Sepang: 'No quick decision over Malaysian Grand Prix break'

Sepang, the host of the Malaysian Grand Prix, has warned that there will be no quick decision over the future of the race near Kuala Lumpur.

Sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin caused a stir when he tweeted that the Malaysian government should scrap the grand prix because "Cost too high, returns limited".

"When we first hosted F1 it was a big deal," Jamaluddin added. "First in Asia outside Japan. Now so many venues. Not a novelty."

Yet he said that Sepang should keep two-wheeled grand prix racing, MotoGP, because the category "is still popular".

"F1 ticket sales declining, TV viewership down," he continued.

Initial reports said that a decision about Malaysia's place on the 21-race calendar could be made as soon as this week, following a scheduled meeting, but a circuit spokesperson told the local Bernama news agency that there will in fact not be a quick decision.

"Any misunderstanding is regretted," the spokesperson said.

Track boss Razlan Razali, however, joined minister Jamaluddin in sounding downbeat about Sepang's F1 future, saying that "a break" might be a good solution.

"Currently, some say the product is no longer exciting as it is being dominated by one team," he said at a media briefing.

Sepang's current contract with F1 runs until 2018.