On the regular Formula One schedule, one-sixth of the race weekends now take place in the Middle East. As war broke out in Iran in February, a Pirelli tyre test planned for Bahrain was hastily cancelled, and F1 employees already in the country were quickly evacuated.
It was quickly apparent there was no chance that the Saudi and Bahrain Grands Prix would be taking place, although there was hope that one could be rescheduled in a gap in the autumn calendar on 4th October.
The ceasefire announced with Iran appeared to offer some hope as, for several weeks, mere low-level skirmishes were being reported. However, the return to all-out war over the past days now means there is no hope of F1 returning to the Middle East in October.
Sepang Set for a Shock Return
In a shock move this week, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim let slip that an announcement over F1’s return to the country will be made on Sunday. This would see the sport return to the notorious Sepang International Circuit, where F1 last raced in 2017.
Malaysia hosted F1 at this facility from 1999, when Eddie Irvine won the race for Ferrari. The race weekends often featured brutal heat and humidity, with ambient temperatures regularly exceeding 35°C (95°F) together with humidity levels over 80%. It was infamous for being one of the most gruelling races on the calendar for both drivers and team personnel.
Located closer to the equator, afternoon monsoon rainstorms could hit the track with almost no warning, radically altering race strategies or forcing red flags. Designed by Hermann Tilke, Sepang featured a mix of sweeping high-speed corner sequences, heavy braking zones, and two massive parallel straights separated by a hairpin.
Why Malaysia fell from the calendar
The announcement came in April 2017 that the race that year would be the swansong for the Malaysian Grand Prix, despite having a contract to hold an F1 race the following year. To blame were rising hosting fees and declining ticket sales.
Malaysia’s Youth and Sports Minister at the time, Khairy Jamaluddin, posted on Twitter: “I think we should stop hosting the F1. At least for a while. Cost too high, returns limited. When we first hosted the F1 it was a big deal. First in Asia outside Japan. Now so many venues. No first mover advantage. Not a novelty.”
Since the arrival of Singapore on the F1 schedule in 2008, Malaysia had started to suffer. Held just a week after the glamorous night race in the city-state, and just 310 kilometres away from Singapore, Sepang’s decline was almost inevitable.
Despite the sports minister bemoaning the $3m annual cost to maintain the circuit, international racing has continued at the track since F1’s departure, with the headliners being MotoGP.
Fitting into the Current Calendar
Should Malaysia return to the F1 calendar this season, it will slot into a triple-header with Azerbaijan and Singapore. With F1’s newfound popularity and sell-out weekends, last-minute tickets for Malaysia could be well received by fans around the world.
Sepang has been posting teaser photographs and comments about F1, with it now confirmed that an announcement will be made on Sunday after the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Finale Dilemma: Broadcaster Demands & Portimão
Now F1 bosses will turn their attention to the headache of the end-of-season triple-header, which after Las Vegas is planned to feature back-to-back races in Qatar and the season finale in Abu Dhabi. To ensure they are not forced to issue refunds to global TV broadcasters, there must be at least 22 races on the calendar each season.
Should Sepang host an F1 event in October, another is required to keep the calendar at the required minimum number. It was originally thought that Portimão, which will return to the calendar in 2027, would be the ideal venue for a season finale.
The climate in the Algarve in December is benign and unlikely to be hit by weather issues, but questions are now surfacing over whether the race hosts can accommodate an F1 race this season.
The conditions for Portimão’s contract to host races in 2027 and 2028 were on the basis that the ageing infrastructure at the circuit be significantly upgraded. It appears now they will not be ready to host F1 in December, so an alternative is now required.
Could Imola Host a December Season Finale?
The latest candidate is an iconic F1 circuit that lost its Grand Prix this season. Imola is being touted as an appropriate venue for the 2026 season finale, and with Kimi Antonelli the favourite to win the drivers’ championship, a race in Italy as a climax to the year is seen by many as desirable.
Imola fell from the F1 calendar in the early noughties after concerns over its suitability to host modern F1 racing. Yet it returned after 14 years during the COVID-hit 2020 season as the second round of the championship, entitled the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
With China remaining in lockdown in 2022, Imola was again revived as a substitute for the Shanghai event. The fact that the promoters had facilitated F1 in its hour of need saw a three-year contract awarded to the venue through to 2025.
Freezing Temperatures Raise Safety Concerns
The race in 2023 was cancelled due to apocalyptic flooding in the region which claimed many lives. And there’s another concern for F1 about holding a race in the Italian region, where in December average temperatures will be just 4°C. Tyre temperatures will be difficult to generate, which could lead to dangerous racing on track.
Evaluating Alternative Venues
As the deadline approaches to decide on replacing Qatar and Abu Dhabi, F1 has a genuine headache in terms of finding a venue where the weather is fine.
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Florida: The best option would be to return to Florida, but unfortunately, the NFL season is in full flow then, and the track infrastructure will have been dismantled for car parking.
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Melbourne: Other warm-weather venues during the Northern Hemisphere winter include Melbourne, but again it’s a temporary circuit, and the time difference is not convenient for most of the sport’s TV audience.
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New Delhi: A return to the Buddh International Circuit just outside New Delhi was cited as a possibility, but there is currently a huge amount of civil unrest in the region.
Long-Term Implications for F1
Whatever the final solution, it will involve significant compromise, and F1 may well find itself in a similar position come 2027.
With Trump and Iran refusing to agree on the grounds for a possible peace deal in the Middle East, again four races may be absent from next year’s calendar. The wisdom of becoming so highly dependent on Middle Eastern money is something those in leadership positions in F1 may now be regretting.
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The Judge, a nom de plume of an experienced F1 journalist and site founder with long-standing sources across the paddock. With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
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An interesting read. All I would ask is that NO venue in the USA should be chosen … after all, Trump is totally responsible for the unrest across the Middle East.