The return of Formula 1 to Malaysia is the result of royal diplomacy and the close relationship and high level of trust between the kings of Malaysia and Bahrain, said DYMM YDPA Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.
In a Facebook post, Sultan Ibrahim said that since 2017, his majesty and King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain have had a good personal friendship which bloomed into the strengthening of diplomatic relationship between Bahrain and Malaysia. Sultan Ibrahim had a state visit to the kingdom in 2025.
Sultan Ibrahim explained that the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain faced uncertainties due to the armed conflict in West Asia, and the kingdom needed a quick solution to ensure that the prestigious race would continue.
With this as backdrop, King Hamad gave Sultan Ibrahim a phone call and that became the starting point of the cooperation between the governments of Malaysia and Bahrain, Formula 1 and the FIA.
We know the fruits of it now – Sepang International Circuit will host this year’s Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix on the weekend of October 2-4, slotting in between Azerbaijan and Singapore in the 2026 race calendar.
This surprise development is a win-win for both nations, and for Malaysia, we’ll get to see F1 back in Sepang for the first time since 2017, which you can recap here. More on the unique ‘Bahrain GP in Malaysia’ here.
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