2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia Preview: 5 Big Talking Points Heading into the Weekend

Linus O'Howell

3 hours ago

3 min read

Sepang is Back!

Earlier in the year, the Bahrain (and Saudi Arabian) Grand Prix had to be cancelled due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East! Formula 1 later announced that the Bahrain GP would be rescheduled for early October, but due to the Race being unable to take place in the region itself, we’re instead heading back to Sepang for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia! What a title! Fun fact: the last time that Formula 1 visited Malaysia, Drive to Survive didn’t even exist! In fact, the last Race held at the Sepang International Circuit was won by Max Verstappen, which at the time was only the second Formula 1 victory of the young Dutchman’s career! Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Lando Norris were all winning/competing in junior formulas, whilst current 2-time ABB FIA Formula E World Champion Pascal Wehrlein competed for Sauber! It’s fair to say that a lot has changed in the world of Formula 1 since their last visit to Malaysia, but there’s no doubting the fact that Sepang occupies one of the best circuits in the entire world! If you’ve never seen a Race in Sepang before, I hope you enjoy it!

Movement in the Driver Market

In last week’s preview ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, we spoke about Esteban Ocon announcing that he’s going to be a Free Agent for 2027, and this week Haas officially confirmed that he will be leaving the team at the end of the season! Whilst current F2 Championship leader Rafael Camara is the favourite to take the seat, the bigger problem comes for Esteban Ocon! We spoke about how Aston Martin was a potential option for Esteban if a seat was to open up, but we now know that that won’t be happening, as Aston confirmed that Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will continue to drive for the team in 2027! Part of me is surprised about this given the fact that Aston Martin haven’t really improved at all; they’re still at the back and unable to finish Races, but clearly neither Lance nor Fernando are giving up on the project yet! So, for Ocon, Cadillac feels like his only chance now!

The Form of Max Verstappen

A driver that I think deserves a ton of praise right now is Max Verstappen! Despite Red Bull not being nearly as competitive as they would usually expect, Max has been pretty superb since Austria, appearing on the Podium 6 times in the last 8 rounds! Whilst one of those rounds did see him crash out at home in Zandvoort, the other Race also would’ve seen Verstappen get a Podium at Silverstone, had it not been for a rear-wing failure! Amazingly, only the two Mercedes drivers have more Podium finishes than Max Verstappen in 2026, and whilst a Championship comeback is basically impossible (even more so than last year), a continuation in this form could see Verstappen rise a few more places in the standings!

A Big Weekend for Franco Colapinto

Azerbaijan was a weekend of what could’ve been for Alpine; they had both cars running in the points before the Safety Car restart, only for a horror mistake by Franco Colapinto left both cars smashed out of the Grand Prix as Racing Bulls came away with 6 points (despite the fact that Arvid Lindblad also took out Liam Lawson)! Whilst Alpine should’ve left Baku less than 5 points behind their rivals, they now find themselves 15 points off VCARB in the battle for P5 in the Constructors’ Championship! Obviously, Franco Colapinto has taken full responsibility for the crash, but it’s safe to say that Flavio Briatore was anything but happy! It now means that Colapinto is going to be under an immense amount of pressure, none more so than this weekend, so it’s vital for the Argentine’s confidence that he bounces straight back with a Top 10 result, although that will be hard with an incoming 5-place grid drop!

Mercedes’ Second Home Race

Yes, I am well aware that Mercedes is a German manufacturer, but this is the Home Race of their title sponsor, “Petronas”! In fact, Petronas actually own the naming rights to the circuit, so it really is a bit of a home feel! Now, the reason why I’m calling this a Second Home Race for Mercedes is the fact that they’re even running a special Petronas-themed livery, which honestly looks really cool! When it comes to the Championship, Andrea Kimi Antonelli still has a commanding lead out front, 66 points to be exact, but George Russell will take confidence from a brilliant Baku win! With neither driver having any experience around the Sepang International Circuit, it’s going to be fascinating to see who comes out on top between Kimi and George!