SUBANG, Oct 3 (Bernama) -- The Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, arrived in Malaysia today for a special visit in conjunction with the Formula 1 (F1) Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix (GP) at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC), which began yesterday.
The special aircraft carrying His Majesty and the Brunei delegation including Prince Abdul Mateen Bolkiah landed safely at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base in Subang at 4:28 pm.
They were welcomed by Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Iskandar Al-Haj Sultan Ibrahim and Minister of Youth and Sports Dr. Mohammed Taufiq Johari.
His Majesty then inspected a guard of honour comprising two officers and 26 personnel of other ranks from the First Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment, led by Captain Wan Amirul Syafiq Wan Zamri.
SIC has been selected to host the 2026 F1 Gulf Air Bahrain GP, making the iconic circuit a temporary venue for the prestigious race.
Last July, Formula 1 confirmed that Malaysia would host the race, which is taking place until this Sunday.
This follows an agreement reached between Formula 1, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), and the governments of Malaysia and Bahrain.
The agreement ensures the Bahrain GP remains on the 2026 F1 calendar after the race was cancelled earlier this season due to geopolitical tensions in West Asia.
Malaysia previously hosted the Malaysian GP at Sepang from 1999 to 2017 before being dropped from the F1 calendar.
The return of this prestigious race to Malaysia is the result of successful diplomatic efforts between His Majesty, Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia and the King of Bahrain, King Hamad Isa Al-Khalifa.
-- BERNAMA