Every Grand Prix held outside the country it's named after
From Dijon to Sepang, the rare occasions Formula 1 has raced under a borrowed flag
Published
29 SEP 2026
Est. reading time
2 min
When the lights go out at Sepang this Sunday, Formula 1 will run a Grand Prix that is officially Bahrain's, on a circuit that is unmistakably Malaysia's.
The 'Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia' is one of the more literal titles the sport has ever given a relocated race, but it is far from being the first example of a Grand Prix to be held outside the country it was named after.
Swiss Grand Prix, 1982 – Dijon-Prenois, France
Keke Rosberg stands on the top step having won the Swiss Grand Prix, held in Dijon, France
Switzerland banned circuit racing altogether after the 1955 Le Mans disaster, and the Swiss Grand Prix had last been held at Bremgarten the year prior. When the name returned in 1982, it did so across the border in Burgundy, France, at a circuit that had hosted the French Grand Prix in 1981.
Keke Rosberg took the win late on in his FW08, beating Alain Prost's Renault to claim his first Formula 1 victory. It would be his only win of the season. It was also enough, alongside a run of consistent finishes, to make him World Champion with Williams. The Swiss Grand Prix has not been held since.
San Marino Grand Prix, 1981–2006 – Imola, Italy
Ralf Schumacher celebrates his maiden win at the 2001 San Marino Grand Prix
The longest-running case lasted 26 editions, all of them held at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, where the microstate of San Marino is located around 100km away. Imola had hosted the Italian Grand Prix in 1980 while Monza was being refurbished, and from the following year, the San Marino name gave Italy a second race on the calendar.
We took eight wins under the guise of the San Marino GP. Nigel Mansell, Riccardo Patrese, Alain Prost, Damon Hill all stood on the top step there, whilst Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Ralf Schumacher both took maiden victories there in the sport with Williams.
Luxembourg Grand Prix, 1997–1998 – Nürburgring, Germany
Jacques Villeneuve and Heinz-Harald Frentzen celebrate together on the Luxembourg GP podium
In 1997, Germany had its own Grand Prix at Hockenheim, and the European Grand Prix title had moved to Jerez in Spain. So the race weekend at the Nürburgring borrowed the name of the nearby landlocked neighbour, around an hour's drive away.
The first edition came at a decisive moment in Williams's title season. Both McLarens retired from the lead with engine failures, and Jacques Villeneuve took the win on his way to the 1997 Drivers' Championship.
Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, 2026 – Sepang, Malaysia
Malaysia's striking final turn hasn't been seen on the F1 calendar since 2017
This weekend adds a fourth name to the list, and the first to put the host nation in the title. The agreement between Formula 1, the FIA and the governments of Bahrain and Malaysia brings the sport back to Sepang for the first time since 2017.
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