A Bahrain Grand Prix 6,000 kilometers from the country's borders and an oddity that never stops getting talked about. The Sepang international circuit, south of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), is preparing to host the Formula 1 paddock for a weekend. Not for an ephemeral revival of the Malaysian Grand Prix (19 editions between 1999 and 2017), but to compete in the Bahrain Grand Prix, the sixteenth round of the season. But how does the South-East Asian country find itself hosting a race weekend always marked by the Bahrain Grand Prix?
Originally, the Bahrain Grand Prix should have been held, according to the calendar presented last season, on April 12 on the track of the Sakhir circuit, where the pre-season tests took place. But the war in the Middle East following the joint attack launched by the United States and Israel against Iran in February has pushed Formula 1 and the FIA (International Automobile Federation) to reconsider their plans.
No stops in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to Middle East war
In mid-March, after the second round of the season in China, the authorities announced that the Grands Prix of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia would not be held the following month. “It was a difficult decision but, unfortunately, the right one to make at this time given the situation in the Middle East,” explained the boss of the discipline Stefano Domenicali. Enough to leave a gaping hole in the calendar, but also open the door to a relocation of the events, not officially canceled.
Just before the summer break, the organization of the Bahrain Grand Prix made it official that the race would take place in the fall on the Sepang circuit, which offered to host. “This agreement between Formula 1, the FIA, the government of Bahrain and the government of Malaysia, allows Formula 1 to preserve a Grand Prix which would not otherwise have taken place,” the authorities wrote in their press release.
For Aurélie Dyvère, general director of Sporsora (an association dedicated to the economy and sports marketing), "they have the necessary infrastructure to organize this Grand Prix. In addition, it was designed by the same architect as the Bahrain circuit." The track also has the advantage of being appreciated by the drivers, and of being close to Singapore, location of the next round starting next weekend, which facilitates the logistics of a triple header (sequence of three races over three weekends) not initially planned.
“The interest is that the Grand Prix retains its identity”
So why does the meeting retain the name and identity of the Bahrain Grand Prix? Because it is not a new Grand Prix, but the one scheduled for April, simply relocated to another circuit, to preserve the interests of the parties involved, from the host country to the authorities. “Behind, there are a lot of sponsors, a lot of political issues, international politics and also international influence. Their priority was not to cancel this Grand Prix,” explains Aurélie Dyvère.
The interest is that the Grand Prix retains its identity. There is a title partner "namer" which is the airline Gulf Air, so it is the Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain in Malaysia. This still ensures continuity with the naming of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Aurélie Dyvère, general director of Sporsora
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For Bahrain, present on the calendar since 2004 (and the first Arab country to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix), extended in 2022 for 14 years, the important thing was to maintain a presence around the event, even far from its lands. “F1 allows Bahrain to be part of a universe that combines technology, performance, innovation and modernity. These are values that the country wants to see associated with it,” explains Aurélie Dyvère.
In this context, Gulf Air also took the opportunity to open, since September 29, an air link between Bahrain and Kuala Lumpur. “So they use the race as a means of promoting this new connection,” supports the general director of Sporsora.
Since the start of the weekend, the Sepang paddock has reflected the identity of the Bahrain Grand Prix, with traditional meals and the country's flag displayed. “This also makes it possible to maintain the activations (strong moments for the visibility of a brand or a sponsor) which are linked to this Grand Prix which will be maintained at Sepang”, explains Aurélie Dyvère, who cites two “key” examples: “performing the traditional flyover [of the track in a Gulf Air plane] before the race” and “having a fan zone on the circuit”. Like in Bahrain, but this time in Malaysia.
