Malaysian Grand Prix - March 23-24, 2013

I saw my first Formula 1 race in Malaysia back in 2010, and even posted a few tips about it. Since then, I’ve attended two races in Singapore, one in Japan, and seen dozens of other races on TV, so I’m no longer an ignorant newbie. The more I’ve learned, the more I enjoy this fiendishly complex sport, which doesn’t get much coverage in the USA, where NASCAR dominates the racing scene.

Asia holds 8 of the 19 races this year and the first of these is the Malaysian Grand Prix, which is the 2nd race of the season (after the Australian GP in Melbourne). Malaysia is probably the cheapest F1 race as well, with earlybird tickets bought before December 31, 2012 half-price, an unbelievable bargain. With the circuit next to the airport, it makes sense to fly from Singapore and spend the weekend there. In fact, the combined price of the flight, hotel, and Turn 1 ticket is still half the price of a Turn 1 ticket in Singapore.



I bought my tickets back in November and secured a great spot at the top of the K1 Grandstand, which looks down the pit straightaway. Turns out these are probably the best seats on the track as you can see the cars racing down the straight as well as the maneuvering in the first two turns. That is the start below, there was still water on the track from an earlier storm which hampers the view of those starting back on the grid.



Qualifying was held on Saturday and the race followed on Sunday. No need to recap the events, although the race was quite controversial as Sebastian Vettel ignored team orders and passed Mark Webber to take the chequered flag, causing a significant bit of friction between the two drivers. Incidentally, I have seen five Grands Prix and Vettel (below) has won every one of them. That's Webber in the second shot below. You'll notice that the cars are identical except for the drivers number (Webber's 2 is barely visible) and the colours on the cameras atop the air box (black in Vettel's car, fluorescent yellow in Webber's). The top driver in the team gets the black camera, and the second driver  gets the yellow; this is probably the easiest way to recognize the cars from afar.





There was an incident at the start of the second lap when Fernando Alonso lost control after damaging his front wing and drove straight into the gravel in front of us. That's his car below on the flatbed.



As usual, the F1 was an excellent experience but there were two occurrences that made the race slightly less enjoyable. The first was that the diamond screen (which shows the live TV feed) in front of our section was off for most of the race, only becoming operational with about 12 laps of the 56 total left to be driven. When at a big track like this, you want to see what is happening at other areas, along with replays. Not having this functionality was very disappointing.

The other problem was that the race commentary was in both English and Malay, meaning that some key points were not communicated to those at the track. The locals should have their own frequency and the full race should be broadcast in English; when combined with no screen it meant that we missed some very important developments.

Of course, the most important aspect was the fact that Vettel went ahead and won the race despite having been told to stay back. We did not know this sitting in our seats and didn’t find out until much later. It could be one of the most significant events of the F1 season and shows how the sport is more for the constructors rather than the individual drivers. Lewis Hamilton finished third and his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg was furious for being told to stay back in fourth. At least Rosberg followed orders, while Vettel is now public enemy #1 in Australia.

These are just two of the storylines that promise to make this an interesting season in Formula 1 this year so if you haven’t followed it before, now would be a good time to start.

Best,

Sean

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Japanese Grand Prix - October 7, 2012

While I was in Sri Lanka, I received a message from my friend Mike saying that he had an extra ticket for the Formula 1 race in Japan that coming Sunday. As it happened, I was going to be in Tokyo that weekend, although Mike didn't know that. He had received the tickets from a co-worker and had already asked all of his Tokyo-based buddies, none of whom could go on short notice. He was hoping that I would fly over from Singapore to join him for the race. Even that would have been a difficult trip to make but fortunately, I already had a flight ticket to Japan and Sunday was a free day for me, so the decision was pretty easy to make.

Early Sunday morning, I met Mike at Tokyo Station and we boarded the Shinkansen for Nagoya, the closest big city to Suzuka International Racing Course, home of the Japanese Grand Prix.

