Sepang in Malaysia will host a Formula 1 race in October 2026, the race was officially confirmed on Tuesday.

The event replaces the cancelled Bahrain Grand Prix from earlier this year after political tension in the Gulf state made hosting impossible.

Sepang has not staged an F1 race since 2017, and bringing it back comes with no shortage of problems.

Organisers are wrestling with questions over whether the circuit can be sorted for October after years of dragging their feet.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Sepang has been slow to bring back major international events, and that has put pressure on organisers.

If the build goes wrong before race weekend, organisers can scrap the event altogether, and Imola in Italy is kept ready as a backup if needed.

The October date sees the circuit step back in for Southeast Asian motorsport, though the last few months of prep remains heavily dependent on progress.

Tickets and detailed schedules have not yet been released, and a proper timetable are expected in the months ahead.

Fans tracking the F1 calendar will be keen to see if it really happens as the countdown to race day continues.