Formula 1 returns to the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia this weekend, after a nine-year absence. The schedule began on Friday, 2 October, with the main race taking place on Sunday, 4 October, at 9:00 am local time.
Sepang last hosted a Formula 1 race in 2017, when Max Verstappen won. The event is titled the 2026 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The Bahrain Grand Prix was originally scheduled for April, but was not held due to the situation in the Middle East. Formula 1 and the FIA subsequently agreed that the race would take place from 2 to 4 October at Sepang, making it the 16th round of the season.
The first free practice on Friday, 2 October, begins at 6:30, with the second free practice on the same day at 10:00. The third free practice on Saturday, 3 October, begins at 6:30, with qualifying on Saturday starting at 10:00. The broadcast on RTL on Sunday, 4 October, begins at 8:00, with the race at 9:00.
Croatian viewers can follow the entire F1 weekend on the RTL channels and the Voyo platform. The free practices on Friday, as well as the third practice and qualifying on Saturday, are broadcast on RTL2 and Voyo, while the main race on Sunday is broadcast on RTL and Voyo.
The Sepang International Circuit is 5,543 kilometres long. The race on Sunday covers 56 laps, for a total distance of 310.417 kilometres. The circuit first hosted Formula 1 in 1999. Sebastian Vettel is the record holder at Sepang with four wins, holding the track record of 1:34.080 set in 2017.
Kimi Antonelli, leading in the overall standings, arrives in Malaysia with 302 points. George Russell, in second place, has 236 points, trailing by 66 points, having won the previous weekend in Azerbaijan. Lewis Hamilton is currently third with 199 points, Lando Norris has 186 points, and Charles Leclerc has 179 points.
