My two cents worth..

Yes, I was there in the Formula 1 grandstand enjoying the experience of seeing the race LIVE! It was all due to LUCK when a friend (BTW) came a calling and says that his friend can’t make it to the race and whether am I free to join him there. Of coz, I say YES la. Free ticket worth RM500 le.. Who dun wan to go?

Anyway, the 8th of April started with me and BTW meeting up for breakfast at about 10.30AM. After a plate of roti planta and teh ais, we started our journey towards Sepang using the Puchong - Putrajaya highway - less toll, shorter journey, less traffic. Go here for other possible travel plans there.

Sampai sahaja at the roundabout near SIC, the jam begins. Crawl all the way to the ticket booth. Take note ya, if you are driving to SIC for the F1 event, it is best that you purchase your parking tickets upfront (along with your F1 entrance tickets). Else, you will not be allowed to drive up to SIC unless you are only dropping off passengers. Parking tickets cost a whooping RM50. But we were lucky to have got a parking at PA4; about 150 meters from the entrance.

Getting my car parked and entering the F1 circuit at 12.00PM, we took a walk around the mall. Everything is expensive le. A nice Ferrari shirt cost RM 330. Fuyoh! Mahal la.. No wonder PS Boutique’s business doing so well la. SIC map here.

We ended up at out seats, Citrine S11.1, at about 12.30PM for a look at the first race, the Porsche Carrera Asia Cup. 10 laps race with Porsches only. Sort of like an opening act at a concert la. He he.

Race ended before 1PM and after that it was a long waiting game till 3.00PM. In between and closure to the start, they had la all sorts of opening ceremony (people in traditional garb dancing on the starting grid). The best part was probably the drive round of the drivers in classic cars. Here you get to take close-ups of them. Unfortunately, my movie file was corrupted. Dang! But I’ve got a pic of Pak Lah to share.

Bila tiba masa nye untuk bermula, you will know. The F1 cars goes by in a zoom and even before you see them, you’ll know 1 is coming. The sound punya la bising. Ear plugs cost RM10 per pair. So, don’t be stingy and make sure you have them with you. Else, you’ll be holding up your hands against your ears throughout the race.

The race begins and Alonso took to the lead with Hamilton following close second. Ferrari sort of screwed it up when Massa lost pole position and then during the initial laps, skidded out for a short while trying to overtake Hamilton. And from then on till the end, it was a McLaren 1-2 win. Raikkonen manage to hold position and ended up 3rd.

Note: bring the following items for your next journey to F1 - sun block, water, sunglasses, ear plugs, some thing to occupy yourself during the wait, a good camera and food.

Conclusion, it is an experience worth going for at least once (the best - if you get a grandstand ticket facing the pits and starting grid). But from a viewer’s perspective, watching it off the TV at home will be much more comfortable.

For more photos, go here.