Sepang International Circuit () (known as

Petronas Petroliam Nasional Berhad, commonly known as PETRONAS (stylised in all caps), is a Malaysian Multinational corporation, multinational petroleum, oil and natural gas, gas company headquartered in Kuala Lumpur. Established in 1974, it is a lega ...

Sepang International Circuit for commercial reasons) is a

motorsport Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of Car, automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and Aircraft, powered aircraft. For each of these vehicle types, the more specific term ...

race track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...

Sepang Pekan Sepang is a small border town and also a mukim in Sepang District, Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on t ...

Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...

, Malaysia. It is located approximately south of

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

, close to

Kuala Lumpur International Airport Kuala Lumpur International Airport is the main international airport serving Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. It is located in the Sepang District of Selangor, approximately south of downtown Kuala Lumpur and serves the Greater Kuala L ...

. It hosted the

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

Malaysian Grand Prix The Malaysian Grand Prix (, officially the Malaysia Grand Prix from 1963–1965 and 2011–2017 and Malayan Grand Prix in 1962) was an annual auto race held in Malaysia. It was part of the Formula One World Championship from 1999 to 2017 and ...

between 1999 and 2017, and is also the venue for the

Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix The Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that is part of the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. The event is due to take place at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit until at least 2024. History The first Mala ...

, the Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race, and other major motorsport events. Previously known as the Sepang F1 Circuit, it was renamed the Sepang International Circuit. On 31 October 2023, it was announced that

has acquired the naming rights to the circuit for three years in an undisclosed fee.

History

The circuit was designed by German designer

Hermann Tilke Hermann Tilke (born 31 December 1954) is a German engineer, racing driver and circuit designer, who has designed numerous Formula One motor racing circuits. His son is architect Carsten Tilke. Racing During the 1980s, Tilke competed in touring ...

, who would subsequently design circuits including in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

Sakhir Sakhir () is a desert area located in the Southern Governorate of Bahrain, near Zallaq. It contains the Al-Sakhir Palace, built in 1870. Camping in Sakhir during the winter months is a popular activity in the country. Notable sites In the earl ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, Marina Bay, and Yas Marina. As part of a series of major infrastructure projects in the 1990s under

Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir bin Mohamad (; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author and doctor who was respectively the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia, prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020. He was the ...

's government, the Sepang International Circuit was constructed between 1997 and 1999 close to

Putrajaya Putrajaya (), officially the Federal Territory of Putrajaya (), is the administrative centre of Malaysia. The Seat of government, seat of the Government of Malaysia, federal government of Malaysia was moved in 1999 from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajay ...

, the then-newly founded administrative capital of the country, with the intent of hosting the Malaysian Grand Prix. The Malaysian climate means the circuit is known for its unpredictable humid tropical weather, varying from clear furnace-hot days to tropical rain-storms. Starting grid of 2010 Malaysian GP

The circuit was officially inaugurated by the 4th

Prime Minister of Malaysia The prime minister of Malaysia (; ) is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the Government of Malaysia, federal government. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints the prime minister who is a membe ...

on 7 March 1999 at 20:30 MST ( UTC+08:00). He subsequently went on to inaugurate the first

Moto GP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...

on 20 April 1999 (see 1999 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix) and the first

Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix on 17 October 1999 (see 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix). On 23 October 2011, on the second lap of the

MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...

Shell Advance Malaysian Grand Prix, the Italian

motorcycle racer The motorcycle sport of racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) includes motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Other categories include hill climbs, drag racing and ...

Marco Simoncelli Marco Simoncelli (; 20 January 198723 October 2011), nicknamed Sic (), was an Italian professional Motorcycle racing, motorcycle racer. He competed in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing, MotoGP World Championship for 10 years from 2002 to 2011. He ...

died following a crash in turn 11 on Lap 2, resulting in an abandonment of the race. The track was completely resurfaced in 2016 with the support of italian designers Dromo, with several corners reprofiled to emphasize mechanical, rather than aerodynamic grip. Notably, the final corner was raised by approximately 1 meter, which officials claimed would force drivers to take a later apex and explore different racing lines through the hairpin. In October 2016 it was rumored that the Sepang circuit may be dropped from the Formula One calendar due to dwindling ticket sales, and held its nineteenth and last World Championship Grand Prix in 2017. The race's contract was due to expire in 2018, but its future had been under threat due to rising hosting fees and declining ticket sales.

Layout

The main circuit, normally raced in a clockwise direction, is long, and is noted for its sweeping corners and wide straights from . The layout is quite unusual, with a long back straight separated from the pit straight by just one very tight

hairpin A hairpin or hair pin is a long device used to hold a person's hair in place. It may be used simply to secure long hair out of the way for convenience or as part of an elaborate hairstyle or coiffure. The earliest evidence for dressing the ha ...

