Formula 1 returns to Sepang International Circuit this weekend for the first time since 2017, as the sport stages the Bahrain GP in Malaysia after conflict in the Middle East forced the original April date to be scrapped. It is a rare recall for a track that once produced some of the calendar’s most dramatic afternoons, and it lands at a pivotal moment in the title race.
Friday’s running begins with Free Practice 1 at 12:30pm MYT, followed by Free Practice 2 at 4:00pm MYT, both on October 2. Those two sessions, separated by several hours of tropical heat, will shape how every team approaches a circuit most of the current grid barely knows.
Kimi Antonelli still leads the drivers’ championship, though George Russell’s win from pole in Azerbaijan has trimmed that advantage to 66 points. Full detail on timings and coverage sits in the official Friday schedule and broadcast details.
US viewers can follow the whole weekend without paying a subscription fee. Apple TV is the primary broadcast partner for the 2026 season and will stream the full race weekend free of charge.
Sepang Grand Prix Historical Head-to-Head
Sepang’s return marks nine years away from the Formula 1 calendar, and that gap changes the whole approach to the weekend. The circuit held the Malaysian Grand Prix from 1999 until 2017, building a reputation for long straights, sweeping final corners and afternoons that swung wildly with the weather. Almost nobody on the current grid has raced a grand prix lap here. Friday’s two sessions carry far more weight than a normal first practice day.
The move did not happen overnight. Organisers spent months working through calendar adjustments for the Bahrain event once the original April date collapsed, and Sepang emerged as one of the few venues able to host a full grand prix weekend at short notice.
Malaysia’s tropical climate adds its own layer of history to the circuit. Afternoon heat and sudden downpours shaped many of the old Malaysian Grand Prix results, and teams will lean on the lunchtime and late afternoon practice slots to understand how conditions, and the car, change as the day wears on.
Recent Form & Championship Dynamics
Russell’s victory in Baku was built from the front of the grid. Pole position gave him control of the race from the first lap, and the win cut Antonelli’s championship lead to 66 points, the smallest margin between the pair in weeks.
That result has shifted the mood heading into Sepang. Our look at Russell’s recent momentum showed how a strong qualifying lap turned straight into race control, and the same pattern, pole translating into points, is exactly what he will be chasing again this weekend.
Antonelli still arrives in front, and a solid points finish would ease some of the pressure that built up after Baku. Russell needs something bigger than a steady result if he wants to keep closing the gap before the championship moves on to its next round.
Neither driver has competition experience at Sepang, so neither carries a natural edge from past results here. That puts extra value on whoever adapts fastest once Friday practice gets under way.
Crucial On-Track Driver Battles
The title fight now comes down to these two drivers, and Sepang will test them in different ways. Antonelli has built his 66 point cushion through consistency rather than outright speed, while Russell has shown he can find the pace to chip away at it when conditions fall his way.
Heat is the extra variable this weekend. Extreme track temperatures at Sepang are already a talking point, and sustained high heat puts real strain on both driver and machinery across a full grand prix distance. Whoever manages that strain best, rather than whoever sets the fastest single lap, could decide how the points split by Sunday evening.
There is also the problem of a circuit nobody has raced on since 2017. The usual reference points, sector times, tyre data, race history, simply do not exist for this generation of cars. Antonelli will likely protect his advantage with clean, low risk running across the weekend. Russell has less to lose and every reason to push, especially if Friday practice shows his car suits the long, sweeping corners that defined Sepang in the past.
Early Race Prediction & Scoreline Rationale
Expect a tight contest rather than a routine result. Russell’s momentum from Baku and his comfort in changeable conditions make him the narrow favourite to win on raw pace, but Antonelli’s points lead gives him licence to race for position rather than risk everything for victory.
Two factors point that way. Friday’s unusual timing, with Free Practice 1 at 12:30pm MYT and Free Practice 2 at 4:00pm MYT, means teams sample both midday heat and cooler evening air before qualifying, and whoever reads those shifting conditions best should carry that advantage into the race. A circuit this unfamiliar also tends to reward drivers who keep things simple rather than those chasing the perfect lap.
By the time this Bahrain GP in Malaysia reaches the chequered flag, the championship gap between Antonelli and Russell looks unlikely to stay at 66 points for long.
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