Suzuka Circuit



Built in 1962 as a test track for Honda Motors, Suzuka Circuit has evolved into one of the more challenging tracks on the Formula 1 calendar. It held its first F1 race in 1987 and for 20 years it was the site of either the penultimate or final race of the season, so the world championship was often decided here. Enthusiasts particularly remember the crashes between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost that decided the titles in 1989 (Prost) and 1990 (Senna), and Senna took the 1991 title here as well, his third and last world championship. In 2006 and 2007, the Japanese Grand Prix moved to Fuji as part of an agreement that was to annually alternate the race between the two venues, but this arrangement never transpired. Since 2008, the race has been held at Suzuka every year with no sign of leaving anytime soon. It takes place over three days in early October and during that time, Suzuka becomes the center of the racing world.



This is somewhat ironic because the track is rather far from civilization, lying about an hour from Nagoya. To get there, first take a train to Suzuka Circuit Iino station and then follow everyone along a narrow sidewalk for about 15 minutes to reach the 1st corner gate (above). As you approach, you will notice helicopters ferrying the drivers and other VIPs to the track (below).



Inside the circuit there is plenty of space, but many fans sit outside the grandstand, using groundsheets to mark their territory. This is because the sun shines into the main grandstand for most of the day, so to avoid getting a nasty burn, most fans relax near the eating area until the festivities begin. This does make walking through here a bit frustrating as there is no pattern determining where people choose to sit, so you have to pick your way around, being careful not to kick over any beers or young kids.



The shot above is taken at GP Square, just outside the main grandstand. Here you will find over a dozen concessions offering all sorts of Japanese and Western fare. Even better, prices are the same as you would pay outside the circuit. I tried a number of different items, with the nikuman stand (below) offering very tasty pork buns and gyoza. Yakitori, curry, noodles, rice bowls, even pineapple slices on a stick are also available. Definitely spend some time walking around to check all the options.



Due to the crowds, there is a very organized system for queuing. On the ground you will see white lines tracing a back-and-forth path in front of each concession (below); simply line up behind the last person here and follow the lines on the ground. Even if you don't understand, there is somebody there to kindly explain it to you.



Beer is available on tap for 500 yen, or you can visit the Lawson convenience store underneath the main grandstand, which sells chilled cans without any markup, and no limit as far as I could tell. There are tables that are safely hidden from the afternoon sun where you can stand and eat in a comfortable setting, and perhaps engage in some people watching as well.



There are also plenty of souvenir stands selling merchandise from each constructor as well as the more popular drivers, such as Jensen Button. Most fans had one piece of F1 paraphernalia on their person, and some went all out, dressing from head to toe in their favourite car's colours.

There is a theme park here that includes a Ferris wheel which seemed to be popular, although I did not bother to check it out given our limited time. I would suggest that you spend all three days here if you can; one day is not enough to see the entire venue, which is very large indeed.



After the race, returning to Nagoya was easier and faster than expected. Again, brilliant organization was the key. As you approach the station, you are forced into a queue depending on which direction you are going. For those going south, there is no waiting, but for those heading north to Nagoya, each queue is dedicated to one regular train. Before the next train approaches, everybody in the queue for that particular train is allowed onto the platform. The train arrives, everybody boards, and the train departs, all in an orderly fashion. Then the next queue is allowed onto the platform for the next train, just like clockwork. If you are in a hurry, there are also express trains that save a few minutes but for which special tickets are required. These can be booked in advance, but you then need to take that specific train. Therefore, you must avoid the regular queue and move into the special “express” queue. It might sound confusing, but once you get there, it is easy to figure out what to do and if you are stuck, somebody will be glad to help. This remarkable efficiency that gets crowds moving is one of the things that I miss about Japan.

Overall, I was happy to be able to add Suzuka to my visited venue list. I wasn't much of a racing fan while I lived in Japan, but have begun to appreciate the sport quite a bit now and am thankful to Mike  and his busy friends for allowing me a chance to see F1 in one of its grandest tracks.

The Race



The tickets we had were some of the best,  right in the middle of the grandstand with a face value of 68,000 yen ($850). From here, we could see pit lane and the start and finish lines, but very little racing occurs down this stretch.



Still, the two hours or so before the race is one in which the buzz grows by the minute. First, the drivers parade is conducted, as each racer is driven in a classic car around the track to greet their fans (that's Button above).



Then fans watch the cars being assembled in their garages before being wheeled out to the track. Then the drivers suit up as the mechanics make their last second adjustments (above) leading to the warm-up lap. Below is Bruno Senna preparing to run his lap while his team stands aside.



