The pole position at the Sepang circuit was mistakenly painted on the wrong side of the track ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, prompting the FIA — the governing body of Formula 1 — to completely reconfigure the starting grid. The pole position, which is the first spot on the grid where the fastest driver starts the race, was initially placed on the left side of the pit lane straight. However, traditionally, the pole position at Sepang has been on the right side of the track, near the first corner. This discrepancy was identified during pre-event checks and required extensive changes to the layout. The error was not directly the fault of the teams responsible for preparing the circuit. Workers from Sepang followed instructions provided in official documents, which incorrectly stated that the pole position should be on the left side. This communication error was only realized after the race direction team arrived at the circuit. Officials examined the grid markings and quickly noticed that the first position did not match the traditional layout of the Malaysian circuit. The FIA then instructed Sepang to revert to its traditional configuration, placing the pole position on the right side of the pit lane straight. Correcting this mistake involved more than just repainting the track. The old markings had to be covered, and the entire grid had to be reorganized. The position that had initially been intended for the second driver became the new pole position, and all other positions were renumbered accordingly. Additionally, the incorrect pole position had been painted in front of the originally planned starting line, which could have affected the required distance between the starting line and the first position on the grid. This could have also impacted the timing system, so the FIA decided to move the starting line as part of the corrections. All the necessary changes were completed on Thursday before track activities began, and the Sepang circuit passed its final inspection, allowing the race weekend to proceed as planned. This error occurred as Formula 1 returned to Sepang after a nine-year absence, with the Malaysian circuit needing to be adapted to meet current Formula 1 standards. While this confusion was one of the most visible issues during the preparations, it had no sporting impact, as the error was detected early. When the drivers take their positions on the grid on Sunday, the pole position will be on the traditional right side of the track. It remains to be seen which driver will occupy this spot, which had only recently been the second position on the grid.