News Summary
- Baku’s long straight and narrow street sections give way to Sepang’s fast, flowing corners, heavy braking zones and wider track.
- Pirelli has chosen C2, C3 and C4 tyres for Sepang, one step harder than the C3, C4 and C5 range used in Baku.
- F1 returns to the Malaysian circuit for the first time since 2017, with the race scheduled for Sunday, October 4.
Formula 1 will arrive at Sepang next weekend with little opportunity to carry its conclusions from Baku straight into another race. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix was run on a street circuit where a 2.2km straight sits alongside narrow sections bounded by walls. Sepang offers long straights too, but its sweeping corners, open layout and abrasive surface place different demands on the cars and tyres.
The change comes immediately after George Russell’s victory in Azerbaijan reduced Kimi Antonelli’s championship lead to 66 points. Their next contest is officially the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia: the event has retained the Bahrain name while being held at Sepang from October 2–4.
| Baku | Sepang | |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit | Street circuit with narrow, walled sections | Permanent circuit with a wider racing surface |
| Main demands | Straight-line performance, braking and precision near the walls | Balance through fast corners, braking and tyre management |
| Dry tyre allocation | C3 hard, C4 medium, C5 soft | C2 hard, C3 medium, C4 soft |
| Race distance | 51 laps of a 6.003km circuit | 56 laps of a 5.543km circuit |
A different balance between straights and corners
Baku asks teams to compromise. Reducing drag helps a car along its exceptionally long straight, but drivers still need enough grip to negotiate the slower sections without touching the barriers. Sepang’s two long straights mean efficiency remains relevant, particularly under F1’s 2026 power-unit rules, yet performance through sustained, faster corners becomes a larger part of the lap.
Turns 5 and 6 are among Sepang’s fast sequences. The circuit also has substantial braking zones, including the final hairpin, Turn 15, before the main straight. A car that was effective down Baku’s shoreline will therefore face a broader test of cornering balance, tyre behaviour and braking at Sepang. Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race will show how the teams’ Baku form translates to the Malaysian circuit.
The wider track changes the consequences of a mistake as well. Baku’s walls ended Antonelli’s qualifying session when he hit the barrier at Turn 1; at Sepang, drivers have more room across much of the lap and several possible lines into corners. That does not remove the cost of an error, but it changes how drivers approach a passing opportunity and where they can recover from a missed braking point.
Why Pirelli has changed the tyres
The tyre allocation provides the clearest measurable difference between the two weekends. Pirelli supplied its C3, C4 and C5 compounds in Baku and has selected C2, C3 and C4 for Sepang. On each weekend, those three compounds are designated hard, medium and soft respectively; a C3 tyre was Baku’s hard but will be Sepang’s medium.
Pirelli says Sepang’s asphalt is particularly abrasive and has not been resurfaced since F1 last raced there in 2017. The supplier rates the circuit’s tyre wear as medium relative to the rest of the calendar. It chose the middle compound range partly to bring one-stop and two-stop race strategies closer together. The teams’ practice runs will establish how those options perform with the 2026 cars. The compound selection for Sepang was announced in August.
Heat and rain could change the picture
Sepang also brings heat and humidity, with showers possible during the weekend. The early forecast points to air temperatures around 33°C and a chance of rain on all three days, but it cannot yet establish whether a session will take place on a wet track. A shower’s timing would matter as much as its presence: teams could gather practice data in one set of conditions and then face another in qualifying or the race.
F1 last competed at Sepang in 2017. The first practice sessions for its return take place on Friday, October 2, followed by qualifying on Saturday, October 3. The 56-lap Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia starts on Sunday, October 4, at 15:00 local time.
F1 today: FAQ
What time is F1 qualifying at Sepang?
Qualifying starts on Saturday, 3 October, at 16:00 Malaysia time. That is 09:00 BST in the UK, 04:00 EDT in New York and Toronto, 01:00 PDT in Los Angeles and Vancouver, 13:30 IST in India and 18:00 AEST in Sydney.
Did Lewis Hamilton receive a grid penalty for the Bortoleto incident?
No. Hamilton received a warning after impeding Gabriel Bortoleto during FP2 at Sepang. Ferrari was fined €10,000, but Hamilton will not lose grid positions over the incident.
Why were F1 lap times at Sepang over four seconds slower than expected?
Pirelli identified low grip, dust and an abrasive surface that increased tyre sliding and degradation. Friday’s benchmark was more than four seconds slower than its qualifying simulation reference, rather than four seconds slower than the 2017 race weekend.
Why is the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix being held at Sepang?
The 2026 event is being staged at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia while retaining the official Bahrain Grand Prix name. F1 last raced at Sepang in 2017.
