Sepang

[Hustle_]

Hearing on the Sky F1 coverage that a return to Sepang is potentially on the cards for this season to replace this season’s earlier Middle Eastern races? Yes please. Make it a permanent fixture I say.

[Jasandjules]

Well that will be interesting in power terms....

[Manners79]

Potentially replacing Bahrain according to my stepson. Other sources are available!

I saw a MotoGP there maybe 20 years, decent circuit. No idea if any good for the current gen cars though.

[Jasandjules]

Confirmed for Oct I think

[carl_w]

Confirmed: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/formula...

[Josemartinez]

Glad we have an extra race especially somewherewe haven't been for a while, going to be tough on the teams and staff though, 9 races in 11 weeks to end the season.

Sepang should be interesting though the long straights to end and start the lap with a hairpin in-between could give alot of battery overtake opportunities.

[Sandpit Steve]

So it’s going to be in Sepang, Malaysia, but they’re calling it the Bahrain Grand Prix!

Presumably the Bahrainis are putting up the hosting fee, having given up on the idea of running the race themselves this year for security reasons?

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

If they do they need to have the 1pm local start time, not the 4pm (or thereabouts) that they had latterly.

4pm is when the torrential rain usually starts!

[TheDeuce]

Sandpit Steve said:

So it s going to be in Sepang, Malaysia, but they re calling it the Bahrain Grand Prix!

Presumably the Bahrainis are putting up the hosting fee, having given up on the idea of running the race themselves this year for security reasons?

I get why they want to do this and if the Bahrainis are paying them I guess it's reasonable to call it 'their' GP...

But it's a bit weird for a country to have their GP, in a different country.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

TheDeuce said:

Sandpit Steve said:

So it s going to be in Sepang, Malaysia, but they re calling it the Bahrain Grand Prix!

Presumably the Bahrainis are putting up the hosting fee, having given up on the idea of running the race themselves this year for security reasons?

I get why they want to do this and if the Bahrainis are paying them I guess it's reasonable to call it 'their' GP...

But it's a bit weird for a country to have their GP, in a different country.

A bit like the Tour de France in the UK

[Kawasaki90]

Great, absolutely love this circuit.

[TheDeuce]

Kawasaki90 said:

Great, absolutely love this circuit.

Me too! Definitely an upgrade over Bahrain.

But to be clear, whatever they call it, it's the Malaysian GP

[StevieBee]

Josemartinez said:

going to be tough on the teams and staff though, 9 races in 11 weeks to end the season.

It replaces Bahrain so not an additional race in that sense. Plus, only a 2 hour road trip from Singapore so should actually be a bit easier.

[Sandpit Steve]

StevieBee said:

Josemartinez said:

going to be tough on the teams and staff though, 9 races in 11 weeks to end the season.

It replaces Bahrain so not an additional race in that sense. Plus, only a 2 hour road trip from Singapore so should actually be a bit easier.

There were reports that a number of teams gave the travelling workers a couple of weeks’ off when Bahrain and Saudi were cancelled, suspecting what might happen later in the season.

Three triple-headers, all flyaways, with one week and two weeks off between them. Gonna be quite the slog, and that’s just me having to get past the wife to watch it on telly!

[Jasandjules]

Kawasaki90 said:

Great, absolutely love this circuit.

Except with these cars........... But...

[thegreenhell]

TheDeuce said:

I get why they want to do this and if the Bahrainis are paying them I guess it's reasonable to call it 'their' GP...

But it's a bit weird for a country to have their GP, in a different country.

Like having the Luxemburg GP at the Nurburgring, or the Swiss GP at Dijon, perhaps.

[TikTak]

A much missed circuit even if how this era handles it is unknown.

Will be plenty of Bahrain naming rights issues in the commentary I'm sure. Wonder if there are any sponsor discrepancies between the countries as I assume it'll be advertised as per Bahrain for the most part.

Think it's a great idea really.

[TheDeuce]

thegreenhell said:

TheDeuce said:

I get why they want to do this and if the Bahrainis are paying them I guess it's reasonable to call it 'their' GP...

But it's a bit weird for a country to have their GP, in a different country.

Like having the Luxemburg GP at the Nurburgring, or the Swiss GP at Dijon, perhaps.

6000km from Bahrain circuit to Sepang

[StevieBee]

TheDeuce said:

thegreenhell said:

TheDeuce said:

I get why they want to do this and if the Bahrainis are paying them I guess it's reasonable to call it 'their' GP...

But it's a bit weird for a country to have their GP, in a different country.

Like having the Luxemburg GP at the Nurburgring, or the Swiss GP at Dijon, perhaps.

6000km from Bahrain circuit to Sepang

There's a great deal of practical, political and ideological alignment between Bahrain and Malaysia. Most of Bahrain's 'blue-collar' workforce come from Malaysia and a lot of government money flows both ways between the two nations. Shared military assets and the like too.

[Sandpit Steve]

thegreenhell said:

TheDeuce said:

I get why they want to do this and if the Bahrainis are paying them I guess it's reasonable to call it 'their' GP...

But it's a bit weird for a country to have their GP, in a different country.

Like having the Luxemburg GP at the Nurburgring, or the Swiss GP at Dijon, perhaps.

The San Marino Grand Prix was at Imola for a few decades. Definitely not because the Ferrari factory is down the road, and Italy wanted two home races for the Scuderia.

It will be a good pub quiz question in a few years’ time anyway, in which country did the 2026 Bahrain GP take place?