Bahrain F1 Grand Prix: Visitors stuck for hours as congestion hits SIC, KLIA2

KUALA LUMPUR: Visitors leaving the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) after the first day of the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 yesterday had to endure unusual traffic congestion.

The congestion extended to Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA2), where visitors were forced to queue for the Express Rail Link (ERL) to continue their journey home.

Videos shared on social media showed queues of passengers filling the second floor of KLIA2, believed to include visitors making their way home after leaving SIC.

A Threads user, @ishvinderjitsingh, claimed he left SIC about 7pm but only arrived at KLIA2 about 9.30pm.

"I left SIC about 7pm, reached KLIA Terminal 2 about 9.30pm and now I have to wait for the ERL.

"After more than three hours, I am still around KLIA and Sepang. Please make things easier," he said.

Another user questioned the frequency of the ERL service, claiming trains were operating only every 20 minutes despite the high number of passengers.

A similar situation was shared by Threads user @userww4687, who claimed the journey home became more difficult as congestion occurred not only at SIC but also continued at KLIA2.

"From day until night, that is the problem. When it was finally time to go home, even taking a Grab cost RM150 from KLIA2 because the ERL was also congested.

"Crowd management should have been planned earlier, with dedicated lanes provided either for the public or shuttle buses," the user said.

Earlier, social media was flooded with posts from visitors about unusual congestion when leaving SIC, with some claiming they had to wait for hours to board shuttle buses to parking areas and nearby transport hubs.

The situation also prompted calls for improved traffic flow management, greater shuttle bus capacity and better coordination of public transport to cope with the large number of visitors throughout the event.

In the comments section, the user also claimed that e-hailing fares had reached more than RM90 at the time, prompting the user to continue waiting for public transport.