F1 / NEWS & CONTEXT

Bahrain GP used two charter flights for Sepang paddock move

Organisers moved equipment and more than 500 personnel to Malaysia, but Friday’s crowd exposed problems with facilities and access at Sepang.

GPBeat · Newsroom05 Oct 2026, 23:40 · 2 min

RacingNews365 Nederland says unrest in the Middle East has prevented the race from taking place in Bahrain, and that its organisers have agreed to stage it in Malaysia instead. The outlet reported on 1 October that the event was scheduled for that weekend.

Sepang last hosted Formula 1 in 2017, when Max Verstappen won the Malaysian Grand Prix. It was his second F1 victory, following his win on his Red Bull debut in Spain.

The race’s reported designation would leave Verstappen as the most recent winner of an event officially called the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Update

With two months to prepare for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, organisers used two Gulf Air charter flights to bring paddock furniture, catering equipment and more than 500 marshals, officials and other workers to Malaysia, Autosport reports. Bahrain is running the event at the Malaysian circuit, rather than Malaysia replacing it on the calendar.

The move also brought challenges for spectators. Autosport relayed complaints from fans on Friday about long concession queues, insufficient drinking water and difficulties getting in and out of the circuit. It estimated that roughly 70,000 people attended practice. Bahrain GP chief Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa acknowledged that organisers had underestimated the impact of the crowd and said Saturday had been better.

Salman said more than 100,000 tickets had been sold, including 50,000 to buyers outside Malaysia. With up to 100,000 spectators expected on Sunday, he said organisers still needed to work on how the crowd would leave after the race.

Sources 02

SOURCEDe laatste keer dat de Formule 1 in Maleisië raceteRacingNews365 Nederland · Source date as found: 2026-10-01
SOURCEHow Bahrain transplanted its F1 paddock onto MalaysiaAutosport · Source date as found: 2026-10-03

Source context

RacingNews365 Nederland’s 1 October 2026 article is the source for the planned move, race designation and 2017 result.

Source: Autosport’s 3 October report, including its interview with Bahrain GP chief Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa and its account of Friday’s fan complaints.

Claims and supporting evidence 11

RacingNews365 reports that Formula 1 is due to race at Sepang for the first time since 2017, with the circuit standing in for Bahrain. This is a scheduled event, not a race result.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Reported return to Sepang October 2026 The return is supported here by one read publication.

[1]

RacingNews365 identifies the forthcoming Sepang event as the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, rather than a new Malaysian Grand Prix.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Event designation October 2026 The official designation has not been checked against an independently read organizer document.

[1]

RacingNews365 says unrest in the Middle East prevented the Bahrain race from taking place there and that its organizers reached an agreement with Malaysia to stage a Formula 1 race.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Reported reason for the venue change 2026 season This is the publication’s account; no independently read organizer statement is supplied.

[1]

Max Verstappen won the 2017 race in Malaysia; RacingNews365 describes it as his second Formula 1 victory, after his win on his Red Bull debut in Spain.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. 2017 race result 2017 The supplied article is the sole read source for this historical result.

[1]

RacingNews365 says Verstappen remains the most recent winner of the Malaysian Grand Prix because the planned race at Sepang is designated the Bahrain Grand Prix.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Distinction between the last Malaysian Grand Prix and the planned Sepang race 2017–October 2026 The distinction depends on the forthcoming event’s reported designation; it does not predict who will win that race.

[1]

Autosport reports that the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix was staged at Sepang in Malaysia as a Bahrain-organised event, rather than Malaysia simply replacing Bahrain on the calendar.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Location and organisation of the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 race weekend; reported on 3 October 2026 This is the account of the one supplied publication; no separate calendar or organiser document was supplied.

[2]

Autosport reports that organisers had two months to prepare and used two Gulf Air charter flights to bring paddock furniture, catering equipment, and more than 500 marshals and other workers and officials.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Event logistics Preparation for the 2026 race weekend The article does not provide transport records or a separate personnel count.

[2]

Bahrain GP CEO Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa told Autosport that the event had sold more than 100,000 tickets, including 50,000 to buyers from outside Malaysia.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Ticket sales CEO interview reported on Saturday, 3 October 2026 These are the organiser's reported sales figures, not a verified attendance count; the source does not establish buyers' nationalities.

[2]

Autosport describes social-media reports from fans of long concession queues, insufficient drinking water, and difficulties entering and leaving the circuit on Friday. It estimates that roughly 70,000 people watched Friday practice.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Friday spectator access and facilities Friday of the 2026 race weekend The complaints are reported through Autosport's account of fan posts, not independently documented outcomes in the supplied material; the crowd figure is approximate.

[2]

Salman acknowledged problems on Friday and said Saturday had been better. His assessment does not establish that the access and facility problems had been resolved.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Organiser's response Friday and Saturday of the 2026 race weekend The improvement is the organiser's assessment in an Autosport interview, not an independently measured result.

[2]

Autosport said up to 100,000 fans were expected on Sunday. Salman identified the departure of a crowd that size after the event as an issue organisers still needed to work on.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Race-day crowd planning Sunday of the 2026 race weekend, prospective as of 3 October The 100,000 figure is an expectation, not recorded Sunday attendance; the article supplies no race-day traffic outcome.

[2]

Corrections and updates to this story

05 Oct 2026, 23:40

Nederlandse getalnotatie van bezoekersaantallen gecorrigeerd; de aantallen zijn niet gewijzigd.

03 Oct 2026, 15:27

Updated with a material new development verified through a separate News Made Clear newsroom run.

This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.