FORMULA 1 RETURNS TO SEPANG WITH THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX IN MALAYSIA
Formula 1 is officially returning to the Sepang International Circuit in 2026. The Malaysian track will host a race weekend from October 2 to 4, bringing the country’s Grand Prix back to the calendar for the first time since 2017.
The event will fill the vacant calendar slot created after the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix due to the situation in the Middle East. Instead of removing the race weekend completely, Formula 1 has chosen Malaysia as the replacement venue, allowing the championship to maintain its planned schedule.
Despite being held at Sepang, the race will keep the official Bahrain Grand Prix naming because of the agreement between Formula 1 and the Bahrain organisers. Malaysia will act as the host venue, while Bahrain retains the naming rights for the event.
The Malaysian Grand Prix will also create a new triple header on the 2026 calendar. The race will take place one week after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku and one week before the Singapore Grand Prix, creating a sequence of three consecutive weekends between September and October.
The weekend at Sepang will feature only Formula 1, with no FIA Formula 2 or FIA Formula 3 support races taking place. Both junior categories already have their 2026 calendars fixed, with Formula 3 adding an extra Feature Race at the Madrid round to compensate for the changes, while Formula 2 replaced the cancelled Saudi Arabian and Bahrain events by racing in Miami and Canada earlier in the season. As a result, the return of Sepang will be a Formula 1-only event without the usual F2 and F3 action.
The official name of the event will also remain linked to Bahrain due to the commercial agreement in place. The race will be officially titled the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, combining Bahrain’s naming rights and sponsor partnership with Malaysia as the host country and Sepang International Circuit as the venue.
Sepang has a long history in Formula 1. The circuit joined the calendar in 1999 and hosted the Malaysian Grand Prix until 2017, when the event was removed due to rising hosting costs and declining attendance. The final Formula 1 race at the venue was won by Max Verstappen with Red Bull.
The return of Sepang gives Formula 1 another permanent-style circuit in Asia after years without Malaysia on the calendar. The track, designed by Hermann Tilke, is known for its long straights, fast corners and two wide hairpins, which have historically created opportunities for overtaking and different race strategies.
The decision has received strong reactions from fans, especially in Malaysia, where many supporters had been hoping for Formula 1 to return after the nine-year absence. Sepang has continued hosting major motorsport events during this period, including MotoGP, and remains one of the most recognised circuits in the region.
The 2026 Malaysian Grand Prix will now become one of the most unusual events on the Formula 1 calendar, with the race taking place in Malaysia while carrying the name of another country. The weekend at Sepang will mark the return of one of Asia’s most historic Formula 1 venues and add another chapter to the circuit’s history.
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