Kuala Lumpur (AFP) - Italian Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli pledged to put things back on track and strengthen his position at the top, with Formula One returning to Malaysia for the first time since 2017 when the Sepang Circuit will host the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend instead of Sakhir due to the situation in the Middle East.

Published on: 09/30/2026 - 11:34

The race was supposed to be held in Bahrain during the month of April, but it was canceled due to the American-Israeli war on Iran, and the consequences of the latter’s response to the Arabian Gulf.

Antonelli, who finished the race in Azerbaijan last week in fifth place, is ahead of his British Mercedes colleague George Russell by 66 points after the latter won in Baku by a very narrow margin over Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.

After a hydraulic failure hampered him during testing, Antonelli suffered an accident in qualifying and started from sixteenth place.

Antonelli said he intends to "get things back to normal" at the Sepang International Circuit, which hosted the last Formula One race in 2017.

He said about Russell's attempt to get ahead of him and grab the title, "He was always my competitor. But I will make sure to put things back in order and return to my usual level," adding jokingly that he was driving "like my grandmother" in the Azerbaijan race.

Antonelli, bidding to become the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953, was just 11 years old when the last Formula One race was held in Sepang.

That race was won by four-time world champion Verstappen, who proved last Sunday that he has the speed that makes him a threat to the Mercedes duo as the season approaches its decisive stages.

"Right feelings"

He and his French colleague Isaac Hajjar, who finished third, demonstrated the power and speed of the Red Bull car on the straight lines in Baku.

But Ferrari and McLaren will also be competing at the Sepang circuit, in a race that is expected to be close.

The Ferrari team will enter the battle with determination after its French director, Fred Vasseur, ignored the rumors linking former British Red Bull president Christian Horner to his position, and urged the team to fight for every remaining point.

“We will make updates and keep pushing until the final turn,” he said, adding that data for the 2017 Malaysian race would be “practically useless.”

"Everything has changed: the tyres, engines and structures are completely different for everyone," he explained.

Ferrari confirmed on Tuesday that it gives "full confidence" to Vasseur, who expressed his dissatisfaction with being asked about Horner "25 times a day" in Baku.

The defending world champion, British McLaren driver Lando Norris, took center stage in Baku after he said that Argentine Franco Colapinto should be banned from participating, before he later apologized to the Alpine driver for what he said.

Colapinto collided with his French Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly, who in turn collided with Norris, knocking the three out of the race.

"I sent a letter of apology to Franco for the comments I made that I should never have said," Norris said.

He added, "I should have been more aware of that and emotions were high, but that is no excuse. It was wrong."

After the chaos of Baku's fast streets, it seems that a "normal" race is on the horizon, although the usual rain and storms remain an influential factor in Malaysia.

Half of the drivers will return to the fast and fluid circuit that many love, while others will experience it for the first time.

British seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) will seek to enhance his joint record with German Michael Schumacher, which is five starts from pole position and one win.

Two-time world champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) will also be chasing a record-equalling fourth win at Sepang.

© 2026 AFP

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