Finally the race. By the time 24 cars roar towards Turn 1 (below), the entire grandstand is awash with anticipation, and only after the cars disappear between the pit building do fans finally relax, only to be brought to their feet again a minute later as the leaders emerge from the final turn to race down the main straightaway, the first of 53 laps on the day.




However, that first lap is usually the highlight of the afternoon and the race itself is often anticlimactic as there is little passing at the front after that. That was the case here as well as championship points leader Fernando Alonso spun out of the race going into the first turn and Romain Grosjean bumped Mark Webber at turn 2. Once all the dust cleared, pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel had the lead and he had no trouble keeping lead, taking the race to close within 4 points of Alonso. The shot below is of the race position after 14 laps, with Vettel leading local favourite Kamui Kobayashi while Felipe Massa ran third. These were the three podium finishers, although Massa overtook Kobayashi for second by the end of the race.



It was actually a pretty exciting finish for Kobayashi (below), who beat Button by just half a second to net the first podium of his career, which made the Japanese fans very happy indeed.



The presentation was held just across from the grandstand, and you can see Kobayashi holding his 3rd place trophy while Vettel applauds. Great stuff, and perhaps enough to get Kobayashi a contract for next season.



There is nothing quite like F1 and the race in Japan may be the most interesting of all. If you happen to be in Japan in early October and looking for something to do, consider a trip to Suzuka for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Next Up

Things have hit a lull here as my travel schedule settles down. I'm off to Brunei for an upcoming long weekend but there is nothing to see there in the world of sports. Then I'll be visiting the Philippines where there is some MMA (PXC is the Asian equivalent of UFC) and basketball available so I'll have to choose one of those two events. The following week will see me in India during the Ranji Trophy, but I'm not sure if there'll be a match in the city I will be visiting. Even Singapore has a few events coming up, including the final of the Singapore Cup next weekend, the Singapore Rugby 7s during the first weekend of November, the Singapore Open golf tournament on November 10th and 11th, and the Clash of Continents tennis tournament at the end of the month. So despite not being back in North America, I will be watching some sports and updating this blog. Check back on occasion to see what's going on.

Best,

Sean

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F1 Singapore Practice

Formula 1 has returned to Singapore, the 5th year that the race has been on the calendar. It is the biggest sports weekend in the country and certainly not an event I could skip. Last year at this time I was visiting Singapore on short notice and managed to get a limited walkabout pass on the day of the race. This year though, with time to prepare, I took advantage of the fact that far too many locals buy far too many tickets and there are always decent offers available online. I prefer the walkabout tickets to a single grandstand location and bought a Friday/Sunday Premier Walkabout combination, which is not available through normal outlets.



Friday is the "cheap" day with two F1 practices, while Saturday has a third practice and the qualifying before the race on Sunday. There are three other car types as well that hold practice and qualifying throughout the weekend, along with several concerts, with Maroon 5 and Katy Perry headlining this year.



I am now working in the Marina Bay area and my office building (Millenia Tower, on the left above) is just a couple of minutes from Gate 2, so at 5:30 I bounded out of the office and crossed the street to enter the circuit. Never before had I been so conveniently located to a major sporting event! I immediately made my way to Zone 1, which is where the start/finish line, pits, and suites are all located. I arrived just as the first of two practices was getting started. My friend Sajith, who also recently moved to Singapore from Japan, joined me.

My main goal of the practice session was to figure out the best place to stand for the race on Sunday. I started next to Turn 1, which is where the cars exit the pit. That is Mercedes' driver Michael Schumacher starting his run below.



I found this area to offer the best view as the cars are decelerating into the first turn and you can see them move into Turns 2 and 3 as well. The Pit Grandstand is further down the track and it seems like all you would see is the cars zooming by or being attended to in the pit, although I can't say for sure. I prefer to be next to the turns in any case.

In order to check out the views from other areas, we moved down the track, going against the direction of cars, past the grandstands and start line to Turn 23, the last turn before the straight. Here, you are somewhat farther away from the track and it is not as interesting as being near Turn 1, and pictures are not as good.



