The stars of the F1 2026 grid will be faced with a unique challengeIt has been an uncertain year for Formula 1 and it’s usually jam-packed championship calendar.
In April, two of the 24 race weekends were called off due to international conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran worsening as the weeks counted down to the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.
As a result, F1 and the FIA cancelled both rounds, giving the drivers and teams and unexpected month-long break with no racing in the month of April.
Hopefully they appreciated that time and the current summer shutdown as an opportunity to recharge their batteries because the second half of the season just got that little bit busier.
Following the Hungarian GP last time out, F1 confirmed this year’s Bahrain GP was back on the cards, but that the Sepang International Circuit would be hosting the race in Malaysia.
This means that for the first time since 2017, drivers will have to adapt to the tricky conditions and time zone difference of the region, something which could prove to be a real challenge given the layout of the 2026 calendar.
F1 drivers to grapple with sleep struggles in Malaysia
The 2026 Bahrain GP weekend will now take place between Friday, October 2 and Sunday, October 4, slotted in between the Azerbaijan GP and the Singapore GP, making the run of races a triple header.
With Singapore having been on the calendar since 2008, the drivers will be well aware of the intense training required to prepare for the humidity and heat that comes with the iconic night race.
Due to the event’s status as a grand prix that takes place under the floodlights, drivers get to enjoy the benefit of not having to disturb their routine or sleeping pattern from the European time zone.
When it was announced that Malaysia would host the race before the event in Singapore this season, some speculated it would also be a night race, burt this does not appear to be the case.
Since then, Sepang International Circuit CEO Azhan Shafriman Hanif has clarified: “The race will be held in the afternoon, not at night,” and the FIA have now provided a timings update to confirm the race in Malaysia will take place in the afternoon, with lights out for the Bahrain GP set for 3pm local time.
This means that the drivers will have to face a complete shakeup of their body clock, having to switch to local time in Malaysia straight off the back of the race in Azerbaijan before then switching back onto what is essentially European time for the Singapore night race.
How do F1 drivers prepare for time zone shifts?
This could provide an extra challenge for not just this year’s only rookie, Arvid Lindblad, but also any driver who is yet to race at Sepang since it was taken of the calendar in 2018.
But all the stars of the 2026 grid shouldn’t fear the challenge of adapting their sleep schedule. Ex-Mercedes star Nico Rosberg has some sleep hacks that might come in handy in two months time when the F1 circus returns to Malaysia.
The 2016 champion and F1 pundit revealed earlier this year that he still uses the unique tips and tricks he picked up during his time on the grid to deal with the sleep challenges that came with competing across time zones.
Sharing some of his hacks to get quality sleep during grands prix weekends, Rosberg said: “When I was racing, jet lag used to destroy me. So I went all in and worked with a Harvard sleep professor who taught me strategies to have basically zero jet lag.
“The tricks were simple but super disciplined: one-and-a-half hours maximum of time shift per day, and then blackout glasses in the evening two hours before needing to go to sleep and then light exposure in the mornings.”
