KUALA LUMPUR October 3, 2026 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim later attended a dinner hosted by Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, to mark the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, continuing high-level engagement around the sport’s return to Sepang.
In a statement posted on X on Saturday evening, Anwar said he also had the opportunity to meet and speak with leading figures from motorsport and Formula 1 teams at the function.
Among those he met were Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) president Mohammed Ben Sulayem; Formula 1 president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali; McLaren chief executive Zak Brown; Cadillac team principal Marcin Budkowski; Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas; and other guests.
The dinner follows Anwar’s earlier welcome to Prince Salman for the race weekend, during which both sides discussed accelerating senior talks on a high-level joint committee and expanding cooperation in areas such as health, Islamic finance, technology, tourism, food security, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and smart manufacturing, in line with Ekonomi MADANI and Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030.
Formula 1 is racing at Sepang International Circuit for the first time since 2017, with Malaysia and Bahrain, together with the FIA and circuit partners, having worked to restore the grand prix to the Malaysian calendar.
Anwar wished all teams and drivers success for the race the following day, expressing hope that the event would run smoothly and deliver an impressive spectacle for fans around the world.
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