Malaysia will return to the Formula 1 calendar with a one-off race this season, but the event will be called the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The bizarre naming of the event, which will take place at the Sepang circuit that is 6000km from Bahrain, is the result of the Middle Eastern kingdom helping cover a lot of the costs of putting on the race.
This comes with a recent escalation of tensions in the Middle East meaning that Bahrain’s hopes of having its own grand prix return to the schedule have been dashed because of safety concerns.
The original idea had been for a Bahrain GP in Bahrain to take place on October 4 to help form a triple header that included the Azerbaijan GP on September 27 and the Singapore GP on October 11.
However, as first revealed by The Race earlier this week, while hopes of Bahrain’s return had faded, this did not stop F1 chiefs wanting to slot an event in that gap to ensure that the schedule did not lose any more races.
Following discussions over recent days that have involved F1, the FIA, and the governments of Bahrain and Malaysia, a deal has been struck to secure the slot.
With Bahrain helping fund the temporary return of Malaysia, its national airline will take title sponsorship of the race that will be named after itself too.
The official title of the race will be the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Malaysia hosted F1 races at Sepang from 1999 to 2017.
Despite the track being well liked by drivers and teams, it fell off the calendar because it could not justify the huge race hosting fees demanded at the time.
Its return this time has only happened because of Bahrain’s willingness to assist in putting together a deal.
Speaking about the addition of the race, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “Once again, the sport has demonstrated its ability to adapt, find solutions, and deliver, creating an exciting moment for everyone who follows Formula 1.”
He added: “This is fantastic news for our fans. They will continue to enjoy a full and exciting Formula 1 calendar, while also seeing the sport return to a great venue.”
The return of a race in Malaysia still needs to be signed off by the FIA’s World Sport Council, but this is expected to be a formality.
What's next for the calendar?
Despite having committed to a race in Bahrain not happening, F1 is to hold fire on what happens with the end of season races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The situation in the Middle East will dictate whether or not those events can go ahead, but F1’s current target for now is that they will take place – meaning the schedule is currently set at 23 races.
F1 will need to make a call by September about whether or not to commit to them though, because teams will need to know about freight and cost cap planning, while Pirelli will need to arrange tyres.
If the two final races do not happen, then F1 is looking at plans to hold a standalone season finale as replacement – potentially in December two weeks after Las Vegas.
One idea being considered for this is for it to take place at Imola, which fell off the calendar this year but would be happy to put on an event at such short notice.
from The Race https://ift.tt/HKolgAv
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