Malaysia weighs up F1 2026 round as rescheduled Bahrain GP plan fades

The Malaysian government is conducting a feasibility study into organising a last-minute Formula 1 grand prix as the Middle Eastern conflict continues to throw plans into disarray.

The US-Israeli war on Iran prevented F1 from running its early-season rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, though there were hopes that last month's ceasefire would pave the way for normality to return - and with it a possible recovery of the Bahrain Grand Prix over the one-week gap between the Baku and Singapore rounds, the first weekend of October.

But with hostilities in the region flaring up again in recent weeks and threatening to escalate even further, it now appears a matter of days before the Bahrain plan will have to be abandoned.

Instead, Malaysia has emerged as an option for the October slot, with its proximity to Singapore making a logical choice.

Malaysia's youth and sports minister, Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari, said the government had received "preliminary information regarding the possibility of hosting a Formula 1 race at the Sepang International Circuit as a replacement for the Bahrain Grand Prix," in a statement on Friday.

"The Ministry of Youth and Sports is actively conducting discussions and assessing the proposal," the statement concluded. 

Sepang currently hosts MotoGP as its premier international racing series.

Photo by: Shameem Fahath / Motorsport Network

Rather than a concrete proposal from F1 management, it is understood F1 has set out the various logistical requirements for local authorities and Kuala Lumpur's Sepang circuit to host a grand prix. Sepang hasn't hosted F1 since 2017, and while it annually organises a MotoGP round, the added complexity of hosting F1 would still require significant work by the organisers.

Malaysia's internal assessment should give F1 management more clarity on whether or not Sepang could be a valid replacement option. But while Kuala Lumpur appears the most logical option on the table right now, there is also a chance F1 will not be able to fill the gap between Azerbaijan and Singapore.

F1 has also made backup plans in the worst-case scenario that its season-ending double-header of Qatar and Abu Dhabi comes under threat, with an option to head to the Portuguese circuit of Portimao, which would be a test run before the venue officially comes back on the calendar in 2027.

But F1 feels it still has time on its side to decide on the back end of its 2026 calendar, with F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali setting a mid-September deadline.

"It is the duty of a good organiser or promoter to make sure there are plans in place," Domenicali told Sky earlier this month. "With regard to the end of the year, for us that's in place and the decision has to be made by the middle of September."