Malaysia F1 race set to replace Bahrain date, ESPN reports
Malaysia’s Sepang circuit is expected to host an October F1 race in place of Bahrain, according to ESPN sources.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
A Malaysia F1 race is being lined up for Oct. 4 as Formula 1 tries to save a Bahrain Grand Prix slot disrupted by the war in Iran, ESPN reported, citing sources.
The race would take place at Sepang International Circuit, the former Malaysian Grand Prix venue that last hosted F1 in 2017, according to ESPN. The twist: Bahrain is still expected to pay for the event, so the race would be presented as the Bahrain Grand Prix staged in Malaysia, although ESPN said the official title has not yet been settled.
Bahrain’s original race had been scheduled for April. ESPN reported it was postponed in March along with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix because of the conflict involving Iran.
Formula 1 had hoped to fit Bahrain into an open weekend on Oct. 4, between races in Azerbaijan and Singapore. ESPN said that plan became impossible after a fresh escalation in hostilities this month.
Why is Malaysia hosting the Bahrain Grand Prix?
According to ESPN, Malaysia has stepped in because Bahrain can no longer host its rescheduled race on the targeted October weekend. Sepang is available, and Bahrain’s willingness to fund the event has created the unusual arrangement.
ESPN reported that talks in recent days have focused on the money behind the race, including who covers which costs, and on what the event should be called. An announcement from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is expected Sunday, according to the report.
The move would bring F1 back to Sepang after a long absence. ESPN described the circuit as a popular stop before it left the calendar following the 2017 race.
The calendar pressure is bigger than one race. ESPN reported that F1’s 2026 schedule was planned as a 24-race season, with four events in the Middle East: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Under Formula 1’s commercial agreements with its 11 teams and global broadcasters, the calendar cannot drop below 22 races, according to ESPN. That means if all four Middle East rounds were lost, two replacement races would be needed.
Malaysia filling the Bahrain slot would solve part of that problem. ESPN reported that Imola in Italy and Portimao in Portugal are being prepared as possible replacements if the Qatar and Abu Dhabi season-ending double-header also has to be cancelled.
Only one of those European races would be needed in that scenario, ESPN said. Imola is viewed as the more likely choice for a replacement finale, according to the report.
Portimao is already due back on the F1 calendar as the Portuguese Grand Prix in 2027, ESPN reported, and is preparing for a major facility upgrade. A late-season race there could delay that work and affect 2027 preparations, according to ESPN.
At this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest, ESPN reported a growing feeling in the paddock that the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi may not happen under current conditions. The report said F1 may have until the end of September to decide on that leg, but the conflict’s uncertainty complicates the call.
ESPN said Bahrain showed how quickly plans can change. Formula 1 was ready earlier this month to announce an Oct. 4 Bahrain race in Bahrain, according to sources cited by ESPN, before increased hostilities included Iranian missiles being launched into Bahrain around the time the announcement was expected.
F1 has used unusual race names before. ESPN noted that the Nurburgring hosted the Luxembourg Grand Prix in 1998 and 1999, and that Baku’s first F1 race in 2016 ran under the European Grand Prix name before becoming the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.