Bahrain GP at Sepang will bring Formula 1 back to Malaysia this October, marking the championship’s return to the country after a nine-year absence and reviving one of the nation’s most recognisable motorsport events.
The Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix will take place at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) from October 2 to 4, 2026. The race will be recognised as the Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia, following an agreement between Formula 1, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), and the governments of Bahrain and Malaysia.
The arrangement allows the Bahrain Grand Prix to go ahead after the original April race was called off amid the ongoing situation in the Middle East. Formula 1 and the FIA had previously confirmed that the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix would not take place as scheduled in April, citing the regional situation and prioritising the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved. The decision to bring the Bahrain race to Sepang later in the season ultimately preserved the event on the 2026 calendar.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia was honoured to support Bahrain, Formula 1 and the FIA in bringing the race to Sepang. The arrangement also reflects the close relationship between Malaysia and Bahrain, with the agreement receiving support from the leaders of both countries.
For Sepang International Circuit, the Bahrain GP at Sepang is also an opportunity to demonstrate that the venue remains capable of hosting a modern Formula 1 event. Preparations have been underway ahead of the October race, with Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari saying on September 10 that preparations had reached 80 per cent. Upgrading and repair works at SIC began on September 7, while 500 volunteers had been identified for training ahead of the event.
The return is particularly notable because Malaysia’s previous Formula 1 hosting agreement ended after the 2017 race, with rising hosting costs and licensing fees among the reasons the Malaysian Grand Prix was dropped from the calendar.
This time, however, the circumstances are different. Rather than returning as a permanent round of the Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang is stepping in as the host venue for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Formula 1 has confirmed that the rest of the 2026 calendar remains unchanged, making the October race a special one-off arrangement.
For Malaysian Formula 1 fans, the significance goes beyond the unusual circumstances surrounding the event. Sepang last hosted Formula 1 in 2017, with the circuit staging the Malaysian Grand Prix 19 times between 1999 and 2017.
The Bahrain GP at Sepang also arrives in a very different era for Formula 1. Since the last race in Sepang, the sport has experienced a major surge in global attention, helped in part by the popularity of Netflix’s Drive to Survive. The series has introduced Formula 1 to younger and wider audiences around the world, creating a noticeably different fan culture from the one that existed when Sepang last appeared on the calendar. After nine years away, the sound of Formula 1 engines is once again set to echo through Sepang. But this time, the Malaysian circuit will not be hosting its own Grand Prix. Instead, the Bahrain GP at Sepang will give Malaysian fans a chance to see a new generation of Formula 1 drivers take on a track that has been absent from the championship for almost a decade — and discover for themselves what makes Sepang such a demanding circuit.
