King attends F1 Bahrain Grand Prix at SIC
SEPANG: The return of Formula 1 to the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) after a nine-year absence received special attention today when His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, attended the 2026 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix F1 race, together with the top leaders of Malaysia, Bahrain and Brunei.
SEPANG: After a nine-year hiatus, Formula 1 returned to the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) today for the 2026 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix F1 race. His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, was among the distinguished guests, arriving at 2:15pm to be greeted by Bahrain Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, and Prince Abdul Mateen Bolkiah also attended, alongside the Raja Muda of Selangor, Tengku Amir Shah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah; Tunku Mahkota of Kedah, Tunku Shazuddin Ariff Sultan Sallehuddin; and Tengku Mahkota of Kelantan, Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra.
The scheduled 3 pm race began with delays due to heavy rain. Negaraku and the Bahrain national anthem played before the race commenced at the expected time. Nearly 100,000 spectators were anticipated to attend the event, featuring a fly-past by Gulf Air aircraft. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen will start from pole position, followed by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and current championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
The return of F1 to Malaysia was confirmed in July after negotiations between Formula 1, the FIA, and the Malaysian and Bahraini governments. The race ran for 56 laps, with F1 set to return to the country after hosting the Malaysian Grand Prix from 1999 to 2017.
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