Bahrain is set to bring its culture, cuisine and Grand Prix traditions to Sepang International Circuit (SIC) when the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix takes place in Malaysia from Oct 2 to 4.
Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) chief executive officer Sheikh Salman Isa Al Khalifa said the event would give Malaysian fans a taste of the Kingdom beyond the action on the track.
“Obviously, we wanted to bring our culture, our traditions, all of that. So if you go in the vending area or the mall area, I think that will be a great experience on the Bahraini culture,” he told Bernama and Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) at SIC today.
“There is a traditional side, there is a modern side, with the food, handicrafts, all of that,” he said.
Bahraini elements will also feature in the race trophy, food offerings and ma’al-ward, a non-alcoholic rose water drink made from locally grown ingredients.
“We’ll have our ma’al-ward, which is our Bahraini-made non-alcoholic drink, where they (drivers during post-race ceremony) will spray and all of that, made from local ingredients only grown in Bahrain,” Sheikh Salman said.
Bahraini cuisine will also be served in the paddock, allowing F1 teams and their crews to sample food from the Gulf state during the race weekend.
Formula 1 confirmed in July that Malaysia would host the Gulf Air Bahrain GP from Oct 2 to 4 following an agreement involving Formula 1, the FIA and the governments of Malaysia and Bahrain.
The agreement allows the Bahrain GP to remain on the 2026 F1 calendar after the race was cancelled earlier this season due to geopolitical tensions in West Asia.
Malaysia previously hosted its own Malaysian GP at Sepang from 1999 to 2017 before the race was dropped from the F1 calendar.
The event will involve about 5,000 people from Bahrain, Malaysia, contractors and other support teams, with more than 560 Bahraini marshals working alongside their Malaysian counterparts.
More than 100 BIC personnel will also be deployed at SIC.
“More importantly, we have the support of SIC. So, it’s not like the whole Bahrain race track is moving here. We have great people in Malaysia and they’ve been doing that job,” Sheikh Salman said.
Meanwhile, SIC chief executive officer Azhan Shafriman Hanif said the event demonstrated what could be achieved through close cooperation between Malaysia and Bahrain despite the short preparation period.
He said the biggest challenge was turning the announcement into a race weekend within an extremely tight timeframe, with SIC and BIC teams working around the clock to complete preparations that would normally take months.
Azhan also thanked the Malaysian Government and relevant agencies for helping secure the necessary approvals to ensure cargo and personnel could arrive in time for the race weekend.
