F1 is next week. Are we ready, Malaysia?

Formula 1 will be at Sepang next week, and even as I write those words, it feels slightly strange to see it again after all these years.

Of course, this is not quite the return of the Malaysian Grand Prix some of us might have imagined.

In an unusual turn of events, Bahrain is bringing its Grand Prix to the Sepang International Circuit this year. For one weekend at least, F1 cars will once again race on a circuit that many Malaysians still associate so closely with the sport.

The excitement feels different this time. In the weeks leading up to the race, there has understandably been plenty of attention on preparations at Sepang.

An F1 race is a massive undertaking, even for a circuit accustomed to international motorsport, and after so many years without F1, there is a lot to get ready before the teams, drivers and thousands of spectators arrive.

What I have enjoyed watching just as much, though, is the preparation among the fans themselves.

My social media feed has gradually become an unofficial guide to surviving an F1 weekend at Sepang. People are sharing tips on where to park, when to leave home, which routes to avoid, what to bring and how early to arrive.

Those who have done this before are sharing what they remember, while first-timers are asking the questions that only become important when you realise you are about to spend an entire day, or three, at a very large circuit under the Malaysian sun.

One piece of advice appears more often than any other — wear comfortable shoes.

I have been to F1 races at Sepang before, so none of this should be entirely new to me. I remember the crowds, the atmosphere, the long walks and the heat — and, of course, the feeling of hearing F1 cars around the circuit rather than through television speakers.

But that was years ago. Enough time has passed for me to read every piece of advice as though I need a refresher course on how to survive Sepang. Perhaps I do.

Where do we start?

Before worrying about any of that, though, there was the small matter of getting a ticket. I was one of many trying to secure one when sales opened, and after several attempts, I finally managed it.

There was plenty of waiting, refreshing and trying again, accompanied by the familiar question of whether I really needed to put myself through all this when I could simply watch the race comfortably from home.

But watching F1 from the sofa and hearing it at Sepang are two very different things.

Once the ticket was secured, the questions simply changed. How early should we leave? Where should we park? What should we bring?

How much walking are we realistically looking at? And, given the weather of the past few weeks, how exactly should we prepare?

We have had haze and rain, sometimes with very little warning. Anyone who has spent enough time outdoors in Malaysia knows that preparing for the weather usually means preparing for several versions of it at once.

So the packing lists being shared online are becoming increasingly comprehensive: sunscreen, caps, portable fans, power banks, water bottles and ponchos.

With the haze, a mask might not be a bad idea either. At some point, the list starts to resemble preparation for a small expedition rather than a weekend watching cars go around a circuit.

Yet there is something rather lovely about all of it.

The build-up

F1 is a sport built around extraordinary machinery, enormous budgets and some of the world’s most recognisable sports personalities.

We spend so much time talking about drivers, teams, strategies, tyres and what happens on the track that it is easy to forget how much of sport happens away from it.

Right now, people who have never met are answering one another’s questions. Those who remember attending the Malaysian Grand Prix are sharing what they learnt, while a younger generation of fans — many of whom discovered F1 long after the last race at Sepang in 2017 — are preparing to experience an F1 weekend there for the first time.

There is something special about that.

For some, next weekend will be their first F1 race at Sepang. For others, including me, returning will come with memories.

The circuit may be the same, but F1 has changed considerably since we last watched it there and, so many of us have.

Reliving the rev and roar

Perhaps this weekend carries a little more weight because we know exactly what it is — and what it is not.

The Malaysian Grand Prix has not returned to the F1 calendar. Bahrain is staging its race at Sepang this year, giving Malaysia an unexpected opportunity to host F1 once again. There is no promise of another race next year, or the year after that.

For now, one weekend is enough.

There is something wonderful about knowing F1 cars will once again make their way around Sepang, while Malaysian fans make their way into those grandstands.

The organisers are preparing the circuit; the rest of us are planning journeys, comparing parking advice, checking what we can bring and quietly calculating just how much walking our chosen grandstand will require.

As for me, I have my ticket after more attempts than I care to admit. I have been reading the tips despite having done this before, and I am slowly figuring out what needs to go into my bag.

Maybe the preparation is part of the experience this time.

Because nine years ago, when F1 left Sepang, we did not know when we would get to do any of this again.

Now we do.

Even if it is only for one weekend, I intend to enjoy every bit of it.

Tengku Elena Tengku Mahamad is an FMT reader.

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

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