Scuderia Ferrari HP is set to get back on track for the 16th round of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship: the Bahrain Grand Prix which, unusually, will be held at the Sepang International Circuit.

It is thus back on the calendar for the first time since 2017. The Malaysian event is the second race of the season's first triple-header. Just days after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will be back on track this weekend before heading to Singapore to complete a particularly demanding run of three races for both teams and drivers.

Opened in 1999 and designed by Hermann Tilke, the Sepang International Circuit was a permanent fixture on the Formula 1 calendar from 1999 to 2017. The circuit is 5.543 kilometres long with 15 corners, as well as two long straights and a mix of heavy braking zones and very fast sections. The width of the track allows drivers to choose different lines which has made for plenty of action over the years. Among its most distinctive features are the fast sequence of Turns 5 and 6 and the final hairpin, Turn 15, which leads onto the main straight. The race will be run over 56 laps, a distance of 310.398 kilometres.

There are many elements that make Sepang a demanding circuit. The high-speed corners place heavy loads on the tyres, while high track temperatures can lead to increased degradation, making tyre management one of the key factors of the weekend. Another variable here is the weather. High temperatures and humidity make the weekend especially demanding for the drivers, while frequent tropical storms can change the scenario within minutes. Therefore, one needs to be ready to react quickly to any changes in track conditions.

Only ten drivers on the current grid, including Lewis Hamilton, have raced at Sepang before. Charles Leclerc has not, although he did take part in FP1 at the circuit in 2017 at the wheel of a Sauber.

Fred Vasseur: Sepang is a circuit that presents a very different challenge compared to the tracks we have visited recently. The demands on the car and driver are high, and changing conditions can play an important role over the weekend. As we have seen in the last few races, the field is tight and competitiveness alone is not enough: it is essential to put every aspect of the weekend together. We need to stay focused and take every opportunity available to bring home the best possible result.

Ferrari at the Bahrain GP

21 GP Entered
2004 Debut (M.Schumacher 1st; R. Barrichello 2nd)
7 (33.33%) Wins
6 (28.57%) Pole Positions
6 (28.57%) Fastest Laps
17 (26.98%) Podiums

Ferrari at Sepang

19 GP Entered
1999 Debut (E. Irvine 1st; M. Schumacher 2nd)
7 (36.84%) Wins
7 (36.84%) Pole Positions
3 (15.78%) Fastest Laps
13 (22.81%) Podiums

Three questions to Paolo Castellani - ICT Track Engineer

Formula 1 returns to Sepang. What challenges do you face when returning to a venue after such a long time? What measures must you take to ensure that all the IT systems are fully operational?
Paolo Castellani: Almost ten years is a very long time in our field, which has undergone continuous technological development, accelerated even further in recent years by the advent of artificial intelligence and the evolution of the systems supporting Formula 1.However, the key to ensuring operational efficiency remains the same: careful planning in the months leading up to the event. It is essential to make sure that adequate space is available and that the required electrical power and cooling capacity are guaranteed. Sepang is a venue that regularly hosts international-level events, such as MotoGP and top-level GT competitions, and it is very well managed and maintained. This allows us to prepare in the best possible way, even though circumstances dictated that in this instance the timeframe was short.

The Malaysian climate is extreme, which can put the electronic systems you look after under considerable strain. How do you prepare for such a challenging environment?
PC: Along with Singapore, Sepang probably represents one of the most demanding climatic challenges on the calendar. High temperatures, very high humidity and the possibility of heavy rain require specific measures to ensure that all systems can operate under these expected conditions. This means having adequately sized cooling systems, which in turn require a considerable electrical power. We always prepare emergency procedures to deal with any problems affecting the cooling systems, ensuring sufficient ventilation and heat dissipation to keep essential systems operational. In modern Formula 1, garage operations increasingly depend on the reliability of the IT infrastructure.

What about you, what brought you to Ferrari? What does it mean to represent the Scuderia at circuits all over the world?
PC: It began in 1997, when many companies, including Ferrari, were entering a new technological era. Tools that we now take for granted, such as email, laptops and mobile connectivity, were in their infancy and beginning to transform the way we worked. From that point onwards, I had the opportunity to contribute to this process of innovation, which soon found an application in the world of Formula 1. At the time, working while travelling was far more complicated than it is today: there was no real global network, and operating in distant countries such as Australia, Malaysia or Brazil often meant dealing with difficulties that would seem unimaginable today, even when simply making a phone call. It was precisely these challenges that the Ferrari team experienced, that fuelled my enthusiasm and my sense of belonging. Almost thirty years on, the pride of being part of the Scuderia is the same as it was then, as is the satisfaction of having helped get the cars out on track every weekend and of having shared some of the greatest moments in the team's history.

Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang - Facts and Figures

1. The number of times Lewis Hamilton has won at Sepang. He did it in 2014, having started from pole position. Hamilton also has five podium finishes at the Malaysian circuit.

4. The number of occasions, including this weekend, on which the Grand Prix of a particular nation has been held in another country. The first example was the San Marino Grand Prix, which, unable to be staged on the narrow roads of the Republic of San Marino, was hosted by the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari at Imola, where it was held for 26 editions from 1981 to 2006. In 1982 it was the turn of the Swiss Grand Prix, which, in order to circumvent the ban on motor racing in Switzerland introduced after the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans tragedy, in which driver Pierre Levegh and 83 spectators lost their lives, was staged in France at the Dijon-Prenois circuit. It would turn out to be a one-off. In 1997 and 1998, a race by the name of Luxembourg Grand Prix was held at Germany's Nürburgring.

8. The furthest back on the grid from which a driver has won at Sepang. The driver in question was Fernando Alonso, who took Ferrari to victory in 2012 in a rain-affected race.

50. The number of kilometres separating Sepang from Kuala Lumpur. The circuit is located in the same area as Kuala Lumpur International Airport, which also opened in the late 1990s.

6040. The number of kilometres, as the crow flies, separating the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain from Sepang in Malaysia. Compared to other races mentioned earlier, it is by far the greatest distance between the actual race venue and the capital city of the nation which gives the Grand Prix its name. The previous record belonged to the Swiss Grand Prix, which was run at Dijon-Prenois in France, approximately 190 kilometres from Bern in a straight line (270 kilometres by road). Around 120 kilometres separate Luxembourg City from the Nürburgring (150 by road), while the distance between the City of San Marino and the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari at Imola is just 65 kilometres (80 by road).