Malaysia added to 2026 F1 calendar
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- Formula 1 added Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit to its 2026 schedule to host the Bahrain Grand Prix from October 2-4, with Bahrain continuing to fund the race even though it will run in Malaysia.
- Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa said the staging of the event would build on the 'close and brotherly relations between our two countries,' while Malaysian PM Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia 'stands ready to welcome' F1 back to Sepang.
- F1 president Stefano Domenicali said the sport had 'demonstrated its ability to adapt, find solutions, and deliver,' and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said the safety and wellbeing of teams, volunteers, officials, and fans was the 'highest priority' throughout the rescheduling process.
- The addition brings the 2026 calendar to 23 races, but the inability to reinstate the Bahrain round raises 'major doubt' over whether the final two rounds — Qatar (Nov 27-29) and Abu Dhabi (Dec 4-6) — can go ahead amid the continued Middle East conflict.
- Imola is understood to be in the frame as a replacement venue if more rounds need to be moved, with Portugal and Turkey — both set to return to the calendar in 2027 — cited as other possible alternatives.
- The calendar change still requires approval from the World Motor Sport Council, a step the source describes as a formality.
Why it matters: Malaysia's intervention keeps the 2026 season at 23 races and preserves a Bahrain-funded event the sport would otherwise have lost, but the same Middle East conflict that forced this move could yet derail the Qatar and Abu Dhabi season finales. With Imola, Portugal, and Turkey already on standby, F1's ability to reshuffle its calendar mid-season has effectively become a defining feature of 2026.
