The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix will take place at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, creating one of the most unusual race arrangements in Formula 1 history. Although holding a Bahrain Grand Prix thousands of miles away in Malaysia may appear strange, the championship has previously staged several races under the name of another country or territory.
The announcement that Formula 1’s return to Malaysia this year would be branded as the Bahrain Grand Prix generated both amusement and confusion. Sepang is one of Malaysia’s most recognisable sporting venues and was the first of the modern generation of Asian Formula 1 circuits designed by Hermann Tilke. Malaysia therefore established an important place on the calendar long before its original agreement with Formula One Management ended in 2017. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
The circuit has remained popular with supporters during its absence, particularly as debate has intensified over the growing number of street circuits in Formula 1. Sepang is also located beside Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia’s principal international gateway, making the decision to brand a race there as the Bahrain Grand Prix especially unusual.
However, the continuing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran has created an exceptional situation. Bahrain retains the naming rights to a Grand Prix that it is unable to stage within its own borders, while Sepang will host the race from 2 to 4 October as part of a revised 2026 Formula 1 calendar. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
Although the Malaysia-Bahrain arrangement is unprecedented in certain respects, it is not the first time Formula 1 has organised a race under the name of a different country.
San Marino Grand Prix held at Imola in Italy
The best-known example is the San Marino Grand Prix. First held in 1981, the race was named after the tiny landlocked state of San Marino despite actually taking place at Imola in Italy.
Imola had hosted the Italian Grand Prix in 1980 while Monza was undergoing renovation and was therefore unavailable. Once the updated Monza circuit was ready to stage Formula 1 again the following year, the championship needed a different identity for the Imola event to distinguish between the two races held in Italy.
The San Marino name was chosen and remained attached to Imola’s Formula 1 round from 1981 until 2006. When the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari returned to the calendar during the pandemic in 2020, the event was given another identity based on the Italian region in which the circuit is located. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
As a result, Imola has hosted Formula 1 races under three different names: the Italian Grand Prix, the San Marino Grand Prix and the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. The circuit’s heritage has continued to make it a candidate whenever opportunities emerge for a possible Imola return to the Formula 1 calendar.
Luxembourg Grand Prix staged at the Nürburgring
Luxembourg has only one permanent racing circuit, and it was not built to Formula 1 standards. The venue is primarily used by its owner, Goodyear, for driver training, with a TCR event in 2016 representing its most prominent motor race.
Despite this, the Luxembourg Grand Prix appeared on the Formula 1 calendar twice during the 1990s. Both races were actually held at the Nürburgring in Germany, approximately 80 kilometres from the border between the two countries.
This was a period in which Formula 1 was experiencing a major boom in Germany. Michael Schumacher’s success drove the championship to new levels of popularity in the country, and Germany began hosting two rounds of the world championship from 1995.
Hockenheim retained the German Grand Prix name, while the Nürburgring hosted an event called the European Grand Prix. However, when the European Grand Prix title was assigned to Jerez in 1997, the Nürburgring race was rebranded as the Luxembourg Grand Prix for two seasons.
From 1999, the Nürburgring organisers were once again able to call their event the European Grand Prix, and the Luxembourg name disappeared from the Formula 1 calendar. The German venue continued to stage races under the European title in later years, including the 2003 European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring.
Swiss Grand Prix races held in France
Switzerland was one of the original host nations of the Formula 1 World Championship, staging races at the Bremgarten circuit between 1950 and 1954. The country had already organised important motorsport events before the championship was established, with Auto Union, now part of Audi, and Mercedes-Benz dominating early editions of the Swiss Grand Prix.
Everything changed following the infamous 1955 Le Mans disaster in France. Switzerland banned circuit racing on safety grounds, and the Bremgarten track in Bern was gradually reclaimed by nature. Motor racing did not return to Swiss soil until Formula E visited Zurich in 2018.
Nevertheless, two motor races were held under the Swiss Grand Prix name between 1955 and 2018 without taking place in Switzerland.
A non-championship race was staged at Dijon in France under the Swiss Grand Prix title in 1975. When the event returned in 1982, it counted towards the Formula 1 World Championship. Keke Rosberg claimed the only victory of his title-winning Williams campaign at that race.
Earlier this year, Switzerland removed its long-standing federal ban on circuit motorsport after previously creating an exemption for electric racing that allowed Formula E events to be held in Zurich and Bern. Circuit racing became legally possible again from 1 July 2026, although individual events remain subject to the required local approvals. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
Why Baku’s first F1 race was called the European Grand Prix
The 2016 European Grand Prix was another unusual example, although the race was not technically held under the flag of a different country. When Formula 1 made its debut on the streets of Baku in 2016, the event was branded as the European Grand Prix rather than the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Azerbaijan is commonly described as a transcontinental country extending across Europe and Asia. However, its capital, Baku, lies east of the Greater Caucasus and is generally regarded as being geographically within Asia.
The choice of name therefore appeared unusual, particularly because previous editions of the European Grand Prix had taken place at circuits including Donington Park, Jerez, the Nürburgring and Valencia.
From 2017 onwards, the Baku race adopted the Azerbaijan Grand Prix name, which it has continued to use. The event now occupies an established place on the calendar, while Formula 1 is already working to define the structure and presentation timetable for its 2027 Formula 1 schedule.
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