BETA ZEN
2026 Bahrain Grand Prix
Texto da Wikipédia (en), licença CC BY-SA. O BETARUBI mostra o verbete inteiro nesta página — a leitura não continua fora do site.
| 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 16 of 23 in the 2026 Formula One World Championship
| |||||
 Layout of the Sepang International Circuit | |||||
| Race details[1] | |||||
| Date | 4 October 2026 | ||||
| Official name | Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026 | ||||
| Location |
Sepang International Circuit Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia | ||||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
| Course length | 5.543 km (3.444 miles) | ||||
| Scheduled distance | 56 laps, 310.408 km (192.879 miles) | ||||
The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026) is a Formula One motor race scheduled to be held on 4 October 2026 at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia. It is scheduled to be the 16th round of the 2026 Formula One World Championship and will mark the first Formula One race at Sepang since the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix.[1][2]
The Bahrain Grand Prix was originally scheduled to be held at the Bahrain International Circuit on 12 April, but it and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix were initially cancelled following the outbreak of the 2026 Iran war.[3] Under an agreement between Formula One, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), and the governments of Bahrain and Malaysia, the race was reinstated and relocated to Sepang under the Bahrain Grand Prix name, with Bahrain retaining all ticket pricing rights and race proceeds.[4] The event remains subject to final agreements and official sign-off, including approval by the World Motor Sport Council.[1]
Background
The Malaysian Grand Prix was hosted as a round of the Formula One World Championship at Sepang annually from 1999 to 2017.[2] In August 2025, then youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh said that the government had no immediate plans to restore the Malaysian Grand Prix, citing an estimated annual hosting fee of 300 million Malaysian ringgit (approx. 73 million USD) and competition for places on the Formula One calendar. She said Malaysia would nevertheless be open to a privately funded proposal.[5]
Postponement and attempts to reschedule
The event, officially named the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2026, was originally scheduled to take place across the weekend of 10–12 April 2026 at the Bahrain International Circuit and would have been the fourth round of the championship.[6][7] As of 2026, the Bahrain Grand Prix was contracted to remain on the Formula One calendar until 2036.[8]
On 28 February 2026, the Iran war broke out following targeted airstrikes by the United States and Israel.[9] In retaliation, Iran launched counterattacks targeting numerous American military bases in the Middle East, including those in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, all of which are host countries to Formula One Grands Prix.[10] Shortly after the conflict began, Pirelli cancelled scheduled tyre tests at the Bahrain International Circuit because of safety concerns.[11] On 14 March, Formula One announced that the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix would not take place on their originally scheduled April dates.[12]
By late July, efforts to preserve one of the two rounds had focused on the Bahrain Grand Prix, with the Sepang International Circuit among the replacement options being considered. A decision on any replacement would need to be made before the summer break following the Hungarian Grand Prix.[13][14]
Relocation to Sepang
On 24 July, the Malaysian youth and sports minister Mohammed Taufiq Johari announced that the Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the Ministry of Youth and Sports had received preliminary information about the possibility of Sepang hosting the Bahrain Grand Prix. The ministry was discussing and assessing the proposal, with further developments to be announced after a decision had been finalised.[15] Formula One had outlined the logistical requirements for staging a Grand Prix rather than presenting Malaysian authorities with a confirmed event. Although Sepang retained the FIA Grade 1 licence required for Formula One and continued to host the Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix, organising a Formula One race at short notice would require additional work.[16] Reuters reported that multiple replacement venues were being assessed and that no decision had been made.[13]
On 26 July, Formula One and the FIA announced that Sepang would host the Bahrain Grand Prix from 2 to 4 October. The agreement was reached with the governments of Bahrain and Malaysia, and the remainder of the 2026 calendar was left unchanged.[1] The addition produced a 23-race schedule, with the event forming part of a run of three consecutive race weekends alongside Azerbaijan and Singapore.[2]
Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim welcomed the agreement and said that Malaysia was ready to support Bahrain, Formula One and the FIA in staging the event.[17] Reports indicated that Bahrain would cover most of the rescheduling costs, while retaining the ticket pricing rights and race proceeds.[18][19]
See also
- 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix, which was cancelled due to the Arab Spring in Bahrain
- 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, which was postponed until November due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Malaysian Grand Prix
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Formula 1 and FIA confirm Malaysia will join 2026 calendar as host venue for Bahrain Grand Prix". Formula1.com. Formula One World Championship Limited. 26 July 2026. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Vinel, Ben (26 July 2026). "Malaysia will officially host F1's 2026 Bahrain GP". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will not take place in April". Formula1.com. Formula One World Championship Limited. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "Bahrain to receive all proceeds from F1 race in Sepang". Free Malaysia Today. 28 July 2026. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "No plans to bring Formula 1 GP back to Malaysia, sports minister says". Reuters. 21 August 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- ↑ "F1 and FIA announce 2026 race calendar: Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix to take place from 10 to 12 April". Bahrain International Circuit. 10 June 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
- ↑ "Formula 1 reveals calendar for 2026 season". Formula 1. 10 June 2025. Archived from the original on 10 June 2025. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "Bahrain Grand Prix to remain in F1 until 2036". ESPN.com. 11 February 2022. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ↑ Fabian, Emanuel (28 February 2026). "Satellite image shows destruction of Khamenei's compound". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ↑ Piper, Imogen; Kelly, Meg; Ley, Jarrett; Ducroquet, Simon (28 February 2026). "See where U.S., Israeli strikes have hit Iran and where Iran has retaliated". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ↑ Suttill, Josh; Mitchell-Malm, Scott (28 February 2026). "Pirelli cancels Bahrain F1 test due to safety concerns". The Race. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ↑ "Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs will not take place in April". Formula1.com. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- 1 2 Baldwin, Alan (23 July 2026). "Malaysia back in the F1 frame as Bahrain hopes recede". Reuters. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- ↑ Smith, Luke (23 July 2026). "F1 considering Malaysia return in 2026 as Middle East uncertainty continues". The Athletic, The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- ↑ Yusry, Muhammad (24 July 2026). "Malaysia govt studying possible F1 return to Sepang as Bahrain replacement, says youth and sports minister". Malay Mail. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- ↑ Cleeren, Filip (24 July 2026). "Malaysia investigating F1 2026 round as Bahrain plan fades". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- ↑ "Malaysia Ready To Welcome Back F1 After Nine Years – PM Anwar". Bernama. 26 July 2026. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ Baldwin, Alan (26 July 2026). "Malaysia to make F1 comeback in October as host of Bahrain GP". Reuters. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ "Bahrain to receive all proceeds from F1 race in Sepang". Free Malaysia Today. 28 July 2026. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
External links
- 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at Formula1.com