Five things to look out for at the F1 Bahrain GP in Malaysia

Formula 1 heads to the middle point of its current triple header this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia serving as round 16 of the 2026 season.

It marks the first time that F1 will race in the country since 2017 as a result of the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict, which forced Bahrain to cancel its grand prix earlier in the year.

But that is not the only talking point, so here are five things to look out for at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

The long-awaited return of Sepang

Sepang was once a staple of the F1 calendar as it featured every year from 1999 to 2017, before a lack of funding caused the end of the Malaysian Grand Prix. It was a particularly disappointing moment because Sepang has been host to several classic moments over the years, whether it be Red Bull’s infamous “Multi 21” moment in 2013, Lewis Hamilton’s title chances blowing up in smoke three years later, or Ferrari controversially having a 1-2 reinstated through the courts in 1999.

It is a real drivers’ track as well, featuring a series of medium-to-high speed corners in between the two long straights that are Sepang’s defining characteristics. “The track is awesome,” said Hamilton in Baku last week. “It’s a track that does give good racing and when it comes to deciding what tracks to go through in the year, that should be a part of the decision-making.”

But the racing this year should look quite different due to the 2026 regulations and in a similar manner to Baku, drivers must be clever with where they deploy their battery power as those two straights could easily swallow up all the energy.

There is also the very unpredictable Kuala Lumpur weather to consider, which saw heavy thunderstorms on Wednesday but Sunday is forecast to be dry.

Is Russell actually rejuvenated?

George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Peter Fox / Getty Images

“If the season had started today, or since the summer break, I feel very much I would have been able to fight.”

Those were the words of George Russell after winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from pole – his third of the season – while it was a much messier weekend for Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who recovered to fifth after starting 16th due to his crash in Q1.

It means Antonelli’s championship lead has reduced from 81 points to 66 over second-placed Russell, but with just seven more rounds currently scheduled, the Briton is well aware that his title hopes are effectively over.

“I’ve got this big deficit,” he added. “It can change quickly. So, I’m not chasing that. I’m chasing to win every race and what will be, will be.”

But does his summer break claim stack up? Not particularly when his points deficit has actually increased by seven since then, yet there can be no denying that his performances have certainly improved.

All he can do is carry that momentum into this weekend, though Antonelli will have a big say in it because until Baku, the 20-year-old had been faultless in 2026. “I was always a step behind. Next weekend, I will be back at my level,” the championship leader vowed in Azerbaijan.

Considering his form this year, one can only expect that to be the case. Especially as Mercedes should also bring its long-awaited large upgrades package.

How will Red Bull fare?

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images

Mercedes’ raft of upgrades for Malaysia probably comes at a bad time for Red Bull, which only recently managed to pull itself back into the fight at the front. The Austrian outfit has finished on the podium in five of the last six grands prix, including a double podium last weekend thanks to updates for its RB22 – a car that is winless this year.

But just as it had closed the gap, that deficit might once again increase if the Silver Arrows nails its updates. “If they’re bringing an upgrade to Malaysia, then it’s going to look a little bit more difficult for us,” said Max Verstappen.

“If Mercedes is bringing an upgrade and it works, then they’ll take another step ahead, and that’s not what you want. It will make it even more difficult to win, but we’ll try every single weekend and, of course, if the opportunity is there, we go for it.”

So it begs the question whether Red Bull blew its final realistic opportunity of winning in 2026 at Baku last weekend, where Verstappen crossed the line 0.196s behind Russell after showing sublime race pace from eighth on the grid.

A lot of that was down to the pace the Red Bull teams showed on that long Baku straight and with two similar ones in Malaysia, it could be in the fight again this weekend. But Sepang is still a bit of an unknown and if those Mercedes updates do deliver as promised, then Red Bull may be back to where it started.

This weekend could be a real litmus test for whether the Baku pace was a one-off for Red Bull or not.

Driver market questions

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

Driver market news for 2027 has been particularly busy this week with Fernando Alonso confirming he’ll remain in F1 on Tuesday, before Wednesday’s announcement that Esteban Ocon will depart Haas at the end of the current season.

Neither announcement was that surprising, because although for months Alonso had been quizzed about his future with the 45-year-old refusing to commit, it is believed those were just games from the world champion to increase the pressure on F1 to make tweaks to its regulations. A rule set that Alonso has been a vocal critic of.

Nevertheless, expect quotes from the Spaniard on why he is staying put for 2027, especially considering his uncompetitive Aston Martin car, and just how long he can keep going for. But that is a great luxury to have when Ocon is fighting for his future with his plans yet to be confirmed.

The 30-year-old has made it clear that he thinks his struggles for the past two years have stemmed from an inconsistent Haas car, despite the fact that he has been consistently outperformed by young team-mate Oliver Bearman. “I’m one of the best and I’m not afraid to say it,” the one-time grand prix winner claimed last weekend.

Well, it’s time for him to prove it because his position on next year’s grid is at risk. Will F1 see Ocon return to his former self this weekend?

How will Norris and Colapinto react post-Baku?

Franco Colapinto, Alpine, Lando Norris, McLaren, Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Photo by: Michael Potts / LAT images via Getty Images

One of the surprising but subsequently predictable talking points post-Azerbaijan was the fallout from the Franco Colapinto-Pierre Gasly-Lando Norris clash, which resulted in the Argentine taking a five-place grid penalty to Sepang and a social media storm of abuse.

Norris has apologised for calling for Colapinto to be banned and inferring he shouldn’t be in F1, having become the target of Colapinto’s supporters, while Alpine issued its fourth call to stop social media abuse in the one-and-a-half years the Argentine has driven for the team.

All parties will hope to move on from the ugly incident, which painted nobody in a good light, but there is no escaping the ongoing problem F1 has with the online rage storm that whips up any time Colapinto has even a minor disagreement with another driver – an issue that was only fuelled during the post-Baku call-out by Norris.

Alpine boss Flavio Briatore also hinted at internal team punishment for Colapinto after wiping out its chance of a strong double points finish. Given Briatore’s track record, it’ll be more than making the 23-year-old wash Gasly’s dirty laundry for the Sepang weekend.

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