Ask a Formula 1 driver or fan anytime over the last nine years what track they would most like to see return to the sport's calendar, and there was a good chance that Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit would get mentioned. This weekend, for the first time since 2017, Formula 1 cars will race on the fast, flowing 3.44-mile track on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.

The Bahrain Grand Prix at Sakhir had been scheduled for April 12 but the war in the Middle East saw both their race and Saudi Arabia's called off. An agreement in July between the Bahrain and Malaysian governments, plus F1 and the FIA, paved the way for the Bahrain GP to still take place at Sepang. It has been slotted into a free weekend between the race in Azerbaijan and next week's in Singapore.

"It makes sense because the relationship between Bahrain and Malaysia has been strong. Malaysia's fantastic, Sepang's fantastic," said Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, chief executive of the Bahrain International Circuit. The track, designed by Hermann Tilke, features a combination of medium-high speed corners, two long straights and wide braking zones, offering a stern challenge and overtaking possibilities.