Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang added to F1 calendar for October
Formula One says Sepang will host the rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix on Oct. 4, pending final FIA World Motor Sport Council approval.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Formula One will run the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang on Oct. 4, bringing the Malaysian circuit back onto the F1 calendar for the first time since 2017, the series announced Sunday.
The race near Kuala Lumpur’s international airport will be formally called the “Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia,” Formula One said. The event still requires final agreements and approval from the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council.
Formula One Chief Executive Stefano Domenicali announced the plan at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He said an agreement had been signed by the governments of Malaysia and Bahrain, Formula One and the FIA.
Why is the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang?
The Bahrain Grand Prix was originally scheduled for April at Sakhir but was canceled, along with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, because of the United States and Israel’s war on Iran and its spillover in the Middle East, Reuters reported.
By moving the Bahrain race to Malaysia, Formula One restores the 2026 championship to 23 rounds. The Oct. 4 date places Sepang between the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sept. 26 and the Singapore Grand Prix on Oct. 11.
Sepang last hosted Formula One in October 2017. The circuit has remained active as a MotoGP venue and is one of the best-known permanent racing facilities in Southeast Asia.
Domenicali said Sepang had an important place in F1’s past and would give fans a strong setting for the rescheduled event. He also said the move allowed the series to keep a full calendar despite the disruption to Middle Eastern races.
Could more F1 races move this season?
Reuters reported that there is still speculation over whether the final two rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi will take place. Informed sources at the Hungaroring said Italy’s Imola circuit, a Ferrari home venue, is being considered as a possible replacement finale if those races are not held.
The use of one country’s Grand Prix name at a circuit in another country has precedent in Formula One. The Nurburgring in Germany hosted the Luxembourg Grand Prix, Imola staged the San Marino Grand Prix for years, and the Swiss Grand Prix was held in France.
Bahrain has major sporting and commercial ties to Formula One. Reuters noted that Mumtalakat, the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, owns reigning F1 champion team McLaren, and that the Grand Prix is Bahrain’s largest annual sporting event and a platform for international promotion.
Bahrain is also home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet and has been struck by Iranian missiles and drones, Reuters reported. The security situation in the region remains central to whether Formula One can complete the rest of its Middle East schedule as planned.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.