By this time, the first practice was nearing its end, so we made our way over to zone 2. As I came down from the overpass, I saw the GP2 cars waiting to enter the track for their qualifying run. The GP2 is sort of the minor leagues for F1 and many current F1 stars participated in GP2, including Lewis Hamilton. It is rare to be so close to a race car with the driver inside and I was amazed at Nigel Melker of the Netherlands (above) whose concentration was so intense that he simply stared ahead for ten minutes, the occasional blink the only sign he was alive. Below is the car belonging to Stephane Richelmi of Monaco.



Once the GP2 cars had moved out onto the track, Sajith and I continued over to the Singapore Flyer, the world's largest ferris wheel. Those with Premier Walkabout tickets were entitled to unlimited free rides, normally a $33 value. Because the Flyer is inside the circuit, the general public is not able to get inside during the weekend. Even then, I expected long lines, but was surprised to see that few fans were taking advantage of this offer. That allowed us enough time to grab dinner at the Singapore Food Trail, an upscale hawker centre (outdoor food court) just underneath the Flyer, where 10 satay sticks will cost you $10, much cheaper than the other options scattered around the circuit.



After eating, we entered the Flyer and were quickly aboard one of the 28 capsules, along with about 20 others. The second F1 practice had yet to begin, so we were left with taking pictures of the Singapore skyline (above, with the Bay Grandstand off to the right).

It takes about 30 minutes to make one revolution, and we were back on the ground at around 9:15. With the next practice scheduled to begin in just 15 minutes, we decided to ride one more time, hoping to capture some of the action from 165 metres above the track.



We could hear the first roars of the engine as we entered the capsule and were fortunate that the second practice took place in perfect conditions, clear and dry. As the wheel takes you higher, you have a great view of the straightaway (above). Below you can see one of the Red Bull cars crossing the finish line, a possible outcome on Sunday as well. This photo also serves as a reminder that it is time to get a better camera!



On the way back down, you see the other side of the track, starting at Turn 5 and going all the way around to the Esplanade Bridge before making its way back to the Bay Grandstand, where the cars briefly disappear as they actually drive underneath the seats. Below is Heikki Kovalainen of Caterham at Turn 5.



After completing our second go-around, we made our way trackside, where I heard that Bruno Senna had crashed at Turn 19, very close to where we were. Just then we saw the track marshals bringing Senna's car off the track and they set it down right in front of us, causing a large crowd to gather. From the shot below, you can't really see the damage as he just touched the wall, but it was enough to end his evening.



That was also enough for me as there was just a few minutes of practice left, so I walked back to my office to collect my stuff and head home. Even from the office, the engines were incredibly loud and I was able to see a small portion of the track coming out of Turn 5, but not enough that it would be worth watching the race from there.

This was a great evening and a bargain at just $60. The crowd is perhaps a third of what will show up for the race, so it is easier to move around and see a variety of different attractions. It was a definitely one of the more interesting sport spectator experiences and for those who may not be racing fans, worth checking out just for the other options.

Update

Sebastian Vettel won the race on Sunday after Lewis Hamilton suffered a gearbox failure while leading midway through.

Next Up

Lots of travel in the next month, with a few sporting events thrown in. I'll be in Hong Kong this coming week but have yet to spot anything worth attending. After spending a single day in Singapore next Saturday, I'll be off to Sri Lanka for a few matches in cricket's Twenty20 World Cup. The week following, I'll be back to Tokyo, where a ball game and a tennis tournament are possibilities, not to mention the world-famous Yamato Cup, at which I'll be helping out. Check back for updates.

Best,

Sean

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F1 in Singapore

Last year I saw my first F1 race in Malaysia and found it to be a great experience. So when my girlfriend told me she had a business trip to Singapore the week before the F1 was to be held there, I decided to accompany her and spend some time watching cars go really fast.

Singapore is the only night race on the F1 calendar and for that reason alone, it is very popular. Most tickets were good for all 3 days of the weekend (practice is held on Friday night, practice and qualifying on Saturday, and the race on Sunday night). I only wanted to see the race, but the Sunday-only tickets were sold out in advance. Fortunately, the organizers made some walkabout tickets available on Sunday morning and I was able to pick one up after queuing for an hour at the main ticket center in the Raffles Place Convention Center.

