Formula 1 does not simply move from one circuit to the next. Behind every Grand Prix is a vast logistics operation that has to arrive before the cars, organise equipment, anticipate unexpected problems and, above all, ensure the team can work without interruption. When the 2026 Formula 1 calendar changes, as happened with Sepang being added to host the Bahrain Grand Prix, that challenge becomes even more complicated.
Giulia Alessandro, Ferrari’s Logistics Infrastructures & Warehouse Manager, explained on the Maranello team’s official website how demanding this phase of the season has become. Baku begins a triple-header that will take Formula 1 from Azerbaijan to Malaysia and then Singapore, involving different methods of transport, extremely compressed schedules and, in Sepang, a destination returning to the championship after many years away.
Ferrari F1 logistics shift from Madrid to Baku
Baku may formally be treated as a European event, but from a logistics perspective Ferrari manages it as a flyaway race. The difference is not simply geographical. After a long sequence of European Grands Prix in which most equipment has been transported by road, Ferrari must return to a combination of sea and air freight, completely changing the way its material is moved.
The transition has taken place within an especially tight timeframe. After Madrid, Ferrari’s equipment had to return to Maranello before being immediately reconfigured and prepared for the journey to Azerbaijan. The transfer from Spain to Italy already takes several hours and, just two days after the equipment arrived back at the factory, part of it had to be ready to leave again for Baku. Fans preparing for the same weekend can find the full 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix schedule and start times on ScuderiaFans.
It is at this stage that Formula 1 logistics almost become a parallel competition to the sporting one. Knowing where the championship is racing is not enough. Teams must decide well in advance which equipment will be required, how it should be divided between shipments and which form of transport can guarantee that everything reaches its destination on time.
For the Baku-Sepang-Singapore triple-header, confirmation that Sepang would be added to the calendar arrived with limited notice, but still early enough for Ferrari to avoid emergency solutions. The logistics department was able to prepare different equipment kits for the three destinations, organise the necessary sea freight and adapt its planning to the revised sequence of races.
Sepang creates the biggest unknown for Ferrari
Malaysia, however, will present the greatest uncertainty. Formula 1 has not raced at Sepang for many years, meaning Ferrari will have to deal directly at the circuit with several variables that are difficult to predict completely in advance. The climate adds another complication, requiring particularly careful planning for the team’s installations and day-to-day operational activities.
The objective sounds straightforward on paper: everything must be available exactly when it is required, in the right condition and without the complexity of moving from one country to another affecting the team’s work. Achieving that, however, depends on preparations beginning long before the cars appear in the pit lane.
Sepang’s return is one of the unusual features of the revised 2026 schedule. For readers looking back at previous Formula 1 venues, winners, pole positions and historical benchmarks, the F1 Circuit Records & Statistics section provides additional historical circuit context.
Ferrari is already preparing its 2027 F1 logistics
Perhaps the most revealing part of Formula 1 logistics is the work that does not correspond with the calendar visible to fans. While Ferrari prepares for Baku, Sepang and Singapore, the department is already working on the following season. There is no precise moment when one championship closes and planning for the next one begins.
The two processes run in parallel throughout the year. Some components require significant production lead times, while sea freight makes even earlier planning necessary. Ferrari’s logistics operation must therefore focus simultaneously on what the team needs immediately and what will be required many months into the future.
As the current season progresses, planning for the next championship naturally becomes more important. Final confirmation of future calendars allows the department to define more precisely the operations required both to complete the ongoing campaign and to prepare for the next one. It is a process in which the margin for error has to be kept to an absolute minimum because the gap between Formula 1 seasons is far shorter from a logistics perspective than it may appear from the outside.
One of the most delicate periods is the window immediately after the final Grand Prix. In some cases, Ferrari’s equipment can remain in Italy for only around 15 days before it has to be shipped again towards the first destinations of the new championship. What appears to fans as a winter break is therefore an extremely intense operational period for the logistics department.
F1 suppliers also have to work months ahead
That level of planning inevitably extends to Ferrari’s suppliers. Anticipating the team’s future requirements gives them the opportunity to organise their resources, workload and production capacity in sufficient time. The Formula 1 calendar, in other words, cannot simply be followed as the season unfolds. Months in advance, it has to be converted into a sequence involving shipments, equipment, personnel and infrastructure.
This highlights one of the most unusual aspects of the operation. Ferrari still has to complete the current Formula 1 season, yet part of its organisation is already focused on the beginning of the next one. And while the upcoming championship is being planned, some decisions already concern its second half.
The circuit is therefore only the final link in a much longer chain. When a Formula 1 car reaches a track and everything around it appears simply to be ready, it means someone began preparing for that moment many months earlier.
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