. Other configurations of the Sepang circuit can also be used. The north circuit is also raced in a clockwise direction. It is basically the first half of the main circuit. The course turns back towards the pit straight after turn 6 and is long in total. The south circuit is the other half of the racecourse. The back straight of the main circuit becomes the pit straight when the south circuit is in use, and joins onto turn 8 of the main circuit to form a

hairpin turn A hairpin turn (also hairpin bend or hairpin corner) is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn about 180° to continue on the road. It is named for its resemblance to a bent metal ha ...

. Also run clockwise, this circuit is in length. Sepang International Circuit also features

kart racing Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on kart circuit, scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on fu ...

and

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

facilities.

Track configurations

A lap in a Formula One car

Sepang starts with a long pit straight where the DRS zone exists – crucial for drivers to get a good exit out of the last corner to gain as much speed as possible. Turn 1 is a very long, slow corner taken in second gear. Most drivers brake incredibly late and lose speed gradually as they file round the corner, similar to Shanghai's first turn but slower. Turn 1 leads straight into Turn 2, a tight left hairpin which goes downhill quite significantly. The first two corners are quite bumpy, making it hard to put power onto the track. Turn 3 is a long flat out right hander which leads into Turn 4 – known locally as the

Langkawi Langkawi, officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah (), is a duty-free island and an archipelago of 99 islands (plus five small islands visible only at low tide in the Strait of Malacca) located some 30 km off the coast of northwe ...

Curve – a second gear, right-angle right-hander. Turns 5 and 6 make up an incredibly high-speed, long chicane that hurts tyres and puts a lot of stress on drivers due to high G-Force. It is locally known as the Genting Curve. Turns 7 and 8 (the KLIA curve) make up a long, medium-speed, double-apex right hander, and a bump can cause the car to lose balance here. Turn 9 is a very slow left-hand hairpin (the Berjaya

Tioman Tioman Island () is , off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, more specifically off the east coast of Rompin District, Pahang, Malaysia. It is long and wide and has seven villages, the largest and most populous being Kampung Tekek on the ...

Corner), similar to turn two but uphill. Turn 10 leads into a challenging, medium-speed right hander at turn 11, requiring braking and turning simultaneously. Turn 12 is a flat-out, bumpy left which immediately leads into the flat right at turn 13, then the challenging '

Sunway Lagoon Sunway Lagoon is an amusement park in Bandar Sunway, Sunway City, Selangor, Malaysia. Owned by the Sunway Group, it officially opened on 29 April 1993. History & Timeline The park began operating in 24th of October 1992 (soft-opened) and was ...

' curve at turn 14. Similar to turn 11, it requires hard-braking and steering at the same time. It is taken in second gear. The long back straight can be a good place for drivers to overtake as they brake hard into turn 15, a left-handed, second-geared hairpin but drivers are advised by experts to be careful not to get re-overtaken as they come into turn 1.

Events

; Current * March: Sepang 12 Hours * April:

GT World Challenge Asia The GT World Challenge Asia (formerly Blancpain GT Series Asia and Blancpain GT World Challenge Asia) is a Grand tourer, GT series motor racing competition promoted by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation and organized by Team Asia One GT Management. ...

, Porsche Sprint Challenge Indonesia * May:

Formula 4 South East Asia Championship The Formula 4 South East Asia Championship is a formula racing series run to Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA Formula 4 regulations. The inaugural season was held over 2016-17 Formula 4 South East Asia Championship, 2016 and 2017. ...

, Porsche Sprint Challenge Indonesia * June:

Super GT Super GT (stylized as SUPER GT) is a sports car racing series that began in 1993. Launched as the , generally referred to as the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC), the series was renamed to Super GT in 2005. It is the top level of ...

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Porsche Carrera Cup (sometimes abbreviated PCC) is a number of One-Design, one-make racing by Porsche premier series competed with, initially Porsche 911 Carrera Cup, then later Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. The cars are specifically built by Porsc ...

, TCR Asia Series,

Asia Road Racing Championship The FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (known as Idemitsu FIM Asia Road Racing Championship for sponsorship reason) is the regional motorcycle road racing championship for Asia, held since 1996. This championship is part of the production-based ...

* August:

Asia Talent Cup The Asia Talent Cup is a motorcycle racing, motorcycle road racing competition intended for young riders in Asia and Oceania. Organized by Dorna Sports, the promoter of the international Grand Prix motorcycle racing and Superbike World Championsh ...

, Thailand Super Series * September: Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia,

, Thailand Super Series * October:

Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...

Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix The Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that is part of the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. The event is due to take place at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit until at least 2024. History The first Mala ...

'',

* December:

Asian Le Mans Series The Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS) is an Asian sports car racing endurance series created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and based in Asia. It is the successor to the defunct Japan Le Mans Challenge which folded in 2007 after its second s ...

