benefits were also under pressure.
The cost issue remained relevant years later. In 2025, then Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh told Parliament that bringing back an annual Malaysian F1 race could require around RM300 million a year, typically with a three-to-five-year commitment.
▲ Sepang International Circuit's main straight and pit building during a Super GT event. (Move Auto photo)
F1 is back in 2026, but this is not the Malaysian GP
That is what makes the 2026 return so unusual.
Malaysia has not signed a new multi-year agreement to revive the Malaysian Grand Prix. Instead, Sepang is hosting the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
SIC CEO Azhan Shafriman Hanif previously explained that Bahrain is covering the Formula 1 hosting rights fee and will receive the ticket revenue. That means SIC does not have final authority over ticket pricing, although it has been negotiating for more affordable rates for Malaysian fans, including MyKad pricing.
This also means the 2026 ticket structure cannot be compared directly with the pricing model used for the old Malaysian Grand Prix.
The RM58.68 ticket from 2017 makes for a striking comparison, but it was a special farewell price and should not be used on its own to claim that Sepang F1 tickets have simply risen sixfold.
```The more interesting question is how much Formula 1 itself has changed. Nine years later, the sport's global popularity, commercial value and audience profile are very different.
That makes the 2026 Sepang race something of a real-world market test. If Malaysian fans still turn up in large numbers despite tickets no longer being priced like the 2017 farewell event, the next question may no longer be whether Formula 1 can return to Sepang — but whether the Malaysian Grand Prix itself could one day make a genuine comeback.
```Follow Move Auto for more Malaysian automotive news, motorsport coverage and industry analysis.
Comments
Post a Comment