Malaysia’s Formula for a good time

As recently as a month ago, I wouldn’t even have considered Formula 1 racing as one of my top five favorite sports to watch. That honor belonged to basketball, American football, soccer, wrestling and ultimate fighting. Then I got to actually watch a live F1 race at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia. It rattled my brains — figuratively and literally. I’ve watched a lot of sporting events live and there is nothing that compares to watching an F1 race in person. Absolutely nothing.

The roar of the F1’s V8 engines alone is an experience one will never forget. The sound those engines make is so piercing it makes your brain rattle. They’re so loud, earplugs aren’t only recommended, they’re necessary. Anybody who is even remotely interested in cars has to hear the sound of an F1 engine at least once in his or her life.

Add to that auditory treat seeing one of the fastest machines on the planet and you’ve got yourself one hell of an experience. After watching the race, my definition of "fast" was obliterated. If you want to see a fast car, watch a car that zooms at 300 km/h for an hour and a half.

What amazes me the most, though, about Formula 1 is the science that goes into winning a race. From constructing the most aerodynamic cars possible, to deciding what kind of tires to use, to deciding how much fuel to load and how many pit stops to make, to hydrating the drivers properly before a race (they lose about five gallons of water through perspiration during the course of the race) there is enough science in there to make your high school physics professor look stupid.

A Formula 1 race is something that needs to be experienced firsthand in order to appreciate all its glory. The best and most accessible way for us Filipinos to watch a live F1 race is to go to the Sepang Circuit and catch the Malaysian Grand Prix. Malaysia is the only country in the Southeast Asian region that is able to host a Formula 1 race, which speaks volumes of the former British colony.

An estimated 115,000 people from all over the globe, including a handful from the Philippines, traveled to Malaysia early this April just to watch the Malaysian Grand Prix. And from what I saw and heard during the week I spent there, people may have come for the race, but they stayed for everything else.

Personally, there were so many things to do and see in Malaysia, I rarely had enough time to get a full night’s sleep. Whether it was eating all kinds of local fare, from Chinese to Malay to Indian, or visiting one of the most amazing aquariums in the world, or seeing all the modern yet culturally-rooted architecture of the city, there’s always something to experience. Whoever you are and wherever you hail from, Malaysia will give you a sight to see or an adventure to undertake. Malaysia prides itself on having something for everyone.

Of course, for most people, that something is the Malaysian Grand Prix. For most of the Filipino contingent that were there, this was certainly the case. A Grand Prix, in my opinion, is tantamount to watching an Olympic event. I say this because no other sport, apart from arguably basketball and football, is as embraced in so many parts of the world as Formula 1. At a Grand Prix, you always see the best of the best. It’s an ongoing all-star game with a legitimate prize at stake.

If you’re looking for a reason to go to Malaysia, I’m definitely recommending you watch the F1 race and bask in its brilliance firsthand. But like I said before, even if you go there just to watch the race, you’ll find yourself staying (and enjoying) because of everything else Malaysia has to offer.

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For questions, comments or corrections, please e-mail me at emailcarlramirez@yahoo.com.