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Formula 1 will return to Sepang International Circuit from 2 to 4 October, with the Malaysian venue set to host the Bahrain Grand Prix. The event will form a demanding triple header alongside Azerbaijan and Singapore.
The confirmation ends a nine-year absence for the circuit. Sepang last staged a Formula 1 race in 2017, when the Malaysian Grand Prix marked the conclusion of a contract that had been in place since 1999. The venue’s return was previously reported in Sepang to host the cancelled 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix.
The 2017 event delivered a striking final chapter. Max Verstappen controlled the race to take a dominant victory for Red Bull, while Lewis Hamilton finished second and extended his championship lead ahead of Daniel Ricciardo.
Sebastian Vettel produced one of the weekend’s defining drives, recovering from last on the grid to finish fourth. His race, however, ended with an unexpected post-race incident: Vettel collided with Lance Stroll during the cooldown lap.
That combination of competitive drama and bizarre aftermath made Sepang’s farewell particularly memorable. Its eventual return will carry a very different competitive backdrop, with the source material pointing to new regulations, new power units and new teams reshaping the sport by the time the cars are back on track.
Despite the sweeping changes expected across Formula 1, the connection with the last Malaysian Grand Prix will be stronger than it first appears. Ten drivers on the current grid also raced at Sepang in 2017.
Charles Leclerc was present at the circuit, although not yet as a full-time Formula 1 driver. He drove Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber in FP1, set the 16th-fastest time and outpaced regular driver Pascal Wehrlein. It was one of four Friday practice appearances Leclerc completed with Sauber that season, before he secured a full-time race seat for 2018.
Pierre Gasly’s link to the event was even more direct. Toro Rosso drafted in the Frenchman to replace Daniil Kvyat, and Sepang became the setting for his Formula 1 debut. Gasly qualified 15th and finished 14th, beginning a career that has now lasted nearly a decade.
Sepang’s return therefore represents more than a new date on the calendar. It reconnects a transformed Formula 1 championship with the final Malaysian grid—and with the early chapters of two drivers who were still at very different stages of their careers in 2017.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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