Nothing like a situation elsewhere creating demand here, and in this case, a record-setting one. Public response to the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2026, which Malaysia is hosting this coming October 2-4 weekend, has been nothing short of astounding, with Sepang International Circuit (SIC) revealing that nearly 100,000 tickets for the race have been snapped up, Bernama reports.
According to SIC CEO Azhan Shafriman Hanif, this sets a record for the highest ticket sales in the history of races held at the circuit. “This is a figure we have never seen before in terms of ticket sales,” he said. He said only about 3,000 tickets, comprising grandstand and hillstand seats, were still available, and these can still be purchased online via bahraingp.com.
He said that the readiness of SIC for the race is at 100%, with almost all logistics cargo having arrived ahead of the paddock activation today, October 1. This, he stated, was a commendable achievement, given that SIC only had less than two months to prepare, compared with the usual six to seven months for an event like this.
“It has been a roller coaster moment for all of us. We have certainly faced various challenges over the past two months. All this while, we have been homologated as an F1 Grade 1 circuit. To elevate it to the level of an F1 event, it takes a lot of effort from all parties, and what we have accomplished in these two months is, to me, truly astounding,” he said.
Separately, Azhan Shafriman said SIC has been proactively taking measures to ensure the best possible environmental conditions for the race, and has been working with the national disaster management agency (NADMA) and the Malaysian meteorological department (MetMalaysia) to monitor air quality levels ahead of the race.
He said cloud seeding operations was being carried out in areas surrounding SIC to induce rainfall ahead of the event, thus helping to clear the air in Sepang. “We have made various preparations aimed at achieving ideal conditions. But if conditions are not ideal, we have to assess the situation at that time,” he said
“In terms of haze, we have a threshold value of an air pollutant index (API) level for cancelling or postponing the race. With cloud seeding, we hope the resulting rain will help reduce the haze and that the API level will not be as high as expected,” he added.
the weather is going to put up a great challenge to the drivers! the haze as well will deteriorate the vision of the drivers, hope the race will be one of the most epic in history of F1. all the best!
We bet the racers will be busy going in and out of pit stops changing rain tyres plus safety car coming out frequently.
Thank you Madani
In Anwar we trust