Ten of F1's 22 Drivers Have Raced at Sepang Before. Here's Who They Are.
Nearly half the 2026 F1 grid has started a race at Sepang, including past winners Alonso, Hamilton and Verstappen. The rest will race there for the first time.
When F1 cars take to Sepang International Circuit for first practice at 12:30pm on Friday, 2 October, more than half the grid will be driving there in a race weekend for the first time. The last Malaysian Grand Prix was on 1 October 2017. By our count, only ten of the 22 drivers racing in 2026 have started an F1 race at Sepang.
The past winners
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin): He has won at Sepang three times: in 2005 and 2012 with Renault and Ferrari, and in 2007 with McLaren. He finished 11th for McLaren-Honda in 2017. He's the grid's most experienced Sepang driver, but he is coming off a retirement in Baku.
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): He won the 2014 Malaysian GP for Mercedes. In 2017 he took pole with a 1:30.076 and finished second.
Max Verstappen (Red Bull): He won the 2017 race and became F1's youngest points scorer at the 2015 race by finishing seventh for Toro Rosso.
The other drivers who have raced there
Results below are from the 2015 and 2017 Malaysian GPs, taken from race records on Wikipedia:
- Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac): Fifth in 2015 for Williams and fifth in 2017 for Mercedes.
- Sergio Pérez (Cadillac): Sixth for Force India in 2017.
- Carlos Sainz (Williams): Eighth in 2015 for Toro Rosso. Retired with engine failure in 2017.
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin): Eighth for Williams in 2017.
- Esteban Ocon (Haas): Tenth for Force India in 2017.
- Nico Hülkenberg (Audi): 14th in 2015 and 16th in 2017.
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine): Made his F1 debut at Sepang in 2017, replacing Daniil Kvyat at Toro Rosso, and finished 14th.
First time at Sepang
The other twelve drivers made their F1 debuts in 2018 or later, so none of them has raced an F1 car at Sepang. They include championship leader Kimi Antonelli, second-placed George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and rookie Arvid Lindblad. They will be learning the circuit during practice.
The Baku result shows why that matters. Russell has a 66-point gap to close on Antonelli. Neither Mercedes driver has F1 race experience at Sepang, so the three practice sessions (12:30pm and 4pm on Friday, and 12:30pm on Saturday, Malaysia time) will be important for both.
A circuit that has changed
The track has also changed since 2017. Paultan.org reported that the circuit closed to users from 7 September for repair and upgrade work ahead of the race. So even the veterans won't find it exactly as they remember it.
Key takeaways
- Ten of the 22 drivers on the 2026 grid have started an F1 race at Sepang, and three of them have won there.
- Alonso has three Sepang wins (2005, 2007, 2012). Hamilton won in 2014 and Verstappen won in 2017.
- Gasly made his F1 debut at the 2017 Malaysian GP.
- Title rivals Antonelli and Russell have never raced an F1 car at Sepang.
FAQ
Who won the last F1 race at Sepang? Max Verstappen won the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix for Red Bull on 1 October 2017.
Which current driver has the most Sepang wins? Fernando Alonso, with three (2005, 2007 and 2012).
Have Antonelli or Russell raced F1 at Sepang? No. Both made their F1 debuts after 2017, so this weekend is their first F1 race there.
Sources: Wikipedia (2015 and 2017 Malaysian Grands Prix), RacingNews365, Formula1.com, paultan.org