Formula One says Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit will host the Bahrain Grand Prix on Oct. 4, marking a return to the country for the first time in nine years. The move comes after the Bahrain race was originally called off earlier in the season amid Middle East tensions, which affected F1 events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
F1 and the FIA state the Oct. 4 race will be placed in the calendar between the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sept. 26 and the Singapore Grand Prix on Oct. 11. The Bahrain race is still branded as the “Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix,” even though it will be staged at Sepang near Kuala Lumpur.
Multiple outlets report that F1’s official announcement came during the Hungarian Grand Prix, with the schedule also subject to approval from the FIA’s world motor sport council. Officials describe the decision as a way to maintain a full calendar and return to a venue with historical significance for the sport.
