Anwar visits Sepang for F1 GP qualifying round, attends welcome dinner hosted by Bahrain crown prince

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) for the Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying session, where he inspected the race preparations and overall running of the event. Anwar was greeted by Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, Petronas President and Group CEO, SIC Chairman Datin Anita Azrina Abdul Aziz and other officials upon his arrival at the circuit around 4:50pm.

He then spent 15 minutes touring the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team pit. After the session, Anwar dined with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, at the F1 paddock. The F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix began with the first and second free practice sessions and will host the qualifying event today.

The 56-lap race is set to commence tomorrow at 3pm. This marks the first time Formula One returns to Sepang after a nine-year hiatus, as the circuit last hosted an F1 race in 2017. Formula One and the International Automobile Federation (FIA) announced the return of the Bahrain Grand Prix to Malaysia in July, following an agreement among F1, the FIA and the governments of Malaysia and Bahrain.

The relocation of the event to Sepang was made possible after the cancellation of the original event in Bahrain due to the situation in West Asia. Formula One made its debut at Sepang in 1999, hosting the Malaysian Grand Prix until 2017.