Sepang 2026 · Race-week update
Will the Sepang F1 Race Be Cancelled Because of the Haze?
By Will Tygart · October 1, 2026 · Filed 2:15pm MYT Oct 1, updated 1:40am MYT Oct 4 (race day), kept current through race weekend
Last updated: Oct 4, 2026
Update, Oct 4, 2026 (~1:40 AM MYT, race day): the overnight numbers hold — Sepang at 82, Moderate on IQAir (midnight local hour, fresh crawl), forecast 82 today and 75 Monday; Kuala Lumpur 142 (unhealthy for sensitive groups, but KL is not Sepang). No official APIMS bulletin overnight, no new statements from SIC, NADMA, MetMalaysia, FIA or F1 — the race is firmly on. Check the morning numbers before you leave: the official API bulletins land mid-morning.
Update, Oct 3, 2026 (~10:45 AM MYT): the morning numbers hold — Sepang at 85–92, Moderate on IQAir (fresh crawls), Kuala Lumpur 127 (unhealthy for sensitive groups). No official APIMS bulletin, no new statements from SIC, NADMA, MetMalaysia, FIA or F1 — the race is firmly on. Saturday weather watch: storm risk in the FP3/qualifying window (FP3 12:30 PM, qualifying 4:00 PM) runs 18–50% across models; MetMalaysia issued thunderstorm warnings Saturday morning, though the warning area was shown in the bureau's image and is not confirmed as a Sepang polygon — watch the sky from ~12:30 PM. If the afternoon darkens, the Friday FP2 playbook (shelter, rain cover, patience) applies.
The direct answer
As of Thursday afternoon, October 1 — with the pit-lane walk already underway — the race is going ahead. No cancellation or postponement has been announced, and the Malaysian government says it expects this weekend's three big events — the F1 race, the Tour de Langkawi, and the Kuala Lumpur marathon — to proceed. Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon that Malaysia has also offered firefighting assets to Indonesia, where the smoke is coming from.
The final call belongs to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, which is assessing conditions day by day. SIC CEO Azhan Shafriman Hanif has confirmed there is a threshold API (Air Pollutant Index) value for cancelling or postponing the race — but the circuit has not published the number. So the honest version: the trigger exists, it's undisclosed, and as of today nothing has crossed it.
The circuit itself says it is 100% ready, with nearly 100,000 tickets sold (reported Oct 1) — a record for any race ever held at Sepang. George Russell told Bernama on Thursday that the haze and unsettled weather are not a major obstacle from the drivers' side.
The readings right now
The trend is improving but still unhealthy. Malaysia's official API at 8:00 AM on October 1: Johan Setia 156 (worst in the country), Shah Alam 154, Putrajaya 152, Klang 152, Nilai 153, Cheras 149. Petaling Jaya and Banting had fallen to 99 — back in the Moderate band. Anything above 100 is Unhealthy; above 200 is Very Unhealthy. The count of unhealthy areas nationwide dropped to 8, down from 18 on Wednesday evening and 29–33 on Wednesday morning. Rain overnight helped; it did not clear the air.
At noon on October 1 the same bulletin showed Johan Setia 157, Shah Alam 152, Putrajaya 152, Klang 151. On the US AQI (IQAir), Sepang itself read 86 — Moderate — for the 11am–12pm hour, forecast to stay in the low 80s through Saturday. Kuala Lumpur read 145 (Unhealthy for sensitive groups), with some KL stations spiking into the 160s–170s. So the circuit is currently in meaningfully better air than the city — but 'Moderate' at a racetrack where you'll be breathing hard in 32°C heat is not nothing.
One academic note, since people keep asking how long this lasts: Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin's Assoc Prof Azman Azid told Kosmo! the haze could persist into early next year, with rainfall so far not enough to extinguish the Indonesian fires feeding it. This weekend's forecast rain may clear the air temporarily — it won't end the season.
Friday afternoon update (October 2, ~4:40pm MYT): weather.com's live Sepang reading showed AQI 126 on the US scale — Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, ozone the primary pollutant — with 87°F, feels-like 100°F (38°C), and showers in the vicinity. That's noticeably higher than IQAir's mid-80s reading for the circuit this morning; different models disagree, so treat both as secondary and watch the official APIMS bulletins for the authoritative number. Separately, MetMalaysia issued a severe-weather warning at 2:20pm for heavy rain and thunderstorms lasting until 5pm — squarely over Friday's FP2 session. FP1 ran normally in the morning; the race itself is unaffected. By ~5:35pm MYT the weather.com model had climbed further to AQI 151 — into the Unhealthy band — while IQAir's model still sat in the low 80s; the two models disagree widely, and no official APIMS bulletin has appeared. Nothing near a sustained API 150 trigger at the circuit. By ~6:40pm MYT the weather.com model had climbed further to AQI 164 — solidly Unhealthy, 86°F, 74% humidity — while IQAir's model still sat in the low 80s, and no official APIMS bulletin has appeared. One commercial model rising through the evening is not a sustained official trigger, but the direction is wrong heading into Saturday: check the morning numbers before leaving.
