Why is it still the Bahrain Grand Prix, in Malaysia?

The Sepang International Circuit was a popular venue for Formula 1 among fans and drivers, with the layout providing overtaking opportunities as well as high-speed sections that really test a car’s performance, and throwing in the potential of a mid-race downpour for good measure. So it was not a surprise to see the largely positive reaction to news of its return in a one-off capacity this weekend, but not as the host venue for the Malaysian Grand Prix. Instead, it is the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

Statisticians are facing a significant headache, given the race is a relocation of a previously planned event that will return at another venue at some stage in future, and carries the same name. The trophy on the podium will be the Bahrain Grand Prix trophy, and pre-event information has described it as the 22nd running of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

But given the difference in track layout, aspects such as lap records can’t be compared, and so surely there will be specifics of its recording that will have to fall into their own category as a one-off event.

Hosting a race at the former home of the Malaysian Grand Prix – in Malaysia – might well have made it seem like it should carry the name, but that would overlook the impact Bahrain has had in actually ensuring there was a race at all.

This slot in the calendar was the only realistic free date to create a run of three consecutive weekends that could make up for one of the two postponed events – Bahrain and Saudi Arabia – earlier this year, and it was the initial intention to try and return to Bahrain at this stage. F1 has been working on multiple contingencies throughout the year, and progress was being made to create a Baku-Bahrain-Singapore triple before further instability in the Gulf region halted those plans.

So, attention turned to any other potential venues that could fill the gap, both from a sporting perspective – to try and get as close to the planned number of 24 races as possible – but also from a financial one, with race hosting fees particularly lucrative to F1 and the teams.

Geographically, Malaysia was an obvious solution. Sepang sits some 200 miles northwest of the next venue in Singapore and just a four-hour drive or one-hour flight, while the two countries also share a customs agreement.

But as has been seen countless times in the past, the potential for a race to take place is not solely rooted in its location and proximity to the next event. If the teams and stakeholders were going to commit to the late addition, then it had to make sense commercially, too.

For Mercedes – with its PETRONAS title sponsorship – there was obvious value. But not every team was going to see as significant a bump from the extra race, so the race hosting fee needed to remain substantial. To that end, Bahrain was willing to negotiate.

As the trophy situation highlights, it’s not simply a renaming of the event this weekend, as much as that will ensure Bahrain receives plenty of publicity for the investment it is making. Logistically, there is also a significant commitment.

“When you walk outside, you can see actually huge amounts of the facilities from Bahrain itself that have been brought here, and it’s impressive to do that at the scale and level that they have done,” Williams team principal James Vowles said. “For us, we obviously want to be racing as much as possible, and it’s fantastic that they’re managing this event back onto the calendar in the way it is.”

Prominent Bahrain backing will include the familiar Gulf Air flypast...but how many fans will be able to get to the track in time to see it remains to be seen. Sutton/Getty Images

There will be over 500 Bahraini marshals and Bahrain Motor Federation officials helping execute the race, alongside their Malaysian counterparts, Formula 1 and the FIA. On top of the race branding signage, there are even Bahrain International Circuit representatives working on-site in Sepang, helping support a grand prix that otherwise would not have happened.

Gulf Air remains the title sponsor – the pre-race flypast will be a Gulf Air plane – and fans on-site will find the Bahrain Village in the fan zone that is designed to offer visitors “an experience highlighting aspects of Bahrain’s culture and heritage, including its music, cuisine, traditions and crafts.” Those fans have also been purchasing tickets through the Bahrain Grand Prix organizers, rather than Sepang, in a further example of how Bahrain can recoup some of its outlay.

However, it hasn’t been an undertaking without its issues. On a Friday that ended with chaotic scenes for fans trying to use public transport options to leave the track – leading many to walk a number of miles along a three-lane highway back towards the airport – a large chunk of those same fans will be hoping the joint organization also means the resources are available for a quick fix on Saturday. If that’s lacking, then the admirable commitment to putting the race on will be at risk of being undermined when it comes to paying spectators on the ground.

For those fans watching from further afield – those who are sheltered from organizational challenges – then the main complaints they may have heard will be from drivers about degradation – a comfortingly racing-specific complaint on a weekend where there originally was not set to be any racing.

Among casual viewers it’s likely only the name that will stand out, and of course it appears odd given the location. But to have the race on at all, and at a track that is popular in its own right, is a fair trade for any confusion.

Making the race a reality looks set to benefit a number of stakeholders. Just how big a benefit it is for both countries involved when it comes to fan sentiment, however, could find itself impacted by how effective the response to Friday’s issues proves to be.