Debunking the biggest myth about the Bahrain GP in Malaysia after F1 timing confusion
A timing error led to confusion surrounding Malaysia's returning F1 race.
The Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia will not be held at night, Crash.net understands.
Speculation has been rampant on social media that the returning event at Sepang could be a night race after the official F1 App displayed the local start time as being 8pm on its schedule.
But Crash.net has learned that this was simply down to a system error which is in the process of being rectified. The official F1 website shows the timings as ‘TBC’.
No official timings have yet been confirmed, but a source with knowledge of the situation told Crash.net there is “zero chance” the race will take place at night.
Sepang International Circuit bosses have also indicated that the race will be held in the afternoon.
“The race will be held in the afternoon, not at night,” SIC chief executive Azhan Shafriman Hanif is quoted as telling Malaysian national news agency Bernama.
It is understood that the scenario of a night race in Malaysia was never part of any plan or thinking for F1.
F1 will stage a night race the following weekend at the Singapore Grand Prix, located just 300km away from Sepang.
Malaysia has been sandwiched between the Azerbaijan and Singapore rounds to form a triple-header on 4 October.
Sepang’s first F1 race since 2017 will officially be known as the Bahrain Grand Prix in a bizarre twist.
Bahrain has retained the official naming rights of a race it cannot host within its borders due to the ongoing conflict between the US-Israel and Iran.
Bahrain, which is one of the highest-paying races on the F1 calendar, is helping to cover a lot of the costs of putting on the race in Malaysia.
Malaysia previously hosted F1 races at Sepang from 1999 to 2017 and is a firm favourite track among drivers and fans.
12 of the current 22 F1 drivers have never raced at Sepang before.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the last Malaysian Grand Prix to be held in 2017.
Currently, the 2026 F1 season is set to end with nine races in just 11 weeks.
If the conflict in the Middle East makes it impossible to end the season-closing races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, the championship will conclude in Europe.
A final decision on the matter is set to be made by mid-September.
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