F1 clear up Malasyia night race confusion

The FIA has released start times for the remaining 12 Grands Prix of the 2026 season, clearing up some confusion around Malaysia.

The Sepang International Circuit returns to the F1 calendar from October 2 to October 4, but has adopted a rather unusual name.

Round 16 will be called the Bahrain Grand Prix, as the organisation behind the cancelled Middle Eastern event will finance the race under their branding.

The event was initially scheduled to take place at the Bahrain International Circuit on April 12, but the war in Iran saw it called off, along with the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.

Yet Malaysia has only adopted the Bahrain name, not its start times, despite some confusion.

The official F1 app showed that the new location would be another night race, kicking off at the same time as it usually would in Bahrain.

However, an update from the FIA has clarified the new start times, ruling out such an eventuality.

Sunday’s Grand Prix will instead start at 3:00pm local time, with qualifying at 4:00pm a day earlier.

That means just four night races are left on the schedule, in Singapore, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

The Sepang International Circuit’s director, Azhan Shafriman Hanif, is quoted by O Globo as saying: "The race will be held in the afternoon, not at night.”

In fact, according to local news, the track doesn’t have the infrastructure for such a night race, despite previously doing so with World Touring Cars.

The news may also be unwelcome for European watchers, with Malaysia six hours ahead of central European time and seven ahead of the UK.

That means the race will start at 8:00am in the UK, ruling out a lie-in that would have been on offer had the Grand Prix been in Bahrain.

Sepang hasn’t held an F1 race since 2017, but was previously a regular and loved by drivers and fans alike.

Announcing the new location, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said: "We are delighted to confirm that Malaysia will host the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2026.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem added: "I am incredibly proud of the collaboration that will enable Malaysia to host the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at the iconic Sepang International circuit later this year.