Sepang 2026

Stories from Sepang

Nine features on the people, the history, and the heat of the Malaysian Grand Prix — written for the week Formula 1 comes home to Sepang.

The Last King of Sepang

Max Verstappen won the last Malaysian Grand Prix in 2017 as a 20-year-old. Nine years later, the four-time champion returns to defend a crown nobody has challenged.

The Home Race Nobody Was Allowed to Plan

PETRONAS never got to plan a home race — until now. What Malaysia's return means for the country's most global brand.

The Championship Leader Has Never Driven This Track

Kimi Antonelli leads the championship and has never turned a wheel at Sepang. The sim generation's first real test.

Multi 21: The Win That Cost a Teammate

Thirteen years ago at Sepang, Sebastian Vettel ignored the most famous team order in F1 history. The story of the win that broke a partnership.

The Ice Cream Race

The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix was stopped for monsoon rain — and Jenson Button celebrated with an ice cream. Sepang's sweetest, soggiest afternoon.

Fifteen Laps From Glory

Lewis Hamilton was cruising to a Sepang win in 2016 when his engine let go. Fifteen laps from glory — and the moment that tilted a championship.

The Man Who Owns Sepang

Four wins, a lap record for the ages, and one infamous afternoon. Nobody conquered Sepang like Sebastian Vettel.

The Track That Remembers Fernando Alonso Three Different Ways

2005, 2007, 2012 — three Sepang wins in three different eras, three different cars, three different Alonsos.

What Sepang Does to a Human Body

Brutal heat, crushing humidity, two hours at 300 km/h. What the most physical race on the calendar does to the people inside the cars.