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Formula One announced on Sunday (26 July) that the Bahrain Grand Prix — postponed in April after US and Israeli strikes on Iran destabilised the Middle East — will be held at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit on October 4.
It will be called the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
That name is not a typo.
The Bahrain Grand Prix is Bahrain’s biggest annual event.
It is the kingdom’s most visible piece of soft power — a global broadcast, a packed paddock, the kind of thing a small Gulf state uses to tell the world it is open, modern, and stable.
Bahrain is currently being hit by Iranian missiles and drones.
The country is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
It sits inside an active conflict zone, and the race, understandably, could not happen there.
So it is happening in Sepang instead — branded with Bahrain’s name, carrying Bahrain’s airline sponsor, serving Bahrain’s international image.
From a circuit in Selangor.
Malaysia Did Not Win This Bid
Sepang last held a Formula One race in October 2017.
It did not leave on its own terms — the Malaysian Grand Prix was dropped over costs, declining attendance, and a sport that had moved on.
For nine years, Sepang has been a MotoGP venue.
F1 is not returning because Malaysia outbid anyone.
It is returning because the Middle East ran out of safe weekends, and Sepang was available, certified, and close enough to the original slot in the calendar.
That is a different kind of comeback.
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The Season Is Being Rewritten Around A War
The Sepang race slots between Azerbaijan on 26 September and Singapore on 11 October — restoring the championship to 23 races after Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were both cancelled.
But Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali, who made the announcement at the Hungarian Grand Prix, acknowledged that the final two rounds — Qatar and Abu Dhabi — remain uncertain.
Imola, Ferrari’s home circuit in Italy, is being considered as a replacement finale if those Middle Eastern races also fall through.
The 2026 Formula One calendar, which is supposed to be fixed years in advance, is now being revised in real time around a regional war with no clear end date.
Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat owns McLaren — the reigning constructors’ champion.
The Bahrain Grand Prix is effectively the home race of the sport’s most successful current team.
It just cannot go home this year.
@skysportsnews BREAKING: Formula 1 has added Malaysia to its 2026 schedule as the host of the Bahrain Grand Prix that was postponed earlier in the season #skysports #skysportsnews #f1 ♬ original sound – Sky Sports News
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The Bahrain Grand Prix Is Coming To Malaysia, It Is Still Called The Bahrain Grand Prix
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