Like a zombie movie': Irate F1 fans hit by transport chaos in Malaysia

SEPANG INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, 4 OCTOBER 2026 —

Formula 1 fans in Malaysia faced chaotic transport gridlocks and hours-long queues upon the sport’s return to Sepang International Circuit, prompting organisers and transport operators to vow immediate improvements that spectators said came too late for the practice and qualifying sessions on Oct 2 and 3.

Mohd Khalimi Ashraf Mohamed Rethuan, a 43-year-old banker who attended the Oct 2 sessions, said he and his wife were forced to walk 11km from the circuit towards Mitsui Outlet Park, where he had parked his car. “The buses couldn’t come at all, they were stuck (in traffic). People were chasing buses like in a zombie movie,” he told The Straits Times. “It was super chaotic, with zero planning. There was no proper management.

Even police officers were clueless and didn’t know what to do. Traffic management was really bad. A special lane for buses was not utilised properly.” Khalimi was among thousands affected, as social media was awash on Oct 2 with images and videos of massive shuttle queues and streams of spectators walking towards transport hubs.

Some said they waited hours for buses, while others walked to Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s Terminal 2, about 20km away from the circuit.

Spectator Amir ‘Arif Azmi, a 34-year-old legal officer, said he ended up walking 7km on Oct 2 after the sessions ended at 5pm and arrived home only at 11.30pm due to the traffic. The trip home would usually take an hour. “Every time a bus came, people crowded it even when it hadn’t stopped. People were getting frustrated and started to bang on the buses and shout at the drivers,” he told The Straits Times.

“There were other people walking, and some even had to stop by the roadside due to cramps.” Only a limited number of ride-hailing vehicles were authorised to pick up and drop off passengers at the circuit, adding to the transport problems amid heavy traffic and closed roads around the venue. Some individuals began advertising unauthorised motorcycle shuttle services online, charging between RM25 and RM50 for rides between the circuit and designated parking spots.

Access to drinking water was another source of frustration, with spectators reporting long queues and some water stations being out of service amid the hot weather. A few fans even put their tickets up for resale at lower prices after seeing the huge crowds.

Rapid KL, the shuttle bus service provider that deployed 95 buses for the event, said on Oct 3 that it had made changes to the arrangements following feedback, working together with the circuit and relevant agencies to improve pickup and drop-off points. Meanwhile, Sepang International Circuit said it was working closely with its transport partners and the relevant authorities to strengthen traffic, shuttle and crowd management arrangements for the race.

“The experience and safety of our fans remain our highest priority at Sepang International Circuit,” it said in an Oct 3 statement. Khalimi said the situation had improved slightly on Oct 3, but there were still lengthy wait times of around two hours for the buses.

Amir ‘Arif added that while the queues were more orderly after the sessions ended on Oct 3, he managed to get on a bus only after waiting for two hours.

For them, the experience has marred the 2026 F1 weekend, though they hope the problems will be addressed if the race returns to Malaysia. “For me, this weekend was a great opportunity to prove that F1 still belongs in Malaysia and, hopefully, permanently. That could bring in more spectators and create significant benefits for tourism, hospitality, airlines, F&B and businesses,” said Khalimi. “Crowd management is the biggest problem.

They have to make sure this doesn’t happen again.” Student Muhammad M. Azlan Noor, 20, said this was not how he wanted to experience his first F1 race. “It was actually kind of frustrating as I was so excited to attend my first Grand Prix,” he said.

M. Zulkarnain Hamzah, co-founder of transport advocacy group Transit Malaysia, said the experience pointed to shortcomings in capacity and crowd management. “It’s just simply a case of not enough buses and poor crowd management,” he told The Straits Times. “There wasn’t any proper queue management for boarding and the wait times were getting too long.” He said the level of service was inadequate in terms of bus capacity, frequency and reliability.

“Coordination is clearly lacking for sure,” he said.

Organisers explained that the problems arose because they had to prepare for an event on a much larger scale than a normal race weekend, with far less time to do so after the Bahrain Grand Prix was relocated to Malaysia at short notice.

Related: Rapid KL · M. Zulkarnain Hamzah · Sepang International Circuit