F1 chaos: Visitors left waiting for hours at Sepang

KUALA LUMPUR: Formula One's shuttle-bus woes at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) continued for a second day, with thousands of visitors claiming they were forced to queue for more than three hours to get transport out of the venue.

In a post that went viral on Threads, user wennhan_ said the journey home had become a "nightmare", accusing organisers of failing to address logistical problems that had already surfaced the previous day.

"Honestly, what is wrong with the organisers? I really thought they would learn from yesterday's 'disaster' and improve things today. But no. There was no difference at all," the user said.

A video accompanying the post showed visitors arriving at the event in a relatively smooth flow, with crowds building gradually.

The situation changed when spectators began leaving the circuit.

"I started queuing at 6pm and only managed to board the shuttle bus to KLIA2 at 9.30pm. That is three hours and 30 minutes of waiting," the user said.

Checks on social media also found images and videos showing large crowds gathered outside the venue, apparently waiting for transport.

The reference to KLIA2 indicates the event was held at SIC.

Another social media user said poor logistical planning and traffic dispersal were not new problems at major events in Malaysia.

Similar complaints have been raised by spectators attending international motorsport events, including MotoGP, with congestion involving shuttle buses and private vehicles leaving visitors stranded at the circuit until late at night.

The problem has also affected large-scale concerts, particularly those held at the National Stadium Bukit Jalil.

In several previous incidents, thousands of concertgoers were left stranded for hours at LRT stations or forced to wait for shuttle buses because of inadequate crowd-dispersal measures after events ended.

Many social media users have since called on the authorities and event organisers to impose stricter traffic and logistical management plans as a prerequisite for approving major events.

They said this was particularly important for events attracting international visitors, as poor crowd management could tarnish Malaysia's image as a tourism and events destination.