The walkabout ticket allows you into one of four "zones" but it includes the Padang, a large park area surrounded by concessions and a stage where concerts are held, as well as the Esplanade bridge, one of the faster areas on the circuit. At S$148 (about $110), it is the cheapest option. If you want to sit, you can expect to pay twice that at a minimum, but you do get all three days for that. The pictures here are from various points in the walkabout area, where you can see plenty of great skyline views.

The track is a city circuit, which means that the cars race on normal roads. The track is set up a week in advance, which is a nightmare for local drivers, but provides chances for fans to walk around the area and figure out where the best place to watch might be.

Two views of the skyline, the above from the Padang, the below from Esplanade Bridge.

The Practice

On Friday evening, I was fortunate to find myself next to One Raffles Link, which hosts an Irish bar called Durty Nelly's. From here you can watch the cars race along Raffles Blvd until they hit turn 7, a sharp left turn that requires sudden braking and immediate acceleration off the turn. It was amazing to watch the differences in the driver skills as those at the top of the sport and with better cars were able to brake much closer to the turn, while the bottom feeders slowed down well in advance.

This is a great place to watch the practice from and it is free, and you can enjoy a real beer as well. Even better, there are some areas where there is no fence as you can see in the pictures above and below. Just don't forget your earplugs!

The Race

The race was scheduled to begin at 8:00, but you can enter the track from 3:00 and enjoy the food and entertainment on offer. There are two other races involving lesser cars and younger drivers which can be mildly interesting. Most fans ignore these though, and wander about, looking for the best place to stand or sit. There are raised viewing platforms but these become extremely crowded as the race approaches and you are forced to stay there the whole time to save your spot.

About an hour before the race, the drivers are paraded about in classic cars, waving to their fans. That's Timo Glock below, checking his twitter feed instead of basking in the cheering throng.

I stood along the Esplanade Bridge for the race, as it was a spot where there was some space. Unfortunately, it is where the cars are zooming by at around 250 kph, so good pictures with my crappy camera are difficult to get. But it is a rush to be there and just watch these machines go by for nearly 2 hours.

I had my radio earphones I had bought last year in Malaysia, and I was able to listen to the race commentary and stave off deafness. The race itself wasn't very good as Sebastian Vettel led from start to finish. Jenson Button finished only 1.7 seconds behind, but this is only because Vettel had to fight through traffic near the end. Upon completion of the race, fireworks were set off which made for an interesting sight with the Singapore Flyer in the distance.

During the race, many fans didn't bother to watch the action live, but chose to follow on the large screens scattered about (below). The atmosphere at an F1 race is unique and I can see why these fans spend the money just to be a part of it.

Overall, F1 is something that any sports fan should experience. There are races all around the world, including one in Montreal. This season has been a bit boring with Vettel's domination, but the sport itself is one of the most thrilling out there. If you've yet to visit an F1 track, put it on your to-do list.

Best,

Sean

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Super Sports Sunday

Just wanted to let my faithful readers in on a little secret: Europe is great for sports! Today was May 16th, a typical Sunday for many. But here in London, it was a fantastic day for sports fans. We started off with the F1 beginning at 1 pm. To be honest, I missed it as I was actually doing some sightseeing. Shameful I know. But at 4:30 it was the T20 World Cup, the championship for 20/20 cricket. It featured Australia and England and took place in the Barbados. England won quite easily to take their first limited overs world championship.

Normally these two events might be enough for a typical sports fan. But not here. While the 20/20 was going on, Barcelona was defeating Valladolid 4-0 in the Spanish La Liga. The win gave Barca the title and relegated Valladaloid. At the same time, Oxford United knocked off York 3-1 to take the Blue Square Premier playoff spot that promotes them to League 2 next season. I was considering going to this game but the weather was not that good so I chose the drinking beer and watching cricket option instead.

Bored yet? I haven't mentioned the Guiness Premiership rugby semi-final between Leicester and Bath. That was on at the same time and Leicster won 15-6 in a game that saw no tries, only 7 penalties. Leicester face the Saracens next week in the final to be held at Twickenham in London.

The last game of the evening was the women's 20/20 championship between Australia and New Zealand. I caught some of the match at a local and found it to be much less interesting than the men's game as Australia could only manage 106 runs in their 20 overs. But the Kiwis were worse and only notched 103 runs as Australia took one title at least.

