The practice session ended at 17:00. By 20:30, fans were still standing at Sepang International Circuit, and some were still there close to 21:00, waiting for a bus. Formula 1 had come back to Malaysia after nine years, and the first night of it went badly.
The race itself is a one-off. Conflict in the Middle East made it impossible to run the Bahrain Grand Prix in Bahrain, so the event was announced in July and moved to Sepang under Bahraini branding and organisation. A year’s worth of planning had to be squeezed into about two and a half months.
One way out
Parking at the circuit was limited and expensive, and motorcycles were barred. That left buses, or walking. The buses did not run from central Kuala Lumpur. They went to and from KLIA Terminal 2, where fans were supposed to pick up the airport train. Some visitors, remembering the 2025 MotoGP, expected shuttles to KLCC as well. Those had been part of that event.
Videos on Instagram and X showed fans streaming along the highway toward the buses. Some reportedly threw things at them. One Malaysian decided walking back to Kuala Lumpur was the quicker option, and others likened the first day’s dash for seats to scenes from “Train to Busan.” Waits of up to three hours after the session were reported even on race day. “FOUR hours after the event and these are the scenes,” one fan wrote on X.
A bigger crowd than expected
Bernama reported a record 261,000 spectators over the weekend, with more than 100,000 on each of Saturday and Sunday. Towards the end of Sepang’s earlier F1 run, local crowds had slipped to 40,000 or 50,000. Malaysia’s MotoGP, by comparison, draws just under 200,000. The organisers, it seems, were not ready for the turnout.
Food, water and shade
Transport was not the only complaint. Scoop showed fried rice on sale for RM50 (about S$15.70) against RM7 elsewhere, and bottled water reached RM10 at the main grandstand. The Rakyat Post reported that organisers allegedly stopped fans bringing their own bottles, and photos showed piles of discarded ones at the gates. There was no shade where people queued for food and water.
Mothership’s assessment was that short timelines, unfamiliarity with local conditions and an unexpectedly large crowd explain most of it. Praise for the track has been loud, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim among those declaring their love for Sepang. ESPN reported that, given the deals in place, the earliest it could return is 2030.
Sources
- What caused the travel chaos at the Sepang F1 race?
- F1 Fans Stranded for Hours After Bahrain GP Sessions at Sepang
