02–04 OCT · SEPANG · ROUND 16
Weekend previewBahrain Grand Prix 2026 predictions
The Bahrain Grand Prix runs in Malaysia this year. Nobody has raced a 2026 car at Sepang, and heat and rain decide as much as pace.
Weekend schedule
SEPANG TIME- Practice 1
- Fri 2 Oct, 12:30 GMT+8
- Practice 2
- Fri 2 Oct, 16:00 GMT+8
- Practice 3
- Sat 3 Oct, 12:30 GMT+8
- Qualifying
- Sat 3 Oct, 16:00 GMT+8
- Grand Prix
- Sun 4 Oct, 15:00 GMT+8
The calendar change
A Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia
The Bahrain Grand Prix was the fourth round of the season, due at Sakhir from 10 to 12 April. It was called off on safety grounds following the outbreak of conflict in the region, as was the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix the week after.
Formula 1, the FIA and the governments of Bahrain and Malaysia then agreed to reinstate the race at Sepang in October. It keeps the Bahrain Grand Prix name, and Bahrain keeps the ticket pricing rights and the ticket revenue because it is paying the hosting fee. Read how the race is funded (opens in a new tab). Read the background (opens in a new tab).
For your picks, only the venue matters. This is round 16 at Sepang, it scores like any other round, and the circuit is nothing like Sakhir.
- Race name
- Bahrain Grand Prix
- Venue
- Sepang, Malaysia
- Originally
- Sakhir, 10–12 April
- Now
- 2–4 October, round 16
Form guide
The last Formula 1 race here was in 2017
Sepang held the Malaysian Grand Prix from 1999 to 2017. Nine years of regulation changes sit between that race and this one, and the 2026 cars are new this season, so no driver on the grid has a lap here in anything resembling the car they will drive.
Pirelli is working from 2017 data for the same reason. Its motorsport director has said the 2017 tyre sizes are reasonably close to the current ones, which is the closest thing to a reference anyone has. The circuit has not been resurfaced since, and the asphalt was already abrasive. Read how Pirelli prepared (opens in a new tab).
Practice is worth more here than at a circuit the teams visit every year. Simulations built on old data are the starting point for everyone, and Friday is where they get corrected.
What matters at Sepang
Two long straights joined by a hairpin, and a middle sector of fast, wide corners. Passing is easier here than at most circuits, so qualifying decides less than it usually does.
- km circuit
- 5.543
- race laps
- 56
- turns
- 15
- local start
- 15:00
Aero load at speed
Pace through the fast, constant-radius corners
Sepang is wide and quick in the middle sector. A car that carries load through long corners gains everywhere.
Tyre management
Long-run degradation on abrasive asphalt
The surface is nine years old and rough. A driver who is quick over one lap may not hold a stint together.
Braking into the hairpins
Stability at the end of both long straights
Both of the main passing places are heavy, wide stops. Cars that stop well can pass here rather than follow.
Heat and rain
Cooling, and what happens if a tropical shower arrives
Afternoon rain is common. A wet or drying race spreads the field further than pace alone would.
Tyre choice
Sepang gets the middle three tyres
C1
Not used at Sepang
C2
hard
C3
medium
C4
soft
C5
Not used at Sepang
C2, C3 and C4, one step harder than the C3, C4 and C5 going to Baku and Singapore either side of this weekend. Sepang puts medium loads through a tyre, but the asphalt is abrasive and has not been resurfaced since 2017.
Pirelli picked the middle of the range to narrow the gap between a one-stop and a two-stop, which is a choice made to open up strategy rather than settle it. Expect teams to disagree about the number of stops, and expect that to matter more than usual on a circuit where passing is possible. Read Pirelli’s selection (opens in a new tab).
Three weekends
The middle race of a triple-header
Sepang was slotted between Azerbaijan and Singapore, so the teams run three races in three weekends and travel from Baku to Malaysia to Singapore. Two of the three are hot and humid, and the third is a street circuit.
Reliability and damage carry across a run like this. A car that breaks in Baku may take a penalty here, and a driver who struggles with the heat here has Singapore a week later. Singapore is also a sprint weekend, so it has four sessions to pick rather than two.
ROUND 15
ROUND 16
ROUND 17
Championship standings
After 12 rounds, Kimi Antonelli leads the drivers’ table by 59 points from George Russell. The Italian Grand Prix, the Madrid Grand Prix and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix still have to be scored, so this table will change before Sepang.
View full 2026 standingsDrivers
AFTER 12 ROUNDS- 1Kimi Antonelli242 PTS
- 2George Russell183 PTS
- 3Lewis Hamilton183 PTS
- 4Lando Norris159 PTS
- 5Charles Leclerc155 PTS
- 6Max Verstappen112 PTS
Scored through round 12, updated 23 AUG 2026.
Before you lock your Top 5
Treat old Sepang form as background
A 2017 result tells you about a circuit, not about a 2026 car. Use it for the shape of the lap and nothing else.
Watch Friday long runs closely
Degradation on this surface is the biggest unknown of the weekend, and it separates a one-stop from a two-stop.
Discount qualifying a little
Both long straights end in wide braking zones, so drivers can recover here in a way they cannot at Monaco or Singapore.
Leave room for rain
Tropical showers arrive fast in the afternoon. Consider who has held up in a wet race this season before you settle the back of your Top 5.
Common questions
Why is the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix being held in Malaysia?
The round was due to run at Sakhir in April and was called off on safety grounds, along with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Formula 1, the FIA and the governments of Bahrain and Malaysia agreed to reinstate it at Sepang in October. It keeps the Bahrain Grand Prix name, and Bahrain sets the ticket prices and receives the ticket revenue.
When is the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix?
The weekend runs from 2 to 4 October 2026 at Sepang. Qualifying is on Saturday and the 56-lap Grand Prix starts at 15:00 Malaysian time on Sunday.
When did Formula 1 last race at Sepang?
In 2017. Sepang held the Malaysian Grand Prix from 1999 to 2017, and this is the first Formula 1 race there since. The circuit has not been resurfaced in that time.
How are Bahrain Grand Prix predictions scored?
An exact Top 5 position earns 5 points, one position away earns 3, and selecting a driver who finishes elsewhere in the actual Top 5 earns 1 point.
Make your Sepang picks
Choose five drivers for qualifying and five for the race. You can change them until each session locks.