Malaysia to host F1 Bahrain GP due to Mideast war

The Bahrain Grand Prix, canceled in April due to the Middle East war, will be held in Malaysia in early October, Formula 1 organizers announced.

"Formula 1 and the FIA can confirm that Malaysia will host the ... Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit from Oct. 2-4 2026," F1 and motorsport's world governing body said.

The original F1 calendar featured 24 races, but those in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were canceled because of the war. Upcoming events in neighbouring Qatar and Abu Dhabi also remain in doubt.

Sepang circuit, near Kuala Lumpur's international airport, returns to the calendar for the first time since 2017 to host what will be called the "Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia."

F1 indicated that Bahrain would cover a large part of the costs involved in rescheduling the race. It will slot in between the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sept. 26 and the Singapore Grand Prix on Oct. 11, restoring the championship to 23 races.

Uncertainty still hangs over the end of the season, as the last two rounds are supposed to take place in Qatar and Abu Dhabi on Nov. 29 and Dec. 6.

These two races could be canceled and several options are on the table to replace them, such as staging two consecutive Grands Prix in Las Vegas at the end of November or even holding one or two final races in Europe.