For those who would want more sports, the NBA and NHL playoffs both began their conference finals on the same day. Chicago won in San Jose and Boston upset Orlando while Montreal and Philly are just underway.

What's the point of this post? Just that sports is universal and if you learn about the variety of available sports, you will always have something to watch.

Best,

Sean

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Tips for watching the Malaysian Grand Prix

Formula One could be the most difficult sport for a road trip. Each Grand Prix takes place in a different country, there's only one race per Grand Prix, and the races are a week or two apart. So you really only get one chance to get it right. As the tracks are huge, your seat choice is critical. With that in mind, I'm offering a few tips on the Malaysian Grand Prix.

1) Book early and stay near the airport for the weekend. Sepang International Circuit is about an hour from downtown and you'll likely be going for two or three days. I was only in Kuala Lumpur for 2 days, but took six separate 1-hour bus rides between the airport and downtown (two for the flights, four for the races). That's a lot of wasted time; it would have been smarter to stay close to the circuit but the decision to go was made at the last moment. There aren't many hotel choices nearby, so book early. If you don't mind basic accommodations, the Tune.Com hotel near the Low Cost Carrier Terminal seems like a good bet.

2) If you are staying downtown, use the Skybus to get to the circuit. There are options that use the train but these require a transfer and it's much simpler to just board the bus at Sentral or KLCC and relax for the hour ride. It's RM15 one way which is pretty cheap.

3) Don't buy your ticket in advance. There are plenty of tickets at the box office, but even better, lots of scalpers who are selling tickets well below face value. Many tickets are given away or sold at discounts to local groups; some of these tickets find their way into the hands of resellers. I got a 500RM ticket for just 200, about $60. Study the seating options, there are many different choices. I recommend sitting in the mall area, there's plenty of food options between the two seating areas. The difference between the upper and lower level is significant; my ticket was for the lower-level Citrine section, but I just walked upstairs to the Topaz section which offered a better view. Check out the pictures below for the difference.

The fence blocks your view down low

The bottom right corner shows where the fence is when you are upstairs

Obviously the start/finish line is the prime seating, but I found the opposite side to have a better view of more of the track. The hillside seats are much cheaper but seem to have limited amenties. Generally I would recommend getting there early on Saturday and looking for a grandstand seat from a scalper. If you get a lower seat, it seems pretty easy to walk to the upper level so try that if you can. The picture below shows the grandstand - the left side is where the finish line is while the right side is the Citrine/Topaz section where I was. Note how long the grandstand is, it takes nearly 10 minutes to walk from one end to the other.

4) Bring earphones. It is very, very loud. I bought the race radio headset which was ridiculously overpriced but helped a lot in understanding what was going on and also blocked the worst of the engine noise. Earplugs are also available outside the circuit for just RM5, so that's another option. But don't try to tough it out; the race is 90 minutes long and your ears will suffer without some protection. Binoculars are also very useful.

5) Eat at the circuit but bring lots of water. There are some great local food selections at reasonable prices. I had a big bowl of watermelon for the equivalent of $1. Kept me hyrdated for a while, but you will need a couple of bottles of water for the long day. If you get there at 11 am, you'll spend 7 hours outside in the heat so water is a necessity.

Satay stand

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Malaysian Grand Prix - April 3/4, 2010

After a couple of nights in Singapore, I flew to Kuala Lumpur on Saturday morning to spend the weekend watching the Malaysian Grand Prix. The qualifying was scheduled for the afternoon while the actual race would be held Sunday.

Formula 1 Primer

Before I get to the race, I want to give a bit of background on how F1 works for those who may not be familiar with the sport. I am no expert on motor sport in general but it is a fiendishly complex (not to mention expensive) activity so this primer will just give the very basics.

Formula 1 is the highest class of auto racing with the Formula in the title referring to the fact that each car must conform to a set of rules. These rules are very complicated and are always changing, so I won't attempt to explain them here. I will mention that in 2010, no refuelling is allowed during the race, the first time this has been enforced since 1993.

This is the 61st season of F1 racing. This year there are 12 teams who are responsible for entering the cars in the race. The teams are often known as constructors, but this is not entirely accurate. Constructors are the companies who are responsible for building the car itself, particularly the chassis. The team, on the other hand, is usually sponsored and includes the constructor in the team name. For example, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is one of the teams; in this team McLaren is the constructor.

