Formula One will stage the ‘Bahrain’ Grand Prix in Malaysia in a strange twist to the war-interrupted world championship calendar.
Daily Mail Sport understands the replacement venue will be confirmed on Sunday and be held on October 4 between the Azerbaijan and Singapore rounds.
The race will carry the name of the Gulf kingdom, which was due to host its event in April before America and Israel attacked Iran, in an agreement brokered between Crown Prince Salman of Bahrain and the King of Malaysia.
Retaliatory strikes on American military bases in the Middle East have made it impossible to restage the fixture in the region and the enterprising plan to switch it to Sepang International Circuit – an eight-hour flight from Bahrain – was met with Formula One’s full support.
The Bahrain-bankrolled event will extend the season to 23 races, though that number would be trimmed if the concluding two rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi on November 29 and December 6 also fall victim to hostilities.
The ‘Bahrain’ Grand Prix will in fact be held at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit (pictured) this year
The arrangement was brokered by Crown Prince Salman of Bahrain (left) and the King of Malaysia, in light of the chaos in the Middle East following Donald Trump’s attack on Iran
In that case a single extra race would be added in Imola, mostly likely on the earlier of the two vacated dates, restoring the world championship to 22 rounds.
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari would be an ideal venue if either of the two leading championship contenders, Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari, or Italian Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes, were to claim the title there. As long as the weather holds.