Friday evening update (October 2, ~7:40pm MYT): the weather.com model climbed again — AQI 169, Unhealthy, ozone the primary pollutant, 84°F (feels-like 94°F) under fair skies. IQAir's Sepang model still reads low-80s Moderate, but that crawl is ~24 hours stale. No new APIMS bulletin surfaced and SIC, NADMA, MetMalaysia, FIA and F1 issued no new statements Friday evening; FP1 and FP2 ran normally. Four consecutive weather.com readings this evening — 126 → 151 → 164 → 169 — show the circuit air getting steadily worse through Friday night. Still one commercial model, still not a sustained official trigger — but Saturday's morning numbers matter more than Friday's. By ~8:36pm MYT the weather.com model had eased slightly to AQI 164, Unhealthy — 82°F, feels-like 91°F, 83% humidity — leveling off after the 169 peak; notably, IQAir's Sepang model is now fresh (crawled under an hour ago) and agrees at only 86, Moderate, forecasting 80 for Saturday and 70 for Sunday, while time.now ranks Sepang the worst spot in Malaysia at 114 (crawl ~4h old). No official APIMS bulletin has appeared; the two models still disagree, just less wildly than this afternoon. The Saturday morning numbers are the ones that matter now.
Friday night update (October 2, ~9:40pm MYT): the weather.com model eased to AQI 154, Unhealthy — 82°F, feels-like 91°F, 83% humidity — the evening peak is passing after the 169 reading at ~7:40pm, with primary pollutant ozone all night. IQAir's Sepang model is fresh and steady at 85–86, Moderate (PM2.5 5.5x WHO), forecasting 80 for Saturday and 75 for Sunday. No official APIMS bulletin has appeared, and SIC, NADMA, MetMalaysia, FIA and F1 issued no new air-quality statements Friday evening — the race is firmly on. Saturday's morning numbers are the ones that matter now. One more Saturday note for planners: weather.com's hourly model flags a 42% scattered-thunderstorm chance around 2pm MYT — in the FP3/qualifying window — though the day's headline figure stays a mild 20%. If the afternoon sky darkens, the FP2-day playbook (shelter, rain cover, patience) applies. By ~10:35pm MYT the weather.com model had eased further to AQI 143, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups — 82°F, 83% humidity, light breeze — continuing the night's steady decline from the 169 peak. IQAir's Sepang model is fresh (crawl ~1h) and holds at 85–87, Moderate (PM2.5 5.5x WHO), forecasting 81 for Saturday and 75 for Sunday. Still no APIMS bulletin and no new statements from SIC, NADMA, MetMalaysia, FIA or F1.
Overnight update (October 3, ~1:45am MYT): one datapoint from Friday the models can't give you — the Department of Environment's official 9am API readings, reported by MCI Group: Seri Manjung in Perak (API 108) was the nation's only unhealthy station, and every other monitoring station in Malaysia read 100 or below — Moderate or Good. Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said earlier in the week the government expects the F1 weekend, the Tour de Langkawi and the KL marathon to run without disruption, with the Youth and Sports Ministry assessing daily. That is the most official air-quality picture on the record for Friday — and it supports what the night's models showed: the evening peak passing, the race firmly on. Fresh IQAir (crawled under an hour ago) has Sepang at 92, Moderate — slightly up from the 85—87 range but still Moderate — with Saturday forecast at 81 and Sunday at 75. No official APIMS bulletin has surfaced overnight, and no new statements from SIC, NADMA, MetMalaysia, FIA or F1. As ever: check the morning numbers before you leave — the official API bulletins land mid-morning.Saturday morning update (October 3, ~5:45am MYT): the morning numbers are in, and they are reassuring. Fresh IQAir (crawled within the hour) has Sepang at 90, Moderate for the 2-3am hour, up slightly from Friday morning’s ~83 but far below Friday evening’s 169 peak on the weather.com model, forecasting 90 through Saturday and 81 on Sunday, 75 Monday. KL reads 96-97 (Moderate), Klang 66-67, and the regional hotspot has moved well away from the circuit. No official APIMS bulletin has surfaced overnight, and no new statements from SIC, NADMA, MetMalaysia, FIA or F1. The morning X sweep (f1, fia, sepangcircuit posts) shows normal session promotion, qualifying scheduled, and zero haze or cancellation mentions. The race is firmly on, and the morning air is the best it has been since the Friday evening peak.
Qualifying-day update (October 3, ~9:45am MYT): fresh IQAir (crawled within the hour) has Sepang at 85, Moderate for the 8-9am hour, forecasting 82 through today and 78 on Sunday — still well clear of any concern. Kuala Lumpur reads 127 (unhealthy for sensitive groups), with the heavier air in Bangsar and Jalan Kiara sitting north of the circuit, not at it. And the SIC CEO has now said it publicly: Azhan Shafriman Hanif said cloud seeding operations could be carried out around the circuit to induce rainfall and improve air quality and visibility for the event — reported by Bangsar.net.my on October 3. That is the circuit treating the haze proactively, not reactively; the undisclosed cancellation API threshold remains nowhere in sight.
