Formula 1 has never seen anything quite like this. As Motorsport.com reports, the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix will not take place in Bahrain at all, but rather at the Sepang International Circuit near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. The race weekend is scheduled for 2 to 4 October, with the grand prix itself running on Sunday, 4 October. Its official name is the "Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia".
The entire situation stems from the war in the Middle East. The original round in Bahrain was booked for 10 to 12 April as the fourth round of the season, with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix following a week later. On 14 March 2026, Formula 1 and the FIA called off both April dates. The decision came against the backdrop of the war involving Iran that began in late February, with Iranian attacks hitting targets in Bahrain including fuel facilities only a few kilometres from the circuit. Severe air traffic restrictions across the region meant a safe race weekend was simply impossible.
"While this was a difficult decision to take, it is unfortunately the right one at this stage considering the current situation in the Middle East," Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali said at the time. With no spring replacement races due to a lack of preparation time to move an event to Europe, a five-week gap opened up between the Japanese and Miami Grands Prix.
Plans for a replacement began in July when Malaysia emerged as a contender to host a round. On 26 July 2026, Formula 1 and the FIA officially confirmed a return to Malaysia after a nine-year absence. Logistics played a massive role in the choice of Sepang, sitting neatly between the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on 26 September and the Singapore Grand Prix on 11 October. Because Sepang and Singapore are only around 320 kilometres apart, it creates a clean triple-header without requiring a major logistical detour for the teams. Pundit Martin Brundle praised the flexibility shown by those involved, while Domenicali noted that the sport once again demonstrated its ability to adapt, find solutions, and deliver.
Despite the geographical shift, the event remains the Bahrain Grand Prix through an agreement between Formula 1, the FIA, and the governments of Bahrain and Malaysia. Bahrain stays on as the nominal host, while Bahrain's national airline Gulf Air remains the title sponsor. Bahrain also determines ticket prices and, according to the Sepang International Circuit, collects the revenue from ticket sales, with tickets sold via the Bahrain International Circuit website. Gulf Air is even launching direct flights between Bahrain and Kuala Lumpur for the race weekend.
Running a grand prix outside its namesake country is not entirely unprecedented, though previous examples were much closer geographically. The 1982 Swiss Grand Prix took place at Dijon in France after Switzerland banned circuit racing following the 1955 Le Mans disaster, the San Marino Grand Prix ran at Imola in Italy from 1981 to 2006, and the Nurburgring hosted the Luxembourg Grand Prix in 1997 and 1998. When Formula 1 last raced at Sepang in 2017, the victory went to Max Verstappen, while Sebastian Vettel holds the record for the most F1 wins at the venue with four. The 2026 race will run for 56 laps and cover 310.418 kilometres, with Mercedes already announcing a major upgrade for the return to Malaysia.
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