The future of the Malaysian Grand Prix has been thrown into further doubt with a government minister claiming the race contract will not be renewed.

Sepang CEO Razlan Razali said the race was under threat back in October due to poor returns and low ticket sales, with television viewership also falling. Now, the government’s tourism and culture minister Nazri Abdul Aziz has told local media the current contract will be the last in Malaysia as race hosting fees rise year-on-year.

“The current agreement is from 2016 to 2018,”  Aziz said. “So once that ends, there will be no more [Formula One race].

“F1 attendance is dropping and there is less attraction now. We are spending RM 300 million a year [£54.5 million].

“The cost of hosting F1 has increased 10-fold compared to the first time it was held.”

The news follows claims from Bernie Ecclestone that Singapore wants to end its spell on the F1 calendar, with the Singapore Grand Prix set to host the last race of its current contract in 2017.

The Malaysian Grand Prix had been held in March or April in recent years, but this season saw Singapore and Malaysia paired on the calendar for the first time, albeit two weeks apart.

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