Formula 1 is heading back to Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit after a nine-year hiatus this weekend, with more than half the drivers on the grid unfamiliar with a track that is hosting the rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix.
After making its first appearance on the calendar in 1999, Sepang has not hosted a Formula 1 race since 2017 after the Malaysian government said it could no longer justify the costs given the declining returns.
But it is making its F1 comeback after owners Liberty Media said it would host the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, relocating the race from Sakhir due to the Iran war and the situation in the Middle East.
The 5.543-km long circuit combines long straights with several high-speed corners, with this week’s race set to be held over 56 laps.
Only 10 of the 22 drivers have previously raced in Malaysia, leaving world champion Lando Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri among those who will be learning the track for the first time.
Tyre supplier Pirelli has warned teams to expect challenging conditions, describing Sepang’s surface as “relatively abrasive” with roughness comparable to Bahrain.
Piastri said the track “looks like sandpaper” and he too expected a lot of tyre degradation.
“I don’t know how much racing or track running there’s been recently. And anything that has been, the rain probably washes it off every afternoon anyway,” Piastri said.
“So it’s going to be a pretty tough weekend for everyone.”
Thunderstorms are far from unusual in Malaysia, where the tropical climate regularly produces heavy afternoon showers and lightning storms.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli said Sepang’s notorious abrasive surface could prove a welcome surprise should F1 finally get its first wet race of the season in Malaysia.
The young Italian, who has enjoyed a charmed run of dry conditions throughout his title charge, reckons the Malaysian circuit’s rough tarmac would make it the ideal venue to test the sport’s 2026 cars in challenging weather.
“I think this track will be quite OK in the wet … The surface is so open, there’s actually not a lot of standing water unless it pours down,” Antonelli told reporters, adding that it was the “roughest track tarmac” he had ever seen.
“But if it rains normally, then it would probably be the best track to try these cars for the first time in the rain because the tarmac is so open that the water just doesn’t sit on top of the surface. It actually goes in between the stones. So it makes less risk of aquaplaning.”
Reuters
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