From 1962 to 1965 an annual race weekend for motorcycles and Formula Libre cars was held at the Thomson Road circuit in Singapore, named the Malaysia Grand Prix.

As part of a series of major infrastructure projects in the 1990s under Mahathir Mohamad's government, the Sepang International Circuit was constructed between 1997 and 1999 close to Putrajaya, the then-newly founded administrative capital of the country, with the intent of hosting the Malaysian Grand Prix.

[2] From 2001, the Malaysian Grand Prix moved from the end of the season to the beginning, which has seen some topsy-turvy results as teams and drivers got to grips with their new equipment, with many races heavily influenced by the winners and losers of the scramble for position into the tight double hairpin bend at the first corner.

Conditions were so bad that the two Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello spun off almost simultaneously at the same corner.

[5] The day before, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had met Ecclestone to discuss an extension of the Formula One contract beyond 2010.

[5] On 13 February 2008, the management of the Sepang International Circuit announced its aim to become Formula One's second night race from 2009 after Singapore, following discussions about buying a floodlighting system.

The race was red-flagged and ultimately not restarted due to the low light level making it through the clouds.

[12] Malaysia's youth and sports minister at the time Khairy Jamaluddin said on Twitter: "I think we should stop hosting the F1.

"[13] The BBC reported that "Malaysia had struggled in recent years to attract a significant crowd, its appeal having been damaged by the more glamorous night-time event on a street track in Singapore.