Sepang:The Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, departed for home today after concluding his special visit in conjunction with the Formula 1 (F1) Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the aircraft carrying His Majesty and the Brunei delegation, including Prince Abdul Mateen Bolkiah, took off at 5.30 pm. The departure featured a red carpet send-off and a guard of honour mounted by 28 officers and personnel from the First Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment.

Present at the Bunga Raya Complex to bid farewell to His Majesty and his delegation were Minister of Youth and Sports Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari, Brunei High Commissioner to Malaysia Dato Paduka Abdu'r Rahmani Basir, and Chief of Protocol Ambassador Mohd Ikram Ibrahim.

During his visit, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah attended the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit with His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, and top leaders from Malaysia, Bahrain, and Brunei. This event marked the return of the prestigious F1 race to Sepang after a nine-year absence.

The race was also attended by Bahrain Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. In July, F1 confirmed Malaysia as the host venue for the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix from October 2 to 4, following an agreement between Formula 1, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), and the governments of Malaysia and Bahrain.

The return of F1 to Malaysia was facilitated by discussions and cooperation involving Sultan Ibrahim and Bahrain's King Hamad Isa Al-Khalifa, as well as the two governments, aiming to retain the Bahrain Grand Prix on the 2026 F1 calendar. This followed the cancellation of the race earlier in the season due to geopolitical tensions in West Asia. Malaysia previously hosted the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang from 1999 to 2017 before it was removed from the F1 calendar.