KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 31): Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has denied a news report that it is looking to bring back Formula One (F1) races to Malaysia in 2026.

"We would like to confirm that there have been no discussions on bringing the sport back to the Petronas Sepang International Circuit," the national oil and gas company said in a brief statement on Wednesday.

Reuters, citing unnamed sources, had reported earlier in the day that there was a plan to bring back the F1 race, and that the plan was revealed during a company townhall led by Petronas president and group chief executive officer Tengku Muhammad Taufik Tengku Aziz on Tuesday.

Malaysia hosted its first F1 race at the Sepang International Circuit in 1999, and continued to stage the race annually until 2017.

While no longer hosting F1 events in recent years, Petronas remains the sponsor of the Mercedes F1 team. It has been sponsoring the team since 2010.

Meanwhile, the circuit continues to host MotoGP races and other motorsport events.

In October last year, Petronas won naming rights to the circuit for three years.