Malaysia will return to the Formula 1 calendar for the first time since 2017 as the sport executes its contingency plan for the second half of the 2026 season.
After races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were cancelled in April due to the conflict in the Middle East, F1 was keen to add to its current 22-race calendar and was hopeful of racing in Bahrain in October, in between already scheduled races in Azerbaijan (26 September) and Singapore (11 October).
However, given the recent escalation in the region after the ending of the US-Iran ceasefire, F1 bosses were forced to seek alternatives and the Sepang International Circuit, just outside Kuala Lumpur, is the option they’ve landed on.
Malaysia withdrew from the sport in 2017 when they couldn’t match the host fees required, yet the racetrack is still used regularly for other series such as MotoGP.
In this instance, its proximity to Singapore means a Europe-Asia triple-header, over the last weekend in September and the first two weekends in October, added to its feasibility. However, and rather oddly, it will be known as the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia for contractual reasons.
Turkey’s Istanbul Park, which returns to the sport in 2027, was another potential option and could still be used at the end of the season.
Another potential scheduling issue ahead for F1, who are keeping an eye on developments in the region nervously given their season is scheduled to end with Qatar (29 November) and Abu Dhabi (6 December), would be to race in Portugal after the third-last race in Las Vegas (21 November). Imola, which hosted a race in 2025, is another option.
The Algarve International Circuit is scheduled to return to the calendar next year on a two-year deal, having last hosted a race in the Covid-impacted 2021 season. Other European circuits have also offered to help out if needed, though colder temperatures towards the end of the season could work against them.
However, F1 executives will leave the end-of-season quandary as late as possible, given the huge hosting fees at play for staging the last two races of the season. Abu Dhabi, in particular, pays an estimated £31.5m ($42m) to host the final race of the season every year.
F1 will also race in its first new location in three years in September, when a street circuit in Madrid hosts the new-look Spanish Grand Prix.
The sport races in Hungary, the final round before the summer break, this weekend.
