Sepang F1 marshal steals the show during Bahrain GP delay: “Absolute icon”

The start of the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit was delayed due to severe rain and a thunderstorm. According to Motorsport.com, a local marshal caught the attention of fans as he pretended to dance while working to remove standing water from the track. The rain was so severe that FIA race control had no choice but to delay the race start, awaiting improving conditions.

The torrential rainfall, accompanied by lightning, hit the circuit outside Kuala Lumpur, prompting the delay. The FIA reported that the rain intensity had been steady for the last 10 minutes and no improvement was forecasted for the next 5-10 minutes. The medical car went on track to report on track conditions.

The event, exceptionally held in Malaysia due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, marked F1's first wet weather event since the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix and a wet race debut for the all-new 2026 generation of cars. An unofficial 105,000 tickets had been sold for the event, believed to be the biggest crowd ever at Sepang International Circuit.

Brief written by urgent.news from Motorsport.com, Yahoo Sports, New Straits Times, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.