'Formula 1 considers Malaysia return amid the ongoing Middle East conflict'

The Sepang track is considered one of the main candidates, The Race reported.

A few weeks ago, the Bahrain Grand Prix was on course to return to the 2026 calendar. GPblog reported earlier that the race at Sakhir is expected to take place on October 4, between the Azerbaijan and Singapore Grands Prix. However, due to the further escalation of the conflict between the United States and Iran, that scenario is now ruled out.

Finding a suitable replacement is anything but straightforward. Due to the logistical challenges, a return to Europe is hardly feasible. Turkey is seen as a possible option, as Istanbul is relatively close to Baku.

Sepang is among the better options, as the Malaysian circuit is close to Singapore and located near an international airport, enabling the rapid transport of equipment. That makes staging a race shortly after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix logistically viable.

Due to the ongoing uncertainty in the Middle East, Formula 1 currently considers it irresponsible to give the definitive green light for a race in Bahrain. A decision on the fate of the Grand Prix is expected in the near future.

That decision could depend on the outcome of the FIA's World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) meeting, which is also set to decide this weekend on the remaining World Endurance Championship races in the Middle East.

According to rumors from the WEC, the season finale in Bahrain will be canceled and replaced by Monza after the season opener in Qatar was also called off earlier this year. The WEC race in Qatar is currently scheduled for October 24, but that date appears anything but certain.

Although Formula 1 is expected to delay a definitive decision on the Grands Prix of Qatar and Abu Dhabi for as long as possible, perhaps for several more weeks, the organization reportedly wants clarity on Bahrain before the summer break.

This website has also reported that Formula 1 is exploring alternative options. If Bahrain is definitively dropped from the calendar, Formula 1 would still prefer to fill the early October race weekend.

This is not only to keep the original schedule intact, but also because of the uncertainty surrounding the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. If those events ultimately cannot go ahead either, Formula 1 risks seeing the calendar shrink from 22 race weekends to a significantly shorter season. As a result, various contingency scenarios are being worked out behind the scenes.

One of those contingency plans is said to be that Portugal could replace the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Autodromo Internacional do Algarve is usually kept busy by multiple endurance championships such as GT World Challenge and the European Le Mans Series, but their seasons end in October, leaving the circuit available for an F1 race in early December.

The Portuguese circuit could potentially host the season finale on December 6, two weeks after the Las Vegas Grand Prix.