Cars are composed of two main elements: the chassis and the engine; generally each constructor builds the chassis and acquires the engine from somewhere else, although this is not always true. Ferrari, likely the most famous of the 12 teams currently racing in F1, builds both its chassis and engine; McLaren uses a Mercedes engine however.

Each team has two main drivers so each race begins with 24 cars on the track. The starting order is determined by a qualifying session held the day before the race. When the race is complete, points are awarded to the top 10 finishers. Beginning this season, the points are awarded on a 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 basis, which gives a large advantage to race winners.

There are 19 races scheduled for this year; each race is known as a Grand Prix and is held in a different country. Melbourne, Australia held the first race of the season At the end of the season, the driver with the most race points is the world champion and the constructor with the most points wins the Constructors Championship.

Got it? If not, use the Wikipedia entry for more detail.

Getting To Sepang

The Malaysian Grand Prix is run at Sepang International Circuit (SIC), located near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, about 60 km outside of the city itself. There are plenty of options to get there, but the best is likely the Skybus that is run by Air Asia. You can board at KL Sentral among other downtown locations, and the bus takes you directly to the circuit for only 15 Malaysian Ringgit (RM), about $4.75. The ride takes around an hour, but it's better than the other options which involve trains and transfers to a bus. They might be slightly faster, but they are not as simple.

A funny story though - I caught the last Skybus at 2pm from KL Sentral and was disappointed to discover it lacked air conditioning. As we cruised down the highway, we passed another empty Skybus which looked much more comfortable. A few minutes later, the driver pulled over and got off the bus, causing a few perplexed looks amongst the passengers. Turns out the nicer bus had also pulled over and we were transferred to it for the rest of the ride. It was surreal walking along the side of a Malaysian highway but well worth it when we boarded the cool confines of the newer bus.

Seating Options

Once you get to Sepang, you need to buy your ticket. It is possible to buy tickets on-line but I waited until I got there. There are dozens of categories and it would take a separate post just to enumerate them all. This seating viewer helps; the Mall Area is the best as there are seats on two levels, entirely covered, with food and merchandise options throughout. Definitely try for the upper tier if you can; it's slightly more expensive but provides a better view. The hillside seats seemed farther away and in some cases were uncovered, so I wouldn't recommend those.

I didn't know much of this when I arrived at the box office and tried to get a ticket to the Tower section where the final turn before the finish line is located. But my credit card was declined - they were using a PIN system which I wasn't familiar with. Apparently I do have a PIN for my card, but I've never used it before. They had an ATM onsite, but I had already used an ATM at the airport and so was prevented from making another withdrawal (I had left most of my cash at the hotel, idiotically thinking my card would be enough).

I was getting a bit worried, but soon realized that there were plenty of people with an extra tickets . In particular, one local gentleman had been given a freebie and was now trying to see his own ticket. It was a Citrine ticket worth 500 RM and I managed to get him down to 200 RM, about $62 and almost all the cash I had left. At the time, I didn't know where I would be sitting, but it turned out to be a great spot with views of most of the south side of the circuit.

Qualifying

As I entered the gates, I could hear the engines revving in the distance. Qualifying had begun. The qualifying process involves three sessions in which the slowest cars in each session are eliminated. The first session (Q1) runs 20 minutes and all 24 cars can run as many laps as they want. Each driver takes his best lap time and the seven slowest drivers are then eliminated, taking starting positions 18-24. The remaining cars then conduct Q2 over a 15-minute session and again the slowest 7 are knocked out, taking positions 11-17. Q3 is only 10-minutes and again the best lap time here gets the coveted pole position.

The qualifying process is not that exciting as it is difficult to follow the qualifying speeds for each driver. I didn't have the race radio, so I was just watching as cars zoomed by at around 200 mph. Below is Bruno Senna of the Hispania Racing Team.

To make matters worse, it rained hard and they stopped the qualifying for a bit. It turned out that the rain was the biggest story of the weekend as it forced the teams to change tires and several of the top drivers were eliminated early due to bad decisions. In particular, Lewis Hamilton of McLaren and Ferrari's Feliipe Massa and Fernando Alonso were all eliminated in Q1 and started 20th, 21st, and 19th respectively. World Champion Jenson Button spun out and started 17th. It was a shocking development as Red Bull's Mark Webber took the pole with teammate Sebastien Vettel in 3rd. Nico Rosberg of Mercedes took the 2nd spot. The complete results are here.

