KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – SEPTEMBER 29: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Red Bull Racing Red Bull-TAG Heuer RB13 TAG Heuer on track during practice for the Malaysia Formula One Grand Prix at Sepang Circuit on September 29, 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
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Formula 1 returns to Malaysia this weekend for the first time in nine years as the Sepang International Circuit plays host to the Bahrain Grand Prix.
After April’s race in Sakhir was called off due to the ongoing conflict and instability in the Middle East, it was announced in late July that Malaysia would step in to stage the Bahrain GP on behalf of the Gulf country on October 2-4.
The last time Malaysia hosted an F1 race was back in 2017, when Max Verstappen claimed only his second career victory driving for Red Bull.
Now the country returns to the calendar for a one-off event – slotted between Azerbaijan and Singapore to form a demanding triple-header across Asia.
In the first leg of the triple-header in Baku last weekend, George Russell pulled off a nail-biting win in his Mercedes, pipping Verstappen to the flag by only one-tenth of a second – the closest winning margin since 2002.
The victory brought Russell’s points tally to 236 – trimming his deficit to teammate and current championship leader Kimi Antonelli from 81 points down to 66.
Heading into Sepang, Russell eyes a second consecutive win to further eat into Antonelli’s title lead, while the Italian youngster looks to return to the top spot of the podium and keep himself out of trouble in his bid for a maiden championship.
Besides Antonelli and Russell, five drivers are still mathematically in contention for the crown: Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Verstappen and Oscar Piastri.
Can one of them snatch a valuable victory at Sepang and close in on the leader in the standings?
Tune in to Apple TV to watch this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix for free with no subscription required (U.S. only).
Sepang International Circuit Stats
- First Grand Prix: 1999
- Circuit Length: 5.543km (3.444 miles)
- Race Distance: 310.408km (192.879 miles)
- Number of Laps: 56
- Number of Turns: 15
- Fastest Lap Time: 1:34.080 (Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 2017)
- Most Wins (Driver): Sebastian Vettel (4)
- Most Wins (Constructor): Ferrari (7)
- Most Pole Positions (Driver): Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton (5)
- Most Pole Positions (Constructor): Ferrari (7)
- Most Podiums (Driver): Lewis Hamilton (6)
- Most Podiums (Constructor): Ferrari (13)
- Last Race Winner: Max Verstappen (2017)
F1 Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 Schedule
The 16th round of the season at Sepang, Malaysia kicks off with Free Practice 1 (FP1) on Friday, October 2, at 12:30 p.m. local time, followed by Free Practice 2 (FP2) later in the day at 4 p.m.
On Saturday, Oct. 3, drivers will climb into their cars for the final practice run (FP3) at 12:30 p.m. before they battle for grid positions in qualifying at 4 p.m.
The 56-lap race will get underway at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4.
| Free Practice 1 (Friday) |
Free Practice 2 (Friday) |
Free Practice 3 (Saturday) |
Qualifying (Saturday) |
Race (Sunday) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local Time: 12:30 p.m. | Local Time: 4 p.m. | Local Time: 12:30 p.m. | Local Time: 4 p.m. | Local Time: 3 p.m. |
| United States (EDT): 12:30 a.m. | United States (EDT): 4 a.m. | United States (EDT): 12:30 a.m. | United States (EDT): 4 a.m. | United States (EDT): 3 a.m. |
| United Kingdom (BST): 5:30 a.m. | United Kingdom (BST): 9 a.m. | United Kingdom (BST): 5:30 a.m. | United Kingdom (BST): 9 a.m. | United Kingdom (BST): 8 a.m. |
| Central European Time (CEST): 6:30 a.m. | Central European Time (CEST): 10 a.m. | Central European Time (CEST): 6:30 a.m. | Central European Time (CEST): 10 a.m. | Central European Time (CEST): 9 a.m. |
Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026: FP1 Start Times
All below start times are on Friday unless stated otherwise.
- Local Time: 12:30 p.m.
- United States and Canada (EDT): 12:30 a.m.
- United States and Canada (CDT): 11:30 p.m. on Thursday
- United States and Canada (PDT): 9:30 p.m. on Thursday
- United States and Canada (MDT): 10:30 p.m. on Thursday
- United Kingdom (BST): 5:30 a.m.
- Central European Time (CEST): 6:30 a.m.
- Australia (AEST): 2:30 p.m.
- Australia (AWST): 12:30 p.m.
- Australia (ACST): 2 p.m.
- Brasília, Brazil: 1:30 a.m.
- Mexico City, Mexico: 10:30 p.m. on Thursday
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: 7:30 a.m.
- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: 8:30 a.m.
- Ankara, Turkey: 7:30 a.m.
- Tokyo, Japan (JST): 1:30 p.m.
- Beijing, China (CST): 12:30 p.m.
- New Delhi, India (IST): 10 a.m.
Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026: FP2 Start Times
All below start times are on Friday unless stated otherwise.
- Local Time: 4 p.m.
