Malaysia Is Back on the Formula 1 Calendar
Formula 1 is returning to Malaysia. Sepang International Circuit will host the Bahrain Grand Prix this October, the country’s first race since 2017.
A Race Without a Home
The Bahrain Grand Prix was originally set for April 2026. It was postponed, along with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, because of the war in Iran and the wider conflict across the Middle East.
F1 spent months trying to find it a new date. Bahrain had hoped to rearrange the race for October 4, a free weekend between the Azerbaijan and Singapore Grands Prix, but an escalation in hostilities this month ruled that out.
Sepang Steps In
Sepang International Circuit, located near Kuala Lumpur’s international airport, will host the race instead. The weekend runs October 2 to 4, slotting between Baku on September 26 and Singapore on October 11. That turns the stretch into a triple header.
The race keeps its original identity despite the change of venue. Bahrain is covering the bulk of the hosting costs and the event will still be run under the Bahrain Grand Prix name.
F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali called the arrangement proof that the sport has demonstrated its ability to adapt, find solutions, and deliver.
What’s Still Being Decided
The change still needs sign off from the World Motor Sport Council, though that step is considered a formality. If the conflict forces F1 to drop the season-ending Qatar or Abu Dhabi rounds too, only one replacement circuit would be needed, and sources point to Imola as the more likely pick over Portimao, which has a 2027 rebuild already on its schedule.
Malaysia last hosted a Formula 1 race in 2017. Max Verstappen won it.
