> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://theseguysknow.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # F1 Malaysia 2026: Can Verstappen Win at Sepang Again? - URL: https://theseguysknow.io/f1-malaysia-2026-verstappen-prediction/ - Published: 2026-07-29T14:12:48.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-02T09:49:21.000Z - Description: Max Verstappen won the last Malaysian Grand Prix in 2017. Nine years later Sepang is back, but Hamilton and Antonelli are our picks. - Author: Kendrick Hale - Tags: Things to Watch, Formula 1 Formula 1 has lost Bahrain and Saudi Arabia because of the Iran war. Qatar and Abu Dhabi might still go too. The whole calendar has become a mess. Buried inside it, however, is one very good piece of news: Sepang is back. Formula 1 will race in Malaysia for the first time since 2017, with the weekend scheduled for October 2–4\. The official name will be the **Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia**. Yes, the Bahrain Grand Prix will take place in Malaysia. None of that sounds normal, but we are getting Sepang back, so fine. We’ll take it. Max Verstappen won the last race there. Can he win the first one back? ## Quick Answer **Max can win in Malaysia**, but we are not picking him. He won the last race at Sepang in 2017, but Red Bull is winless this year, Max is sixth in the championship and he is 110 points behind Kimi Antonelli. A victory from nine years ago cannot fix the current car. Our prediction is Hamilton or Antonelli, both for Malaysia and the championship. ## When Is the 2026 Malaysia F1 Race? The [2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/formula-1-and-fia-confirm-malaysia-will-join-2026-calendar-as-host-venue-for-bahrain-grand-prix.6lL7vjFEM2VVynRHvg1TCf?ref=theseguysknow.io) will take place at the Sepang International Circuit from **October 2–4, 2026**. It has been placed between Azerbaijan and Singapore, creating an Azerbaijan–Malaysia–Singapore run across three consecutive weekends. Sepang last hosted Formula 1 on October 1, 2017, so the circuit is returning after a nine-year absence. ## Why Is Formula 1 Returning to Malaysia? The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were supposed to take place in April. Both were cancelled because of the war and the security situation across the Middle East. Formula 1 originally hoped Bahrain could return later in the year. Instead, Bahrain is now paying most of the cost for its race to be held at Sepang. Malaysia is not simply an extra race pushed into the season. It is replacing Bahrain and restoring the calendar to 23 rounds. There may be more changes. Qatar is scheduled for November 29 and Abu Dhabi for December 6\. Both remain confirmed for now, but Formula 1 will make a final decision by the middle of September. If those races cannot happen, the season will finish somewhere in Europe, with Imola among the possible replacements. [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/sports/formula1/f1-end-season-europe-if-no-middle-east-races-decision-september-2026-07-29/?ref=theseguysknow.io) has the full calendar situation. So Sepang may not be the final emergency change Formula 1 makes this year. ## Is Malaysia Permanently Back on the F1 Calendar? No permanent return has been announced. This is currently a one-off arrangement for Malaysia to host the cancelled Bahrain round. There is no confirmed multi-year deal placing a Malaysian Grand Prix on future calendars. For now, we get one race. Considering Formula 1 has spent the last few years adding more street circuits, nobody should complain about getting a proper track back - even under a completely ridiculous name. ## Which Current F1 Drivers Have Raced at Sepang? Ten drivers from the current grid have previously raced at Sepang: - Max Verstappen - Lewis Hamilton - Fernando Alonso - Valtteri Bottas - Sergio Perez - Carlos Sainz - Nico Hülkenberg - Esteban Ocon - Lance Stroll - Pierre Gasly Malaysia was Gasly’s Formula 1 debut in 2017. Charles Leclerc had not entered Formula 1 yet. Neither had Antonelli, George Russell, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri or the rest of the younger group. That gives the older drivers some useful knowledge, but come on, we should not pretend they have been secretly carrying a massive Sepang advantage for nine years. The cars are different. The regulations are different. The teams have simulators, old data and an entire practice weekend. The younger drivers are not going to arrive and ask which way the first corner goes. Previous experience will help, particularly if the weather becomes difficult. It will not decide the race by itself. ## Is Sepang a Difficult F1 