Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026: Race start time, how to watch, full schedule, predictions

Next up on the calendar is the Bahrain Grand Prix, but there's a quirk -- the 16th round of the season is actually taking place almost 4,000 miles away in Malaysia.

George Russell closed the gap in the drivers' championship to 66 points from his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli after taking his third win of the season at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Antonelli, who was hampered with all sorts of issues across the weekend, recovered from P16 to finish fifth.

So you don't miss a thing, here's everything you need to know for the next race.

- Russell's win won't kick-start title challenge, but Baku rewards his faith in trying 2026
- George Russell warns 'pressure' is on Kimi Antonelli after 'most dominant weekend in my career'
- Lando Norris: Drivers should have 'one-race ban' after collision with Franco Colapinto at Azerbaijan GP


Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia schedule

All times in BST

Friday, October 2

Practice One: 5.30 a.m. - 6.30 a.m.
Practice Two: 9 a.m. - 10 a.m.

Saturday, October 3

Final Practice: 5.30 a.m. - 6.30 a.m.
Qualifying: 9 a.m. - 10 a.m.

Sunday, October 4

Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia: 8 a.m.


How to watch

Every practice and qualifying session as well as the race itself will be available to watch on Sky Sports F1. The sessions are also on Sky Sports Main Event.

For non-subscribers, highlights of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia will be on free-to-air television on Channel 4.

In the U.S., subscribers can watch every session on Apple TV, via a new F1 channel on the platform.


Why is the Bahrain GP being hosted in Malaysia?

The Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled in April due to the war in Iran, but it has now been rescheduled and will now be staged in Malaysia, meaning the race will remain on the F1 calendar.

There were several reasons why Malaysia was an obvious alternative, the main one being the way the calendar fell and the logistics involved.

It sits between the Azerbaijan Grand Prix which took place at the weekend, and will be followed by the Singapore Grand Prix on Oct. 11, resulting in a triple-header.

The last time the Malaysia Grand Prix held a race was in 2017. It spent 18 years on the calendar, so the infrastructure is there to be able to host a race with not much notice.


Sepang International Circuit

The Sepang is one of the circuits that is a complete test of car performance and driver ability. There is a mixture of long straights, heavy-braking zones and fast, flowing corners.

It is always one of the most humid races and due to the tropical weather, there can be heavy downpours of rain, changing the course of a race in an instant.

The combination of weather and the characteristics of the circuit always provide an exciting race and it is a driver and fan favourite as a result.

There is a tight hairpin at Turn 15, but either side are long straights which provide excellent overtaking opportunities.


Previous winners in Malaysia

2010: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2011: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2012: Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2013: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2014: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2015: Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
2016: Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
2017: Max Verstappen (Red Bull)


Other key stats

First F1 race: 1999

Laps: 56 laps of 5.5km

Lap record: 1:34.080 Sebastian Vettel (2017).

Most wins: Sebastian Vettel with four victories (2010-2011, 2013 and 2015). From the current grid, Fernando Alonso with three (2005, 2007 and 2012), Lewis Hamilton (2014), and Max Verstappen (2017) have each won here.

Most poles: Michael Schumacher (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004) and Lewis Hamilton with five (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017). From the current grid, Alonso has two poles (2003, 2005).


Weather forecast

The weather for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia is thundery showers and light winds through the weekend with highs of 33°C.


What happened in 2017?

Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the race in dominant fashion after qualifying third on the grid. It was Lewis Hamilton's race to lose after he put his Mercedes on pole for the race which he's won once before, but he crossed the line in second.

Verstappen's teammate Daniel Ricciardo finished third, while Sebastian Vettel, who started from the back of the grid after suffering engine problems at Ferrari, managed to recover positions on the grid to finish fourth overall.

Vettel was 34 points behind Hamilton in the drivers' championship with five races to go.


Who will win this year?

There will be a slight element of the unknown heading into Malaysia given that over half of the grid have never raced here before. Teams and drivers have historic data to go off, but nobody will really know how the cars will perform until Friday's practice.

Russell didn't put a foot wrong last time out at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and was incredibly quick all weekend and will carry that momentum into the next round.

Mercedes are also due to bring a major upgrade to Malaysia, while McLaren are expected to be strong around the high-speed circuit.

Red Bull brought major upgrades to Baku and were well in the fight, so rival teams will be keeping a close eye on Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.

With rain expected, and it being one of the most popular circuits in F1, it could be an absolute thriller.

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