Updated July 27, 2026 — What began as speculation is now official. Formula 1 and the FIA have confirmed that Malaysia will return to the calendar this season, with the Sepang International Circuit hosting a race on October 2–4, 2026. It ends an eight-year absence for the country, which last featured on the schedule in 2017.
Confirmed: Sepang Is Back
Formula 1 and the FIA confirmed that Malaysia will host a round of the 2026 championship at the Sepang International Circuit from October 2–4. The agreement brings together Formula 1, the FIA, the Government of Bahrain and the Government of Malaysia, and F1 says it “allows Formula 1 to preserve a Grand Prix that would otherwise not have happened.” The confirmation remains subject to final agreements and official sign-off, including the approval of the World Motor Sport Council.
The remainder of the 2026 schedule is unchanged. The race sits chronologically between the Azerbaijan Grand Prix (September 26) and the Singapore Grand Prix (October 11), creating a second back-to-back in the Asian leg of the season. See it in place on the updated 2026 race calendar.
A Familiar Venue Returns
Sepang is no stranger to Formula 1. The Hermann Tilke-designed circuit hosted the Malaysian Grand Prix every year from 1999 to 2017, a near-two-decade run that made it a fixture of the modern calendar before it dropped off after 2017. Its long straights, sweeping high-speed corners and punishing heat have tested every generation of this century's cars and drivers.
Because the venue is proven and F1-ready, it was always the obvious choice the moment a slot needed filling at short notice — a ready-made option that reconnects the sport with a passionate Southeast Asian fanbase that has only grown in the eight years since Sepang last held a round.
The Title Quirk: A “Bahrain Grand Prix” in Malaysia
The one detail that has caught fans' attention is the name. The race will be officially titled the “Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix”, despite being held in Malaysia. The arrangement preserves the round and its title sponsorship by moving the event physically to Sepang — an unusual but not unprecedented piece of calendar logistics.
For everyone watching at home and in the grandstands, however, it is in every practical sense the championship's long-awaited return to Malaysia: the same Sepang circuit, the same Southeast Asian backdrop, and a race back on the calendar for the first time since 2017.
What It Means for 2026
The addition comes at the halfway stage of a season that has been dominated by Mercedes and Kimi Antonelli. With the field now set to tackle Sepang in October as part of an Asian double-header with Singapore, it adds another variable to a run-in that already features a brand-new street race in Madrid and the championship's usual flyaway climax. Read our full 2026 mid-season review for where the title fight stands at the break.
For the complete, updated schedule and every confirmed round — now including Malaysia — check our 2026 race calendar, and follow the championship on the standings and progression graph.
Source: Formula 1 / FIA confirmation. Shared via @f1wow. The round remains subject to final World Motor Sport Council sign-off.