Pirelli will rely heavily on data from Formula 1’s last visit to Sepang as it prepares tyres for the relocated 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The event, scheduled for 2–4 October, gives the Italian manufacturer just over two months to select the compounds, complete production and transport the required tyres to the circuit.
Sepang’s official return resolves one of the major questions surrounding the second half of the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, but it also creates a demanding logistical timetable for Pirelli. The Malaysian venue has not hosted a World Championship race since 2017, meaning its most recent track information is now nine years old.
Pirelli will use 2017 data for the Bahrain GP at Sepang
Speaking during the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, before the Sepang decision became official, Pirelli Motorsport Director Dario Marrafuschi outlined how the company would approach a possible Malaysian event.
Marrafuschi acknowledged that Pirelli had not begun its preparations at that stage because it had yet to receive official confirmation. Nevertheless, the manufacturer had already identified the information that would form the basis of its compound selection.
Pirelli competed at Sepang in every Formula 1 season from 2011 until the circuit’s most recent Grand Prix in 2017, leaving the company with a substantial historical database. Marrafuschi indicated that the 2017 event would be the most relevant reference because it was the first season with wider tyres and featured a relationship between car performance and tyre characteristics that was relatively similar to the current situation.
Consequently, Pirelli would prioritise the 2017 figures rather than relying on information gathered in 2016 or during earlier visits to Malaysia.
Sepang asphalt cannot be inspected before production begins
The condition of the track surface represents another important consideration. Formula 1 has been absent from Sepang for almost a decade, but the compressed preparation window leaves Pirelli without enough time to conduct new asphalt measurements before manufacturing must begin.
Marrafuschi explained that, had Malaysia been selected, he did not believe the company would have been able to send specialists to inspect the circuit. Pirelli instead needed to prepare the materials immediately to meet the event’s production deadline.
That limitation makes the historical data particularly valuable. The manufacturer must select an appropriate compound range while accounting for the demands of Sepang without the benefit of a recent on-site assessment of the asphalt.
Late confirmation rules out shipping tyres by sea
Transporting the tyres presents a further complication. With the announcement arriving only slightly more than two months before the Grand Prix, Pirelli no longer has sufficient time to use its normal sea-freight process for an overseas event. Marrafuschi confirmed that the complete tyre allocation would therefore have to be flown to Malaysia.
The amount of notice Pirelli requires varies significantly depending on where a race is held. Marrafuschi explained that a European Grand Prix needs a minimum lead time of approximately seven weeks, while more complicated overseas events can require as many as 15 weeks.
Those deadlines reflect far more than transportation alone. Pirelli must source and prepare the raw materials, manufacture every tyre, carry out the necessary quality-control procedures and organise delivery to the circuit. According to Marrafuschi, seven weeks represents the absolute minimum because those technical and production stages cannot be compressed indefinitely.
Pirelli had already communicated its requirements to Formula 1 and the FIA while preparing several possible responses to a late calendar change. The contingency work was intended to ensure that the company could react as quickly as possible once a replacement venue was formally selected.
Pirelli also assessed a possible December race at Imola
During the same media conference, Marrafuschi was asked how Pirelli would respond if Formula 1 needed to hold a December race at Imola, an option recently raised as a potential alternative for the season finale.
The Pirelli director indicated that the company could use information collected during testing in Barcelona because the conditions would present a broadly comparable challenge. Although such a scenario would not be ideal, he maintained that it would not create a tyre-safety concern. Snow was the only condition for which Pirelli would not be prepared.
Sepang’s confirmation has now provided clarity over one part of the revised schedule. However, uncertainty remains over whether the closing rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi will take place as planned or whether Formula 1 will need to activate further contingency arrangements.
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