- United States and Canada (EDT): 4 a.m.
- United States and Canada (CDT): 3 a.m.
- United States and Canada (PDT): 1 a.m.
- United States and Canada (MDT): 2 a.m.
- United Kingdom (BST): 9 a.m.
- Central European Time (CEST): 10 a.m.
- Australia (AEST): 6 p.m.
- Australia (AWST): 4 p.m.
- Australia (ACST): 5:30 p.m.
- Brasília, Brazil: 5 a.m.
- Mexico City, Mexico: 2 a.m.
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: 11 a.m.
- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: 12 p.m.
- Ankara, Turkey: 11 a.m.
- Tokyo, Japan (JST): 5 p.m.
- Beijing, China (CST): 4 p.m.
- New Delhi, India (IST): 1:30 p.m.
Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026: FP3 Start Times
All below start times are on Saturday unless stated otherwise.
- Local Time: 12:30 p.m.
- United States and Canada (EDT): 12:30 a.m.
- United States and Canada (CDT): 11:30 p.m. on Friday
- United States and Canada (PDT): 9:30 p.m. on Friday
- United States and Canada (MDT): 10:30 p.m. on Friday
- United Kingdom (BST): 5:30 a.m.
- Central European Time (CEST): 6:30 a.m.
- Australia (AEST): 2:30 p.m.
- Australia (AWST): 12:30 p.m.
- Australia (ACST): 2 p.m.
- Brasília, Brazil: 1:30 a.m.
- Mexico City, Mexico: 10:30 p.m. on Friday
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: 7:30 a.m.
- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: 8:30 a.m.
- Ankara, Turkey: 7:30 a.m.
- Tokyo, Japan (JST): 1:30 p.m.
- Beijing, China (CST): 12:30 p.m.
- New Delhi, India (IST): 10 a.m.
Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026: Qualifying Start Times
All below start times are on Saturday unless stated otherwise.
- Local Time: 4 p.m.
- United States and Canada (EDT): 4 a.m.
- United States and Canada (CDT): 3 a.m.
- United States and Canada (PDT): 1 a.m.
- United States and Canada (MDT): 2 a.m.
- United Kingdom (BST): 9 a.m.
- Central European Time (CEST): 10 a.m.
- Australia (AEST): 6 p.m.
- Australia (AWST): 4 p.m.
- Australia (ACST): 5:30 p.m.
- Brasília, Brazil: 5 a.m.
- Mexico City, Mexico: 2 a.m.
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: 11 a.m.
- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: 12 p.m.
- Ankara, Turkey: 11 a.m.
- Tokyo, Japan (JST): 5 p.m.
- Beijing, China (CST): 4 p.m.
- New Delhi, India (IST): 1:30 p.m.
Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026: Race Start Times
All below start times are on Sunday unless stated otherwise.
- Local Time: 3 p.m.
- United States and Canada (EDT): 3 a.m.
- United States and Canada (CDT): 2 a.m.
- United States and Canada (PDT): 12 a.m.
- United States and Canada (MDT): 1 a.m.
- United Kingdom (BST): 8 a.m.
- Central European Time (CEST): 9 a.m.
- Australia (AEDT): 6 p.m.
- Australia (AWST): 3 p.m.
- Australia (ACST): 5:30 p.m.
- Brasília, Brazil: 4 a.m.
- Mexico City, Mexico: 1 a.m.
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: 10 a.m.
- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: 11 a.m.
- Ankara, Turkey: 10 a.m.
- Tokyo, Japan (JST): 4 p.m.
- Beijing, China (CST): 3 p.m.
- New Delhi, India (IST): 12:30 p.m.
How To Watch 2026 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, Malaysia
Fans in the U.S. can watch this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix on Apple TV for free with no subscription required.
Viewers in the U.K. can tune in to Sky Sports for extensive coverage of the weekend, with highlights available for free on Channel 4.
In select regions, F1 TV Pro subscribers can tune in for live coverage on any device, along with the opportunity to catch up on full session replays and highlights afterwards.
Below is the broadcast information for some key territories:
| Territory | Broadcaster(s) |
|---|---|
| United States | Apple TV (free for Bahrain GP) |
| United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland | Sky Sports, Channel 4 (highlights) |
| Canada | RDS, RDS2, TSN, Noovo |
| Italy | Sky Italia |
| Netherlands | Viaplay TV |
| Australia | Fox Sports, Foxtel, Kayo |
| Japan | Fuji TV |
| Middle East and Turkey | beIN SPORTS |
| Spain | DAZN |
| Germany | Sky Deutschland, RTL |
| France | Canal+ |
| Belgium | RTBF, Play Sports |
| Portugal | DAZN |
| Austria | Servus TV, ORF |
| Singapore | beIN SPORTS |
| Brazil | TV Globo, sportv |
| Mexico | TUDN, Sky Sports, Izzi |
| Latin America | ESPN |
| Africa | SuperSport |
Highlights from each day of the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix weekend will be available on F1’s YouTube channel.
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