Geopolitics forces F1 to consider Sepang return for 2026 calendar

Formula 1 is in talks to bring the Malaysian Grand Prix back to the Sepang Circuit on October 4. The move comes as the sport scrambles to fill calendar gaps left by the cancellation of its Bahrain and Saudi Arabia rounds earlier this year.

The pivot to Southeast Asia is a direct consequence of escalating conflict in the Middle East. F1 had been close to reinstating the Bahrain race in early October before the worsening regional security situation ruled it out. The sport now faces the prospect of losing its penultimate race in Qatar on November 29 and the final round in Abu Dhabi on December 6 as well.

For the European-based teams and constructors that dominate the sport, this geographic upheaval threatens the commercial foundations of the modern F1 calendar. The championship has increasingly relied on lucrative, state-backed Middle Eastern venues for hosting fees and sponsorship revenue. Shifting these late-season races away from the Gulf exposes the financial risk of concentrating a significant portion of the schedule in a geopolitically unstable region.

F1's options for European replacements are severely constrained by the continent's weather in late autumn. While Portimao in Portugal and Istanbul in Turkey have been floated as alternatives, cold temperatures make them far from ideal for a sport demanding high tyre performance. This leaves Sepang, which last hosted a race in 2017, as the most practical replacement slot between the Azerbaijan and Singapore rounds.

Drivers appear supportive of maintaining a full schedule to ensure racing revenues and championship continuity. George Russell, currently third in the Drivers' Championship 50 points behind team-mate Kimi Antonelli, said he wants a 24-race season. "I'd love to have a 24-race season and get as many races as possible between here and the end of the season. That doesn't change whether I was in the lead or second or third or fourth," Russell said. "I hope, if we don't race in the Middle East, there's two replacements. I hope we can find maybe a race between Baku and Singapore. I'd be happy to go racing every weekend if I could."