Malaysia is set to host a Formula 1 race on behalf of the Bahrain Grand Prix in October, sources told ESPN.
Bahrain's race had been due to take place in April, but was postponed in March along with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to the war in Iran.
Bahrain had hoped to rearrange its event for Oct. 4 -- on a free weekend between F1 events in Azerbaijan and Singapore -- but an escalation in hostilities this month has made that option impossible.
Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit, which last hosted an F1 race in 2017, has stepped forward to host a race that weekend instead.
In an odd quirk, as the Bahrainis are still willing to foot the bill, the race will be presented as the Bahrain Grand Prix being hosted by Malaysia -- it remains to be seen what the official race title will be.
Sepang was a popular race venue before dropping off the calendar after the 2017 edition.
Sources told ESPN there have been numerous discussions over the past few days about the finances behind the race and who pays for what, and what the event would be called.
An announcement from the Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is expected Sunday.
The war in Iran has forced F1's hand somewhat when it comes to the rest of the schedule -- 2026 was supposed to be a 24-race calendar, but four of those races take place in the Middle East.
There are also ramifications from this at the end of the calendar.
On top of the races in Bahrain and Saudi, F1 finishes the season with a double header in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Formula 1's commercial agreement with its 11 teams and its TV broadcasters around the world states that the calendar cannot fall below 22 events, meaning two of the four Middle East races would need to be replaced if they were all to be cancelled due to the war.
Sources have told ESPN that European circuits Imola, in Italy, and Portimao, in Portugal, are being lined up as potential season-deciders should F1 need to cancel those two races as well.
Only one of them would be required in that scenario, with Malaysia helping fill the Bahrain cancellation.
Sources have told ESPN that Imola has become the likely option for the finale in that instance.
Portimao is already returning to the calendar as the Portuguese Grand Prix in 2027 and is about to undertake a major revamp of its facilities in preparation for that.
The venue likely could have hosted a race in the October window, as it would have fallen before that rebuilding project was likely to begin.
Hosting a race in late November or early December would delay that project and might well have a knock-on effect into 2027.
That means Imola, home town of F1 boss Stefano Domenicali, is the more likely to stand in as a season finale, in a season which could see Kimi Antonelli become the first Italian world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
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A growing feeling in the paddock at Budapest, hosting this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, is that the final two races are unlikely to go ahead given the current situation.
Even if tensions deescalate between now and the end of September, which seems to be the latest F1 could make a call on the Qatar-Abu Dhabi leg, the unpredictable nature of the conflict complicates a call being made.
The Bahrain race is a good example of how difficult it is to make a call.
Sources have told ESPN F1 was ready to announce the Bahrain Grand Prix would be taking place in Bahrain on Oct. 4 earlier this month, before an increase in hostilities saw Iran launch missiles into Bahrain around the same time the announcement might have been made.
Formula 1 has had bizarre name conventions before. Famous German circuit the Nurburgring was run as the Luxembourg Grand Prix in 1998 and 1999, before becoming the European Grand Prix, as the Hockenheim circuit was hosting the German Grand Prix.
The European Grand Prix title was also given to the first race hosted by Azerbaijan capital city Baku in 2016, only to become the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from then on.
