The Bahrain Grand Prix weekend has taken Formula 1 to an unexpected setting, with Sepang hosting qualifying after the race could not be held at Sakhir because of the war in the Middle East. The Malaysian circuit returns to the championship after a nine-year absence, bringing a familiar venue back into a season whose calendar has had to adapt.
Sepang returns to the schedule
- Formula 1 last raced at Sepang in 2017, when Lewis Hamilton took pole position ahead of Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen.
- The championship’s return comes as a substitute arrangement for the Bahrain round, with the Sakhir circuit unavailable amid the regional conflict.
- Qualifying is due to begin when the pit lane opens at 10:00, with pole position to be decided on the Malaysian circuit.
Antonelli sets the early benchmark
Kimi Antonelli led the final practice session, producing a best lap of 1:36.302. Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, both in Red Bulls, followed him on the timesheet.
Ferrari entered qualifying from fifth and sixth in the last practice, with Charles Leclerc ahead of Hamilton. Both drivers will look for a stronger result when the grid is settled, particularly at a circuit where Hamilton remains the most recent pole-sitter.
Season finale remains in place
Despite the complications affecting the Middle East portion of the calendar, Formula 1 president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali confirmed that the season will still conclude with races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
For now, the immediate story is Sepang: a circuit absent from Formula 1 for nearly a decade, suddenly returned to the centre of a disrupted championship weekend and ready to produce a new pole winner.
