Sepang International Circuit

The Sepang International Circuit returns to the Formula 1 calendar in 2026 after an absence of nine years. Opened in 1999 as the first purpose-built Grand Prix venue in Southeast Asia, Sepang was designed by Hermann Tilke and set the template for the modern circuits that followed it. The track hosted the Malaysian Grand Prix for nineteen consecutive seasons before dropping off the schedule after 2017, and it reappears in 2026 under unusual circumstances: it stands in as the host of the Bahrain Grand Prix, after the race at Sakhir was cancelled.

The layout is built around two enormous straights separated by a hairpin, a combination that rewards straight-line speed and makes the circuit one of the best overtaking venues in Formula 1. Between them sits a sequence of long, sweeping corners that place sustained loads on the front tyres, while the wide track surface offers several racing lines and encourages drivers to run side by side. The tight final hairpin onto the main straight is the classic passing spot, set up by a long run down from the back of the lap.

What sets Sepang apart is the weather. Racing in tropical heat and humidity, with track temperatures well above 50°C, the circuit is one of the most physically punishing on the calendar and is notoriously hard on tyres. Sudden monsoon downpours are a regular feature of the late-afternoon race slot and have repeatedly turned the Malaysian Grand Prix on its head, producing red flags, gambles on tyre strategy and some of the most chaotic races of the modern era.