The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix will have an unusual setup: the event keeps its Bahrain identity, but the race will be held at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia from October 2 to 4. The change preserved a race on the calendar that could not take place in the Middle East in April and brings Formula 1 back to Sepang for the first time since 2017.
For viewers in Brazil, the weekend will run overnight and into the early morning. Based on the official Formula 1 schedule, the first and third practice sessions start at 1:30 a.m. Brasília time, the second practice and qualifying at 5:00 a.m., and the race at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 4.
Why will the Bahrain GP be held in Malaysia?
The original 2026 calendar placed the Bahrain Grand Prix in April. On March 14, however, Formula 1 and the FIA announced that the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds would not take place that month because of the ongoing situation in the Middle East. At the time, the organisers said alternatives had been considered, but no replacement races would be added in April. The decision was made in consultation with the FIA and the local promoters. The confirmation is available in the Formula 1 statement and the FIA statement.
On July 26, F1 and the FIA announced an exceptional solution: Malaysia would host the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, between the Azerbaijan and Singapore rounds. According to the announcement, the agreement involved Formula 1, the FIA, the governments of Bahrain and Malaysia, and the promoters, allowing a Grand Prix that otherwise would not have happened in 2026 to be preserved. The rest of the calendar was left unchanged by this addition. The official news is available on the Formula 1 website and the FIA website.
Timeline of the change
- March 14: F1 and the FIA say Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will not race in April because of the regional situation in the Middle East.
- April: no replacement race is held on the dates originally reserved for the two events.
- July 26: F1 and the FIA confirm the plan to take the Bahrain GP to Sepang from October 2 to 4.
- August: the session timetable appears on the official calendar with the weekend times set.
- September 15: the official F1 and FIA calendars list the October 2-4 event at Sepang as the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Bahrain GP in Malaysia times in Brasília
Sepang is 11 hours ahead of Brasília in October. The table below converts the official event times to Brasília time (UTC−3). The programme can also be checked on the official event page.
| Date | Session | Sepang time | Brasília time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Oct. 2 | Practice 1 | 12:30 p.m. | 1:30 a.m. |
| Friday, Oct. 2 | Practice 2 | 4:00 p.m. | 5:00 a.m. |
| Saturday, Oct. 3 | Practice 3 | 12:30 p.m. | 1:30 a.m. |
| Saturday, Oct. 3 | Qualifying | 4:00 p.m. | 5:00 a.m. |
| Sunday, Oct. 4 | Race | 3:00 p.m. | 4:00 a.m. |
These are the times published as of September 15, 2026. As with any sporting event, organisers can change the timetable, so it is worth checking the official calendar close to the race weekend.
Why is it still called the Bahrain Grand Prix?
The key is to separate the event identity from the physical venue. Formula 1's official name is Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026. In other words, this is not the traditional Malaysian Grand Prix being restored to the calendar; it is the 2026 Bahrain round being staged exceptionally in Malaysia.
In practical terms, the promoter and commercial identity of the Grand Prix remain tied to Bahrain, while Sepang serves as the physical host venue. That is why the FIA calendar identifies the Grand Prix as Bahrain while noting that the race will be held at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
What happened to the approvals mentioned in the initial announcement?
In the July 26 announcement, F1 and the FIA said the event was still subject to final agreements and official sign-off, including approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council. That caveat mattered because the change affected an ongoing championship calendar.
By September 15, however, the event is already listed on the official calendars of both Formula 1 and the FIA, with Sepang shown as the venue and October 4 as the race date. This is more accurate than claiming, without a specific public statement, an exact date for every intermediate signature or approval: what is publicly confirmed is that the round is part of the current official calendar.
What changes competitively at Sepang?
Sepang is a permanent circuit that first hosted Formula 1 in 1999 and has been absent from the championship since 2017. The official F1 page lists a length of 5.543 km, 56 laps and a race distance of 310.418 km. The layout combines long straights, heavy braking zones and fast corners, while the venue is also known for heat, humidity and sudden weather changes.
Those characteristics make the event very different from the Bahrain Grand Prix's usual setting at Sakhir. The 2026 race should not be understood as a simple geographic transfer: teams and drivers will face a different circuit, climate and weekend dynamic.
How to plan your viewing from Brazil
- Friday: viewers who want to watch both practice sessions live will need to tune in at 1:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.
- Saturday: Practice 3 starts at 1:30 a.m. and qualifying at 5:00 a.m.
- Sunday: the race is scheduled to start at 4:00 a.m. Brasília time.
- Calendar sequence: the round follows the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 24-26 and precedes the Singapore Grand Prix on October 9-11.
For Brazilian viewers, the main practical impact is therefore the timing: Formula 1's return to Sepang falls in an overnight viewing window, requiring different planning from the traditional Bahrain Grand Prix. To avoid confusion, keep two ideas in mind: the official event name remains tied to Bahrain, but the track is Sepang; and every session on the October 2-4 weekend should be read in Malaysia time and converted to Brasília time.
