– Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle has praised the bosses of the premier class for their “out-of-the-box thinking” after the return of the World Championship to the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia was officially confirmed.
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After weeks of speculation, Formula 1 and the International Automobile Federation (FIA) officially announced at the end of July that the postponed Bahrain Grand Prix would be moved to Sepang. Due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the original April date in Sakhir had to be cancelled. Now Malaysia is stepping in and will host the Bahrain Grand Prix from October 2nd to 4th, 2026.
In the coverage leading up to the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sky Sports F1, Brundle expressed a positive view on this move.
“That’s pretty good out-of-the-box thinking because we can’t go to Bahrain anytime soon,” he says. “Bahrain has been a great friend of Formula 1 since 2004, and everyone has cooperated, just like the Malaysian government.”
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“For Formula 1, it’s important for several reasons to keep the calendar as far above the 20-race mark as possible – partly for commercial reasons and partly to ensure that the championship is contested as fully as possible.”
“It’s going to be tough for the teams, because that means six races in seven weekends in distant locations. So logistically, that’s going to be a real challenge for everyone. I like this flexibility and that everyone is opening their minds to it.”
Malaysia has not hosted a Grand Prix since its withdrawal from the racing series after the 2017 race due to high hosting fees and declining ticket sales. Max Verstappen won the last race there and stood on the podium with Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo.
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