In all, I only spent an hour at the track. The rain and loud engines forced me out but I had seen enough to know that this was a sport worth following. I went back to Kuala Lumpur with high expectations for the race on Sunday.

The Race

Sunday morning was hot and sunny as I made my way back to Sepang. After arriving, my first task was to buy the race radio headphones, which would protect my ears and give me live radio coverage of the race. At RM150 ($46) they were way overpriced, but you can't put a price on hearing. With the engines so loud, you absolutely need some protection for your ears.

Once inside, I noticed lots of festivities before the race, including an autograph session with some drivers, but the throng of people waiting prevented me from getting anywhere close. Rather, I made my way to my seat and studied the morning paper, which had a starting grid and a few articles about the race.

After a while, I walked about the Mall Area (above) and grabbed some lunch. But it was too hot to stay out in the sun for long, so I returned to my seat. But someone was sitting there, so I decided to venture upstairs to see what the view was like. This was the best decision I made, as the upper tier offers far better views of the entire track. I stood there for the entire race but it was perfect as it was covered and there was a light breeze that was not felt in the lower tier.

As race time approached, the Malaysian Air Force did a short air show (shown below).

The drivers were paraded out to answer questions posed by local children. Each of the twelve teams had to answer one question; it was a nice segment but I found it odd that they would do something lighthearted just before the race. Shouldn't the drivers be focused on the task at hand?

While the drivers were preparing for the race, a track inspection was conducted. Having the race radio was useful here as I could hear driver interviews and other tidbits of info. Fifteen minutes before race time, the national anthem was played and then the cars made their way onto the track. There was a single lap run to get the cars ready and then it was race time. Only 23 cars started as BMW's Pedro de la Rosa's car failed to start for the test lap.

The start line was behind me but I could hear the roar of the engines as the cars accelerated into the first turn. As things would happen, the race was decided here as Vettel passed Rosberg and Webber to take the lead immediately. When the cars first passed in front of me they were bunched together (see below), but by the fifth lap, there was already significant separation between them.

The first incident happened right in front of me when Timo Glock spun out and couldn't get started. The race officials ran onto the track and pushed the car out of danger. Glock was done and took a motorcycle back to the paddock while his car was lifted onto a flatbed.

As the race continued, Massa, Alsonso, Hamilton and Button made their way through the field, but nobody was able to catch Vettel and Webber, who continued to run 1-2 as shown below.

Michael Schumacher had a wheel issue and was forced out on the 9th lap. That's his car on the grass below.

There was little excitement in the race after that. Vitaly Petrov had a gearbox problem and was out on lap 32 - that's his car on the flatbed.

The rest of the race was uneventful and Vettel won going away, completing the 56 laps in 1:33:48.412. Webber took second and Rosberg third as the top three didn't change from lap 1. Hamilton had moved up to 6th, but his poor decision in qualifying hurt him badly. The results tightened up the points race with Vettel moving up to 37 points, tying him for second with Alsonso, just two points behind Massa who finished 7th.

Below are the drivers being cheered by track officials as they run the post-race lap.

Throughout the race, the announcers talked about the impending rain, but the race ended on a dry track and the storm that was supposed to cause havoc never appeared. Frankly, the race was anti-climatic - Formula 1 offers few opportunities for passing and the difference in the top cars makes it difficult to catch up. I still had a great time here though and would recommend the experience to anyone who has a chance to attend.

Photos

Just a few shots here of some of the cars.

Sebastian Vettel

Vettel again

Adrian Sutil

Felipe Massa

Mark Webber

Sebastian Buemi

Nico Rosberg

Lewis Hamilton

Notes

Merchandise is widely available but I didn't partake. Lotus was very popular here though as they are a Malaysian team. There was also a display of historic F1 cars located near the entry gate. This was pretty cool and also a good place to stand during the thunderstorm that affected qualifying.

Now that I understand the sport a little better, I'm looking forward to attending another race soon. Singapore in September anyone?

Best,

Sean

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