Sepang International Circuit, LiveRacing Circuit

Sepang International Circuit lies in Selangor, Malaysia, around 60 kilometres south of Kuala Lumpur and immediately adjacent to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It was the brainchild of then-Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, forming the centrepiece of a national push to modernise the country, and was the first ground-up circuit designed by German architect Hermann Tilke. Built in fourteen months from December 1996, it was completed in late 1998, hosted its first race that December and was officially inaugurated in March 1999. The fast, flowing layout features fifteen corners and two long straights separated by a distinctive double-fronted main grandstand, with sweeping grandstand canopies shaped after the leaves of the palm oil plantation on which it was built. Widely praised on opening as one of the world's best circuits, it set a template that many later modern Grand Prix venues would follow. The track is notoriously demanding on tyres and is known for its humid tropical climate, swinging between furnace-hot days and sudden monsoon downpours that have disrupted past races. It held the Malaysian Grand Prix for nineteen seasons until 2017, when rising hosting fees and falling attendances led the circuit to step back from Formula One and concentrate on two-wheeled racing. It remains the home of the Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix and World Superbike rounds, and also hosts a 12-hour GT endurance race. A major 2016 resurfacing improved wet-weather grip and re-profiled the final turn into an off-camber curve to aid drainage. The circuit can be split into shorter North and South configurations that can run simultaneously.

Operated by: Sepang International Circuit Sdn Bhd