SEPANG, Oct 2 — The Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, arrived in Malaysia today for a special visit in conjunction with the Formula One (F1) Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit (SIC), which kicks off today.
The special aircraft carrying Prince Salman landed at the Bunga Raya Complex, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 12pm today.
On hand to welcome the Crown Prince were Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Iskandar Al-Haj Sultan Ibrahim, Tunku Panglima Johor Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj Sultan Ibrahim, and Tunku Putera Johor Tunku Abu Bakar Al-Haj Sultan Ibrahim.
Also present were Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari and Bahrain’s Ambassador to Malaysia Dr Waleed Khalifa Al Manea.
Chief of Protocol Ambassador Mohd Ikram Ibrahim, Chief of Government Ceremonies in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Rozainor Ramli and the Grand Chamberlain of Istana Negara Datuk Azuan Effendy Zairakithnaini were also present.
Upon arrival, Prince Salman walked past a guard of honour mounted by 28 officers and personnel from the First Battalion Royal Ranger Regiment led by Captain Muhamad Thabrani Mohamad Sharudin.
The SIC was chosen to host the 2026 Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, making the iconic circuit a temporary venue for the prestigious race.
In July, Formula 1 confirmed Malaysia as the host of the race from Oct 2 to 4 following an agreement between F1, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the governments of Malaysia and Bahrain.
The agreement allowed the Bahrain GP to remain on the 2026 F1 calendar after the race, initially scheduled for earlier this season, was cancelled due to geopolitical tensions in West Asia.
Malaysia previously hosted the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang from 1999 to 2017 before it was dropped from the F1 calendar.
The prestigious race’s return to Malaysia follows successful diplomacy between His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, and King Hamad Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain. — Bernama
Date: 2 October, 2026 2:14 pm
Source: Malay Mail
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