Montoya: In Sepang, drivers need special courage.

      Juan-Pablo Montoya, former Formula 1 driver and now an expert for the official championship website and F1TV, believes that the return of the Malaysian Grand Prix to the season calendar will primarily benefit Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli, the leader of the personal standings.

      "This is one of those tracks where you really have to attack aggressively," Montoya said, recalling his experience racing in Sepang, where he finished second twice driving for Williams (in 2002 and 2004). "I think this track is perfect for a driver like Max, who loves to extract everything from the car. But Antonelli can also achieve success."

      It should be very interesting to watch all of this, especially since it will be very hot in Malaysia. But the track there is fantastic; I raced in Sepang, and it was incredibly great. If you ask me which Formula 1 track I consider my favorite, I would name this one. To succeed and show high speeds, it requires a special courage.

      There are such turns that if you are brave enough—or not smart enough—you can try to take them at full throttle. I did that many times and crashed cars more than once."

      At the end of July, the organizers of the World Championship confirmed that the race, called the Bahrain Grand Prix, will take place on October 4 at the Malaysian Sepang International Circuit. The last Malaysian Grand Prix was held in October 2017, and Verstappen won that race.

      Of the 22 drivers in the 2026 championship, ten have experience racing at the Sepang circuit.