A Formula One return to Sepang was supposed to be about engines, not endurance walking. But Malaysian comedian Gajen Nad turned his trip home from Friday practice into an accidental marathon, documenting a nearly 10km trek on foot from Sepang International Circuit to Mitsui Outlet Park after the second practice session.
His reason was refreshingly simple: the shuttle bus queue was so enormous that walking looked quicker. He set off at 6.25pm and reached the outlet mall at 8.05pm — a solid 100 minutes on foot in Malaysian heat. Along the way he compared the crowd to the zombie horde from Train to Busan, and noted that what he filmed was only about 30 per cent of the actual turnout. Some overseas fans, he said, were so disoriented they weren't sure whether they were waiting in Bahrain or Malaysia.
That confusion makes more sense once you know why Sepang is on the calendar at all. The Bahrain Grand Prix was pulled from its April slot because of the war in the Middle East and instability in the region, and Formula One shifted the event to Malaysia. Officially, it runs as the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia — hence fans joking about which country they're actually in. The race weekend runs from October 2 to 4, with the grand prix itself on the Sunday.
Gajen's walk was a comedy special in real time: a "teh tarik river" under a bridge, a solar farm, heat he rated as "hotter than George Russell and Carlos Sainz together", sunscreen that surrendered by 2pm, and a final highway crossing in the dark that he said left his insurance policy trembling.
Beyond the jokes, there's a genuinely useful takeaway for anyone heading to a big event at Sepang. The circuit sits in a semi-rural area about an hour south of Kuala Lumpur, and public transport options around it are thin — expect long queues for shuttles and limited ride-hailing availability when tens of thousands leave at once. Build serious buffer time into your exit plan, carry more water than you think you need, keep sun protection topped up, and consider walking to a nearby hub like Mitsui Outlet Park (which sits right by the airport and the KLIA Transit rail line) if the queues look hopeless. Comfortable shoes might turn out to be your best race-day accessory.
