Sepang

Sepang International Circuit lies south of Kuala Lumpur, close to the international airport. The clockwise lap is 5.543 km long with 15 turns and only about 18 m of elevation change. It is wide, with two long straights joined by slow corners, so it rewards braking and traction, and Hermann Tilke's layout gives drivers several lines through the bigger corners. Turns 1 and 2 form a tight hairpin complex, Turn 4 is known as the Langkawi Curve, and Turns 5 and 6 (the Genting Curve) are a fast sweeping section.

The heat, humidity and abrasive surface put a lot of strain on the tyres, and heavy tropical rain can arrive with little warning. In 2026 Sepang hosts the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on 4 October (round 16 of the season), the race moved from Bahrain after the 2026 Iran war. It is F1's first race at Sepang since the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix, and it is scheduled for 56 laps.

Sepang was built as Malaysia's home for international motorsport under then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, and Hermann Tilke designed it. The circuit opened on 7 March 1999, and its first F1 race, the Malaysian Grand Prix on 17 October 1999, was dramatic. Michael Schumacher came back from a broken leg suffered at Silverstone, took pole, and let Ferrari team-mate Eddie Irvine lead and win as he chased the title. Both Ferraris were disqualified over their bargeboards after the race, and were reinstated when Ferrari won its appeal.

The Malaysian Grand Prix was held every year from 1999 to 2017, 19 races in all. Schumacher won three times, Sebastian Vettel four times, including 2010 and 2011, and a heavy rainstorm in 2001 left both Ferraris spinning but still finishing one-two. Vettel's 1:34.080 in 2017 remains the lap record. That year Max Verstappen won a day after his 20th birthday, and 110,604 spectators came over the weekend. Malaysia did not renew the contract for 2018, citing rising hosting fees and falling ticket sales, and the race lost ground to the night race in Singapore.

Sepang returns in 2026 under the Bahrain Grand Prix name. The race in Bahrain was cancelled after the outbreak of the Iran war and was reinstated at Sepang under an agreement between Formula 1, the FIA and the Bahraini and Malaysian governments, with Bahrain keeping ticket pricing rights and race proceeds. It was announced on 26 July 2026.