After Bahrain GP success, Sepang has more vroom to grow

A friend offered me a free ticket to the Bahrain Grand Prix at our very own Sepang International Circuit. I sadly declined. The crowd and the noise would have driven me crazy and it was best I stayed on my sofa watching the race on TV.

Here’s what I noticed afterwards: the single biggest type of comment on the many social media posts about it was: "Bring back F1 to Sepang!"

Malaysia hosted F1 races for 18 seasons until 2017. We watched Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, etc., duke it out on one of the most beautiful motor racing circuits in the world. Then F1 went away.

It’s incredibly expensive to host F1 races with uncertain returns. At some point somebody did the numbers and pulled the plug. Sepang circuit went quiet, at least to Formula 1 races.

But its reputation remains. F1 aficionados looked forward to F1's return to Sepang. What I had thought were just irritations about Sepang, especially the afternoon rains, were actually what made races at Sepang unique, challenging and exciting.

Technically, the recent race was a Bahrain event hosted by Sepang after Bahrain cancelled their own event because of the war going on in that region. Their loss is our gain and now Bahrain as well as any of the other F1 hosts know that Sepang is always available to step in.

Being a last-minute host does bring about its share of problems. The crowd was huge – in excess of a quarter of a million people over the race weekend - and created massive issues with transport, safety, amenities, etc.

But such problems are unavoidable for such a late substitution, and they don’t detract from the race's success. That’s important because the race itself was amazing. The Sepang circuit lived up to its reputation, but other factors added to the drama.

The glitches in various software on the race cars as well as the rules around them caused by the rain will lead to major changes and Sepang will be remembered for that in F1 lore.

That so many people turned out over the long weekend surprised me. I had thought F1 had become passé and that the generation of us who like to hear cars that deafen us has been replaced by those who prefer the quiet swooshing of electric vehicles.

It seems the demise of petrol heads like us has been greatly exaggerated. There’s something captivating – perhaps a pleasure, perhaps a fear or perhaps both at once – in the ear-piercing shrieks of metal and rubber being propelled and piloted at ungodly speeds.

Not all of us old timers are old fossils whining about the demise of ICE (internal combustion engine) cars. The future is electric and F1 itself has been dipping its toes in it, even with the occasional hiccups we just saw.

Electric car racing will bring its own set of excitement when its time comes, and I'm sure Sepang will be ready for it.

For now, I’m happily basking in the reflected glory of Sepang’s success. Singapore’s own F1 race on its night-time street circuit is next, but I can guarantee that it’ll be judged less exciting than Sepang.

Singapore’s race is very much like Monaco’s – glitz, glamour and wealth with the vagaries of Sepang’s heat, humidity and rain added. It’s a finely-tuned race on streets that is not quite a free-for-all on a purpose-built circuit. There, you cannot hear the crowd’s roar over the cacophony when Lewis Hamilton brilliantly executes an overtaking manoeuvre.

At Sepang, Hamilton came third for a podium finish. Max Verstappen won this race, just as he won the very last race in Sepang in 2017. Fernando Alonso did well too. The old-timers are still around and kicking butt even in the much-maligned new F1 cars, rules, and technologies.

I’ve driven on the Sepang circuit in fancy German sports cars courtesy of another generosity. But high speeds freak me out and get my heart palpitating almost as fast as the engine’s revolutions. Brutal speed is not for me, and truth be told, I find rallying more exciting and freakish than F1.

But the world loves F1 more, and apparently loves Sepang very much too. Verstappen will certainly remember his victories here, especially his latest one. Sepang’s brilliant circuit plus the uncertainties of the weather – especially the heat and rain, and hopefully this time only, the haze – make it unique.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they bring F1 back to Sepang. If the economics work out, it would be an absolutely brilliant annual event for F1 lovers the world over and it’ll put Sepang closer to the rarified company of legendary F1 circuits past and present such as Monza, Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps and Nürburgring.

I would be even less likely to attend, however, even if I were to become completely deaf, as my aversion to crowds wouldn’t change, and most likely would have increased.

But I’d enjoy it vicariously and derive great pleasure in hearing it described as one of the most exciting motor races in the F1 calendar, one held within a week of the race in Singapore where spectators and drivers go to relax and play go-karts over some streets for a few hours.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.