Formula 1 made its long-awaited return to Malaysia this weekend, nearly a decade after the country last hosted a Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit in 2017. And on its return, it was Max Verstappen who took the chequered flag.
The Red Bull Racing driver claimed victory at the FORMULA 1® GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX IN MALAYSIA 2026, marking a new chapter for a circuit that has long been regarded as one of the most demanding on the Formula 1 calendar.
For Verstappen, the result added another victory to an already formidable record. For Sepang, meanwhile, the race represented a homecoming for a sport that has been closely associated with Malaysia’s international sporting identity since the circuit first joined the calendar in 1999.
A Trophy With Its Own Journey
Adding another layer to the occasion was the trophy presentation itself. Verstappen received his winning trophy in a bespoke Louis Vuitton Trophy Trunk, part of the French Maison’s second season as an Official Partner of Formula 1.
Designed specifically for the Grand Prix trophy, the trunk travelled through key moments of the race weekend before appearing on the podium. Its role is both practical and symbolic: protecting the trophy while turning its presentation into another expression of craftsmanship and design.
For 2026, Louis Vuitton has also introduced a new detail to its Formula 1 Trophy Trunks — the Victory patch. Inspired by traditional travel labels, each patch records the initials of the driver who wins a particular Grand Prix, creating a growing visual record of Formula 1 victories.
Following his win at Sepang, Verstappen’s initials were added alongside those of 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix winner Oscar Piastri.
From Asnières To Sepang
The Trophy Trunk was handcrafted at Louis Vuitton’s historic atelier in Asnières-sur-Seine, where the Maison’s relationship with automotive travel can be traced back more than a century.
In 1897, Georges Vuitton, son of founder Louis Vuitton, developed some of the House’s first automotive trunks as the popularity of the automobile began to reshape long-distance travel. The Maison subsequently explored increasingly durable materials for trunks designed to withstand life on the road, laying foundations for the canvas and construction techniques that remain central to its identity today.
At Sepang, that heritage met one of contemporary motorsport’s most recognisable stages.
Louis Vuitton’s presence extended across the circuit, with its creative signature incorporated into track signage and barriers throughout the event. Yet the Trophy Trunk remained the most tangible expression of the partnership — an object that connected the ceremony of a modern Grand Prix with the House’s longstanding relationship with movement, travel and the automobile.
For Malaysia, the significance was ultimately the return of Formula 1 itself: a one-off race that brought the world’s premier motorsport series back to Sepang and gave the circuit another moment on the global stage.