What cloud seeding actually does
SIC is working with the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) and the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) on cloud seeding around the circuit. Here's the plain version: aircraft or ground generators disperse particles (usually silver iodide or salt) into moisture-heavy clouds to nudge them into producing rain. The rain then scrubs particulates out of the air.
What it can do: pull a storm out of clouds that were almost going to rain anyway, and wash the local air clean for hours. What it can't do: manufacture clouds out of a dry sky, or fix the source — the fires in Indonesia are hundreds of kilometres away. Treat seeding as a helpful local nudge, not a weather-control machine.
Should you still go?
Here's the part official channels won't say plainly. If you have asthma, a respiratory condition, or you're bringing small children or elderly relatives, seriously consider whether a full day in the grandstands is worth it — especially if readings climb back above 100 at the circuit. Nobody will think less of you for watching from a hotel with air-con and a big screen.
If you go: wear an N95 or KN95 mask, not a surgical mask — surgical masks don't seal and do almost nothing against PM2.5 haze particles. Bring spares; they get damp fast in Sepang humidity. Drink water constantly, take shade breaks between sessions, and keep an eye on the AQI each morning — conditions are shifting day to day. The packing guide has the full kit list, and SoyaCincau's race-weekend guide likewise advises carrying both a raincoat and a face mask for exactly this combination of bad air and unpredictable weather.
Watch for the official line, not the rumor line. If the Ministry of Youth and Sports or SIC announces anything, it will come through their official channels — not a forwarded WhatsApp message. We'll update this page as the weekend develops.
The heat hazard: what it means for you
Separate from the haze, the FIA has declared a Heat Hazard for this race under Article B1.5.10 of the sporting regulations — the third time this season after Austria and Monza. The trigger: the official weather service forecasts a heat index above 31.0°C at some point during the race.
What it changes for the drivers: teams must fit the Driver Cooling System components to the cars, and drivers may wear a cooling vest circulating chilled fluid under their race suits. It's optional — drivers who skip it carry 5kg of ballast so nobody gains a weight advantage. Cockpit temperatures can top 40°C, and the rule exists because of the extreme conditions at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, where several drivers suffered heat exhaustion.
What it changes for you: nothing official — it's a car-and-driver rule. But take it as the FIA confirming what you'll feel in the stands. The heat index is forecast near 35–37°C on Friday. Drink water before you're thirsty, find shade between sessions, and if you haven't bought tickets yet, favor a covered grandstand. The weather guide has the covered-vs-exposed seating breakdown.
Will Sunday be wet?
Saturday first: storm risk in the FP3/qualifying window runs 18–50% across models, and MetMalaysia issued thunderstorm warnings Saturday morning — though the warning area was shown in the bureau's image and is not confirmed as a Sepang polygon. FP3 is 12:30 PM, qualifying 4:00 PM; watch the sky from lunchtime.
The forecasts genuinely disagree on Sunday, so here's both: AccuWeather puts Sunday's rain chance at 90% (Friday 80%, Saturday 55%), while F1.com's official forecast has Sunday at just 30%. RacingNews365 splits the difference — hot and humid with a real but unquantified shower threat. Tropical forecasts shift fast; check again on race morning.
What a wet Sepang means: this circuit has history. Eight of the nineteen Malaysian Grands Prix (1999–2017) had a wet qualifying or race. In 2009 a downpour red-flagged the race and half points were awarded — the last time that ever happened in F1. In 2012 lightning strikes hit circuit equipment and the TV feed, stopping the race for about 50 minutes. A wet Sunday wouldn't be a disaster for the spectacle; it would be classic Sepang. Just bring the poncho regardless of which forecast you believe.
Quick answers
Is the race even going ahead with the haze this bad?
What should I bring — mask?
What does the FIA Heat Hazard mean?
Will Sunday's race be wet?
What's the difference between API and AQI?
Sources and timestamps: weather.com Sepang live readings (~4:40pm, ~5:35pm, ~6:40pm, ~7:40pm, ~8:36pm, ~9:40pm and ~10:35pm MYT Oct 2); MetMalaysia severe-weather warning (2:20pm Oct 2) via Wonsen Newsroom; IQAir Sepang/Kuala Lumpur readings, 11:00–13:00 MYT Oct 1, 2026; Malaysia APIMS via Media Selangor (Oct 1); SIC CEO Azhan Shafriman Hanif via Media Selangor (Oct 1); Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil via Malay Mail/paddocknews24 (Sep 30); FIA Heat Hazard statement via PlanetF1 and RacingNews365 (Sep 30–Oct 1); AccuWeather via scuderiafans.com (Sep 30); F1.com official forecast via f1oversteer; DoE 9am Oct 2 official API via MCI Group; IQAir Sepang fresh crawl ~2am MYT Oct 3; IQAir Sepang fresh crawl ~9am MYT Oct 3 (85, Moderate; KL 127); SIC CEO Azhan Shafriman Hanif on circuit-area cloud seeding via Bangsar.net.my (Oct 3). Readings and forecasts change — re-check the morning you travel.
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