'' 4 Hours of Sepang'' ; Former *

A1 Grand Prix A1 Grand Prix Operations Ltd. operated as A1 Grand Prix (A1GP) was a "single-make" open-wheel auto racing series that ran from 2005 until 2009. It was unique in its field in that competitors solely represented their nation as opposed to themse ...

(2005–2008) * Asian Formula Renault (2004–2008, 2014–2015, 2017–2019) * Asian Touring Car Series (2000–2011) * Aston Martin Asia Cup (2008–2009) * Audi R8 LMS Cup (2013–2019) * F3 Asian Championship (2018–2020) * Ferrari Challenge Asia-Pacific (2011–2017, 2019) *

FIM Endurance World Championship The Endurance World Championship ( FIM EWC) is the premier worldwide endurance championship in motorcycle road racing. The championship season consists of a series of endurance races (with a duration of six, eight, twelve or twenty-four hours) ...

** ''8 Hours of Sepang'' (2019) *

Formula 4 Australian Championship Formula 4 Australian Championship Certified by FIA (from 2025, the AU4 Australian Championship) is an Australian motor racing series for open-wheel cars complying with Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA Formula 4 regulations. The i ...

(2024) * Formula Asia (2000–2001) * Formula Masters China (2011–2017) *

Formula Nippon The Japanese Super Formula Championship is a formula racing series held primarily in Japan. It is considered to be the pinnacle of single-seater racing in Japan or Asia as a whole, making it one of the top motorsport series in the region. The s ...

(2004) *

** ''

'' (1999–2017) * Formula Regional Asian Championship (2018–2020) * GP2 Asia Series (2008–2009) *

GP2 Series The GP2 Series was a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The GP2 format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Ecc ...

** '' Sepang GP2 round'' (2012–2013, 2016) *

GP3 Series The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and the ...

(2016) *

Intercontinental GT Challenge The Intercontinental GT Challenge is a sports car racing series developed by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation, SRO Group in 2016. It consists of international Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance races for grand tourer racing cars complying w ...

** '' Sepang 12 Hours'' (2016) *

JK Racing Asia Series JK Racing Asia Series, formerly known as both Formula BMW Asia and Formula BMW Pacific, was a Open wheel car, single-seater racing series based in Asia. Formula BMW Asia was created in 2003 as a replacement for Asian Formula 2000 and was under ...

(2006–2012) * Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Final (2014) * Porsche Carrera Cup Australia (2017) *

Sepang 1000 km The Sepang 1000 km Endurance Race is a endurance racing event held annually since 2009 at the Sepang International Circuit in December. The race was created out of the success of the 12-hour Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race, but unlike the M ...

(2009–2019, 2021–2024) *

Speedcar Series The Speedcar Series Championship was a stock car racing series that was active from January 2008 to June 2009 across two championship seasons. Races were held across several countries, spanning the Middle East and Asia. It featured up to 24 driv ...

(2008) *

Superbike World Championship Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a silhouette road racing series based on heavily modified production sports motorcycles. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Champion ...

(2014–2016) *

Supersport World Championship The Supersport World Championship, abbreviated to WorldSSP, is a motorcycle racing competition on hard-surfaced circuits, based on mid-sized sports motorcycles. Competition machines were originally based on production-based motorcycles with 600& ...

(2014–2016) *

TCR International Series The TCR International Series was an international Touring car racing, touring car championship. The championship was promoted by World Sporting Consulting (WSC), founded by former World Touring Car Championship manager Marcello Lotti. It was ma ...

(2015–2016) * TCR Malaysia Touring Car Championship (2019–2020) *

World Touring Car Cup The FIA World Touring Car Cup (abbreviated to WTCR, referring to the use of TCR regulations) was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It ...

** '' FIA WTCR Race of Malaysia'' (2019)

Lap records

The official lap record for the Sepang International Circuit is 1:34.080, set by Sebastian Vettel during the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix. As of May 2025, the fastest official race lap records at the Sepang International Circuit are listed as:

Fatalities

– 2011 Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix * Mohamad Izzat – 2013 Malaysian Super Series * Afridza Munandar – 2019 Sepang Asia Talent Cup round

References

External links

* *
Map and circuit history at RacingCircuits.infoMap and circuit historySepang International Circuit on Google Maps (Current Formula 1 Tracks)
{{authority control Government-owned companies of Malaysia Motorsport venues in Malaysia Sepang District Sports venues in Selangor Formula One circuits Grand Prix motorcycle circuits Superbike World Championship circuits World Touring Car Championship circuits Malaysian Grand Prix A1 Grand Prix circuits Racing circuits designed by Hermann Tilke 1999 establishments in Malaysia Sports venues completed in 1999 Minister of Finance (Incorporated) (Malaysia) Privately held companies of Malaysia