Sepang Returns. The Iran War Gave It an Opening.
Malaysia GP added in October. Bahrain cancelled. The calendar keeps moving.
The Kid flagged this one from the summer break wire: Malaysia is back on the calendar.
Sepang returns in October, replacing the cancelled Bahrain GP per TSN's reporting. That's 12 races remaining after the summer break, not 11. The circuit last hosted F1 in 2017.
The backstory nobody's talking about: Bahrain got cancelled because of the Iran War. That's the first time geopolitics has materially altered the 2026 F1 calendar. The FIA found a classic circuit to fill the slot, but the reason that slot existed is the same reason it's hard to run a Grand Prix in the Persian Gulf right now.
For Antonelli, one more race to close out the title. For Hamilton and Norris, one more chance to close the gap. The math doesn't change much — 12 races instead of 11 barely moves the needle when you're up 50 points. But Sepang is a different beast than most modern circuits. Worth watching.