Circuit? Sepang is not Monaco, but it is not an easy weekend either. The circuit has long straights, heavy braking zones, fast corners and slower technical sections. Drivers and teams need a car that can do several different things well rather than one built only for straight-line speed or tight corners. Then there is the weather. Malaysia is hot, humid and famous for sudden tropical rain. A dry race could turn wet within minutes, and tyre decisions can become a complete gamble. That is where Hamilton, Alonso and Verstappen may have a genuine advantage over drivers who have never raced there. They know the circuit and have already experienced how quickly a normal Sepang weekend can become chaos. Still, experience only helps if the car is close enough. ## Max Verstappen Won the Last Malaysian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton started the [2017 Malaysian Grand Prix](https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2017/races/973/malaysia/race-result?ref=theseguysknow.io) from pole. Verstappen passed him on lap four and won by almost 13 seconds. It was only the second Grand Prix victory of Max’s career, one day after his 20th birthday. Nine years later, he returns as a four-time world champion. The problem is that Red Bull is no longer controlling Formula 1. Antonelli leads the [2026 drivers’ championship](https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2026/drivers?ref=theseguysknow.io) with 219 points. Hamilton is second on 169, Russell has 160 and Max is sixth with 109. Red Bull has not won a race this season. Max finished second in Austria and Hungary and third in Belgium, so he is still capable of getting more out of the car than it probably deserves. Nobody sensible is writing him off completely. But would we choose him to win Malaysia? No. If it rains, Red Bull brings the right upgrade or Mercedes and Ferrari make a mess of the strategy, Max could win. We have seen stranger things. We are not picking him simply because he won there in 2017\. That would be nostalgia pretending to be analysis. Red Bull’s current problems are also why stories such as [Verstappen potentially leaving for McLaren](https://theseguysknow.io/verstappen-mclaren-piastri-red-bull-rumours/) refuse to disappear. He can drag the car into places it should not be, but there is a limit to how many times he can do that. ## Our Prediction: Hamilton or Antonelli Antonelli is the obvious championship favourite. He leads Hamilton by 50 points, has won six of the first 11 races and currently drives the best car. If Mercedes continues performing as it has during the first half of the season, Antonelli wins the championship. But we are not handing it to him yet. Hamilton is second, Ferrari has already won this year, and there are still 12 races scheduled. The team now has the summer break to improve the car. If Ferrari returns with a genuine step forward, Hamilton has a chance of winning his eighth championship. And by genuine step, we do not mean another Ferrari upgrade that sounds brilliant in an announcement, looks promising on Friday and then changes almost nothing on Sunday. They need to start beating Mercedes regularly. So our championship prediction is Hamilton or Antonelli. If nothing changes, Antonelli wins. If Ferrari properly improves the car, Hamilton can catch him. For Malaysia, we are choosing between the same two. Antonelli has the stronger car, while Hamilton has raced at Sepang many times and finished second in the last Grand Prix there. Max will get most of the attention because he won in 2017\. He has a chance, especially if the weather becomes crazy. But right now, Mercedes and Ferrari give us better reasons to choose Antonelli or Hamilton than a race result from nine years ago gives us to choose Max. #### Sources - [Formula 1: Malaysia confirmed for the 2026 calendar](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/formula-1-and-fia-confirm-malaysia-will-join-2026-calendar-as-host-venue-for-bahrain-grand-prix.6lL7vjFEM2VVynRHvg1TCf?ref=theseguysknow.io) - [Reuters: Decision on Qatar and Abu Dhabi expected by mid-September](https://www.reuters.com/sports/formula1/f1-end-season-europe-if-no-middle-east-races-decision-september-2026-07-29/?ref=theseguysknow.io) - [Formula 1: 2026 drivers’ standings](https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2026/drivers?ref=theseguysknow.io) - [Formula 1: 2026 teams’ standings](https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2026/team?ref=theseguysknow.io) - [Formula 1: 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix result](https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2017/races/973/malaysia/race-result?ref=theseguysknow.io)