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.
