Want another Malaysian F1 driver? Wait for another 20 years, says SIC CEO

Malaysia needs some 15 to 20 years before local talent is polished enough to re-enter Formula 1, says Azhan Shafriman Hanif, CEO of Sepang International Circuit.

So far, Alex Yoong is the only Malaysian who’s set foot in F1, and he last raced in 2002.

Azhan also mentions that efforts to find and cultivate local talents who can eventually race in F1 isn’t a short term project.

“There is a tendency to hurry a racer to climb from one category to another, instead time should be given for them to hone their skills in every category.”

“In addition, every time a racer takes part in F4, F3, F2 and eventually F1, they need substantial financial support. To summarise, the development of F1 drivers needs the support of both private and government firms,” says Azhan in an exclusive interview with Arena Metro.

Is F1 at least coming back here soon then? Well, the organisation doesn’t have a clear idea at the moment. 

“If one day F1 wishes to return to Malaysia and there’s a viable offer, we will discuss it with the government.

"This is because the fees for hosting F1 are very high compared to the fees for MotoGP, and the decision whether or not F1 returns to Malaysia must be made holistically,” says Azhan.

As far as we are concerned, Malaysia and SIC should look at racing as a whole, and not just the highest echelons of MotoGP and F1. 

There’s no use focusing at the peak when the grassroots level doesn’t get enough attention.

Motoring is an opportunity that’s not supposed to be cordoned off to just the rich. Take a look at Japan and New Zealand, their racing industry contributes a lot to their economies and garners a lot of support from both the government and private entities. 

In Malaysia, there’s a few grassroots level organisations that allow just about anyone to try their hand in this field - and who knows - maybe even make a career out of it.

If you want to get your racing kicks, you can look towards Malaysian Speed Festival (MSF) and Grass Racing Autosports (GRA). These are just a couple of non-governmental organisations (NGO) that bring racing to the masses by being affordable and accessible.