A Formula 1 car circulating at Sepang in October 2026 looks, at first glance, like the return of the Malaysian Grand Prix. Yet the race taking place more than 6,000 kilometres from Bahrain is officially the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, the product of an unusual compromise designed to preserve a race that could no longer safely take place in the Middle East.
The original Bahrain GP was scheduled for April at the Bahrain International Circuit, but Formula 1 and the FIA called off both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds as the regional security situation deteriorated. The decision followed the escalation of the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which began with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February and Iranian retaliation across the region.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in those US-Israeli strikes on February 28, with the conflict subsequently disrupting aviation, energy markets and maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The strategically vital waterway remains heavily disrupted, even though some oil and LNG traffic has resumed in recent weeks. Reuters
Iran responded by attacking American bases and allies throughout the region via drone strikes, whilst closing the Straight of Hormuz – one of the most significant waterways to the global economy due to oil exports from the Middle East.
The retaliation affected both Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and prompted the FIA and Formula 1 to cancel the Grands Prix in both nations, unable to guarantee the safety of anyone attending.
“While this was a difficult decision to take,” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said. “It is unfortunately the right one at this stage considering the current situation in the Middle East.
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“I want to take this opportunity to thank the FIA as well as our incredible promoters for their support and total understanding.
“As they were looking forward to hosting us with their usual energy and passion. We cannot wait to be back with them as soon as the circumstances allow us to do so.”
Why it is still called the Bahrain Grand Prix
Formula 1 had hoped to restore both events to the calendar later in the year on the assumption that tensions may have calmed and peace restored based upon the similar conflict in 2025.
However that has not happened and the United States, Israel and Iran remain at war to this date, with a brief ceasefire failing to last. The Straight of Hormuz remains closed, and all three parties continue to exchange fire.
The situation leaves the Qatar GP and the Abu Dhabi GP still at risk of cancellation as the FIA still cannot guarantee the event will go ahead safely in either nation, with Formula 1 delaying its final decision until mid-October.
And whilst the Bahrain GP will not go ahead, the sport did manage to find a solution to the event by relocating the race to Malaysia – returning to Sepang for the first time since 2017.
Although the race is going ahead over 3700 miles away in Southeast Asia, it will be titled the Bahrain GP in Malaysia as the Bahraini promoters are still covering the costs of the event.
Malaysia will not earn financial proceeds from the event but they will have a rare chance to market themselves as potential home for modern Formula 1 as demand grows and the sport looks to expand their calendar.
If the Sepang International Circuit, previously a fan favourite, proves successful with the drivers and fans and the race is a commercial success then the sport may return there in the near future.
Outside of providing racing action, Malaysia remains involved in the sport through their backing of Mercedes as their fuel partner via Petronas in a highly successful relationship that began when the Silver Arrows returned to F1 in 2010.
Could the Malaysian GP return permanently?
The weekend inevitably doubles as an opportunity for Sepang to demonstrate whether it still has a place in modern Formula 1. The 5.543-kilometre circuit first joined the championship in 1999 and remains popular among drivers because of its mixture of fast direction changes, long straights, heavy braking zones and unpredictable tropical weather.
Sepang officials have been cautious about suggesting the Bahrain GP arrangement automatically points towards a permanent return, however. Azhan Shafriman has said the immediate priority is successfully delivering the one-off event, with any longer-term discussion dependent on how the weekend performs and whether stakeholders see sufficient value in bringing Formula 1 back regularly.
Malaysia has never completely disappeared from the Formula 1 landscape in any case, with Petronas remaining closely associated with Mercedes since the works team’s return in 2010. The presence of a modern Grand Prix at Sepang now gives the country its most visible opportunity in years to show how much appetite remains for a permanent race.
The wider 2026 calendar remains unsettled too. Qatar and Abu Dhabi are still listed as the final two rounds, but teams expect a decision by mid-October on whether the security situation will allow those races to proceed as planned.
So while the sight of Formula 1 machinery at Sepang naturally feels like the Malaysian Grand Prix has returned, technically it has not. Malaysia is hosting the Bahrain Grand Prix, Bahrain is retaining the event’s commercial identity, and Formula 1 has used one of its former venues to solve one of the strangest scheduling problems in the championship’s history.
