Formula 1 returns to Sepang for Bahrain GP

Formula 1 will race at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit for the Bahrain Grand Prix after Bahrain could not stage its scheduled April event at Sakhir because of conflict in the Middle East.

Sky Sports F1 reported that Malaysia had agreed to host the relocated round, which keeps the Bahrain Grand Prix name despite taking place at Sepang. The event will mark Formula 1’s first visit to Malaysia since 2017. It comes with eight rounds remaining and Kimi Antonelli leading George Russell by 66 points.

Sky Sports F1 described Sepang as aerodynamically demanding, with fast corners, long straights and heavy braking zones.

A Bahrain Grand Prix at a returning Malaysian venue

Bahrain was unable to host its own race in April, Sky Sports F1 said, leading to the agreement for Sepang to take the event. Malaysia last staged a Formula 1 race in 2017, when Max Verstappen won.

The Sepang round is scheduled as the middle event of Formula 1’s first flyaway triple-header of the season. Its reappearance gives teams and drivers a venue absent from the calendar for nine years, rather than a conventional return to Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit.

According to Sky Sports F1, the circuit is 3.44 miles long and has 15 corners. The lap combines medium- and high-speed sections with long straights that end in wide, heavy braking areas.

Sky Sports F1 identified the sweeping section between Turn Three and the Turn Four right-hander as one notable element of the lap. It also highlighted the rapid left-right change of direction at Turns Five and Six, before the technical final sector leads towards a half-mile back straight and the final hairpin.

Sky Sports F1 said Sepang was the first all-new track designed by Hermann Tilke and first held a grand prix in 1999.

The broadcaster said McLaren are expected to be competitive at a circuit where high-speed performance is likely to matter, although that assessment remains to be tested during the sessions.

Weather could add another variable. Sky Sports F1 said tropical conditions at Sepang bring heat, humidity and the prospect of thunderstorms, with heavy rain capable of arriving quickly. The broadcaster said teams would need to respond sharply to changing conditions during the weekend.

Those conditions make the timing of track running particularly important. Sky Sports F1 said Sepang can move from sunshine to a heavy downpour quickly, and reported that teams would need to monitor weather radar closely across the weekend. That uncertainty sits alongside the circuit’s varied demands: longer straight-line sections are followed by heavy braking areas, while its medium- and high-speed corner sequences place a premium on aerodynamic performance.

Russell arrives with Antonelli still ahead

George Russell heads to Malaysia after winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, where Sky Sports F1 reported that he finished less than two tenths of a second ahead of Verstappen. The result reduced Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli’s lead in the drivers’ standings to 66 points.

Antonelli finished fifth in Baku after crashing in qualifying, according to the broadcaster. Eight rounds remain, leaving Russell with a substantial gap to recover as Formula 1 begins its flyaway sequence.

Lewis Hamilton is 103 points behind Antonelli and Lando Norris is 116 points adrift, Sky Sports F1 reported. With eight rounds remaining, the Sepang weekend offers another opportunity for the points gap to shift.

For UK viewers, Malaysia is seven hours ahead of Britain, but the key sessions have morning start times. Qualifying is scheduled for 09:00 BST on Saturday 3 October and the Bahrain Grand Prix is due to begin at 08:00 BST on Sunday 4 October.

Key UK session times