Bahrain GP transport chaos should have been anticipated, says Shahril

 The former Umno information chief says although Malaysia was only hosting the race at the Sepang International Circuit, it would still be associated with the mess.

Racing fans were caught in massive congestions while waiting for shuttle buses to take them to the parking areas and transport hubs. (Threads pic)

PETALING JAYA:

The authorities should have anticipated the transport problems that left tens of thousands of F1 fans stranded during the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at the Sepang International Circuit, says former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan.

Shahril acknowledged that the situation was unusual since Malaysia was only hosting the race while the Bahrain International Circuit was organising it.

However, he said, international visitors would still associate their negative experience at the event with Malaysia.

He said Malaysia should consider imposing conditions on organisers in the future to ensure adequate transport arrangements and protect the country’s reputation.

“I’m a little frustrated as to why our side could not anticipate that this would happen,” he said on the latest episode of the Keluar Sekejap podcast.

“People outside (the country) don’t think about whether it’s (the Bahrain Grand Prix) or not. They get angry with Malaysia, and it doesn’t look good for our image.”

Last weekend’s F1 race was the first to be held at Sepang since the Malaysian Grand Prix was cancelled in 2017 after an 18-year run because of rising expenses and declining returns.

The venue came under criticism on Friday for congestion and lengthy waits for shuttle buses to parking areas and nearby transport hubs.

Fans also complained of delays entering and leaving the circuit, while one social media user claimed that people had resorted to walking along a highway emergency lane while waiting for buses.

Massive congestion was also reported around the circuit and roads leading to Kuala Lumpur and the airport after the race ended on Sunday.

Muda deputy president Zaidel Baharuddin, who was a guest co-host on the podcast, said it was too early to determine whether Malaysian parties should be held responsible.

Zaidel said SIC had previously handled large crowds for MotoGP events without such problems.

However, he did not mention that the three-day GP had attracted crowds of beyond 200,000 racing fans.

According to Bahrain International Circuit chief executive Sheikh Salman Isa Al Khalifa, a record 261,000 spectators attended the event, including 103,000 at Sunday’s final race alone. - FMT