Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit could return to the F1 calendar this year as a replacement for the cancelled Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian events were cancelled in the wake of the war in Iran, and though officials have been looking to reschedule the event in Manama, the continued uncertainty in the region is making this look more and more unlikely. Indeed, there are ongoing fears over the events in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

F1 has eyed the weekend of 3/4 October for a rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix, putting it between the events in Azerbaijan and Singapore, however with Iran targeting Bahrain with missiles only this week things look increasingly unlikely.

Step forward Sepang, which hosted F1 between 1999 and 2017, and is now being considered as a replacement.

The Malaysian circuit, which dropped F1 over increasing hosting fees and falling attendance, also cited the increasing popularity of the nearby Singapore event as the reason for parting company with the sport.

Popular with drivers, Sepang would make a good choice, and in recent years there has been talk of F1 returning, especially with the post-Covid boom the sport has enjoyed.

The World Motor Sport Council is meeting this weekend, ostensibly to decide forthcoming WEC rounds in the Middle East, and the possibility of the sport's return to Sepang will likely be discussed.

While FOM clearly want to wait until the last moment before cancelling Bahrain for good, the continued uncertainty in the region, not to mention the sheer logistics involved make the event increasingly unlikely.