Brunei Sultan, Prince Mateen touch down in Subang for Sepang F1 race

Sultan of Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Prince Abdul Mateen Bolkiah arrived in Malaysia today for a special visit in connection with the Formula 1 (F1) Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC). The royal couple touched down at the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Subang around 4:28pm, greeted by the Tunku Temenggong Johor, Tunku Idris Iskandar Al-Haj Sultan Ibrahim, and Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah inspected a guard of honour consisting of 2 officers and 26 personnel from the First Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment. The Sepang circuit has been chosen to host the 2026 F1 Gulf Air Bahrain GP, marking a temporary return of the prestigious race to Malaysia after a hiatus from 2018 to 2025. The agreement for the 2026 F1 event was reached in July last year, ensuring the Bahrain GP remained on the F1 calendar despite geopolitical tensions in the region.

Malaysia previously hosted the Malaysian GP at Sepang from 1999 to 2017 before it was dropped from the F1 calendar.

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