Malaysia's Sepang to Host Rescheduled Bahrain GP in October
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Formula One announced Sepang will host the rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix on October 4, officially designated the "Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia," restoring the championship to 23 races.
- Stefano Domenicali revealed at the Hungarian Grand Prix that an agreement was signed between the governments of Malaysia and Bahrain, plus the FIA and Formula One.
- The April Sakhir race and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah were cancelled due to the US-Israel war on Iran and its Middle East spillover, the source states.
- Sepang, which last hosted F1 in 2017 and now runs as a MotoGP venue, slots the Bahrain race between the Azerbaijan GP on September 26 and Singapore on October 11.
- Sources at the Hungaroring said Imola is being considered as a replacement finale should Qatar and Abu Dhabi also not happen, amid ongoing Middle East uncertainty.
- Mumtalakat, Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund, owns McLaren; Bahrain — home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet — has been targeted by Iranian missiles and drones.
- The event remains subject to final agreements and approval of the FIA's World Motor Sport Council.
Why it matters: The Sepang swap keeps F1's commercial calendar intact at 23 races but exposes how dependent the championship is on Gulf states now under Iranian attack. For Bahrain — whose sovereign fund Mumtalakat owns McLaren and whose Grand Prix is its flagship promotional event — ceding hosting to Malaysia, even temporarily, is a reputational concession tied directly to the war's spillover.
