Full Sepang Grand Prix Report

This is my 8th time I will be watching the Malaysian grand prix at Sepang, but I was still as excited as the first time. This year it was held just after a week's race in Australia. So there was no post GP break that usually cools down your emotion for two weeks.

Ticket Disaster

My running around town for tickets was a disaster started by calling the Sepang GP hot line.
I called them inquiring where can I get tickets in the Petaling Jaya area and they told me I can go to Axcess Tickets at 1 Utama. I went there after work and to my dismay Axcees Tickets don't sell any MGP tickets anymore. So I called the hot line again and told them why did they direct me to an outlet that does not sell tickets anymore. Then they advised me to buy at Jusco Sunway Pyramid and I drove to the opposite side of PJ in bad traffic and strong rain. Again at Jusco, they also stopped selling MGP tickets. I again called the hot line with misinformed customer service people and after a shouting match with them, they asked to check at Parksons Sunway.

Finally they have tickets but with a hitch. They don't sell 3 day parking pass at the location of my purchased tickets. They were only selling parking pass about 5 kilometers away from my circuit seat. So the next day I went all the way to KL Sentral to buy the parking pass.

The customer service people at Sepang are not properly trained. A hot line is created to save customers time and money. The Sepang CS were merely looking at the SIC website and they do not have access to a system which tells them where outlets have sold out etc.

This was not my 1st GP, I usually buy my tickets at KL Sentral where everything can be arranged, even for transport to the circuit itself.I thought I will save some time and buy the tickets nearby.

Food

The 1st time a watched the Malaysian GP, I followed the rules and did not bring any drinks and food since it was prohibited in the circuit. I as I lined for 30 minutes for lunch, I was shocked that the food was finished. We ended up drinking Coke and beer till 7PM. So for the next grand prix's I stock up my cooler with drinks and food.

This year the food quality has deteriorated. Everything you bought was five Ringit. A Coke , a 250 ml water, Chips, a pack of noodles was RM 5. This is just to much specially for the bus loads of public school studetns who watched the race ( this makes up the bulk of spectators every year and helped break the 125,000 record attendance this year). A Coke will cost less in a five star hotel lobby cafe, it will only cost you RM.90 cents at Tesco.

Saturday Qualifying

The drive to Sepang was a breeze.There was a thunderstorm in PJ and I was thinking this will be my first qualifying in rain. Despite many returns to Sepang I missed my parking exit which meant a few kilometers drive down the road. As I parked and opened the door I could hear the first cars out. There is nothing like hearing F1 cars live ! bar none ! I think fans who come to the circuit and use earplugs at the race are crazy, why don't they just go home watch it on TV. As usual qualifying crowd's are lean. The weather was outcast but dry.

Ferrari one two

Sunday Race Day

Traffic started building up after the Mosque during race day, from here it took us about one hour to my designated parking. This is a three lane highway and will take five minutes to drive during normal days. However fun starts during this stage because you can see fans in their team outfits and flags and the friendly jeering starts ! We missed the drivers parade despite heeding to circuit early.

The temperature was more than 40 degress C , it was another hot race, a signature they have adopted to the Malaysian GP, ("world's hottest race")

At 2:25 PM the Safety car came out, this car have more fans than the Super Aguri.
Everybody wants a photo of the Safety car. !

F1 being a precision sports, does not wait for VIP's and stuff. It promptly started at 2:30 with the pit lane open. This is the time all the cars make reconnaissance laps, head back to the pits and to the starting grid. If you watch this on TV, this are your 1st glimpse of the car's while the commentators are discussing some stuff brought to you by Petronas or Johny Walker.
For fifteen minutes, its a pure rush.

Race starts at 3:00 PM local time (Almost all F1 races stars at 3pm). It was a good start with all the cars packed till turn six. Massa P1 and Kimi less than a second behind. It was a formation race till the pits stops, or was it? after watching the replay on Star Sports there were lots of drama at the 1st corner, at turn five and Hamilton having some pit stop problems.
During mid part of the race, I went to get a five Ringit Coke and was surprised to see Massa was not trailing Kimi. Where was he ? Pits? I took a walk further my position and saw the 2nd Ferrari in the gravel. I knew it , how many times did to see Massa do such thinngs? Last 2004 at Sepang, Massa went to grass just in front of me in a Sauber.

After 56 grueling laps under a hot sun , Kimi wins it, a good sign for the year.

See you in Singapore !