(Motorsport-Total.com) – On which racetracks will Formula 1 still be competing in the second half of the 2026 season? After a possible rescheduled date in Bahrain has apparently been ruled out due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, plans for possible alternatives are already in full swing.
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The return to Malaysia is increasingly coming into focus: The Malaysian government has even launched a feasibility study to quickly organize a Formula 1 race. The first weekend of October, between the races in Baku and Singapore, is considered a potential date.
The geographical proximity to Singapore makes the Sepang International Circuit an obvious solution. Formula 1’s last appearance in Malaysia was almost a decade ago: In the 2017 season, Max Verstappen secured the last Grand Prix victory in Kuala Lumpur.
In a statement on Friday, Malaysia’s Youth and Sports Minister Dr. Mohammed Taufiq Johari stated that the government had “received initial information about the possibility of hosting a Formula 1 race at the Sepang International Circuit as a replacement for the Bahrain Grand Prix”.
Formula 1 initially only checks feasibility
“The Ministry of Youth and Sports is currently actively holding discussions and evaluating the proposal,” says Johari. However, this is not a concrete request from Formula 1 officials, but rather that Formula 1 has communicated the necessary logistical requirements for hosting a Grand Prix to the relevant authorities and the operators of the Sepang International Circuit.
The changes in the Formula 1 calendar of recent years
Because even if a MotoGP race is still held annually on the track, a Formula 1 race, with its significantly higher complexity, would pose major challenges for the organizers. The ongoing review in Malaysia is ultimately intended to provide Formula 1 with information on whether Sepang is actually a suitable candidate as a possible replacement host.
Even though Kuala Lumpur is currently considered the most likely option, the possibility remains that Formula 1 may not be able to close the gap between Azerbaijan and Singapore. Furthermore, should the season finale with the double-header of Qatar and Abu Dhabi be at risk, further alternative scenarios are already on the table.
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A possible solution would be a race in Portimao. The Portuguese circuit could serve as a short-term test run before it regularly returns to the race calendar in 2027. Nevertheless, Formula 1 continues to assume that it has sufficient time to decide on the second half of the 2026 calendar.
Formula 1 Boss: Decision only in September?
Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali has set a deadline for this until mid-September. “It is the duty of a good organizer or promoter to ensure that appropriate plans are in place,” Domenicali told Sky back in early July.
“As far as the end of the year is concerned, these are in place for us. The decision must be made by mid-September.” However, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is likely to continue to cause considerable uncertainty in the coming weeks.
The war between the USA, Israel, and Iran had already prevented the premier class from holding its originally planned races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia at the start of the season. A ceasefire last month had initially raised hopes for a return to more stable conditions.
Officials were at one point close to rescheduling the Bahrain Grand Prix during the one-week break between the Baku and Singapore races on the first weekend of October. However, after tensions in the region have recently increased significantly again and further escalation cannot be ruled out, the Bahrain plan is likely to be finally abandoned soon.
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