F1: Sombre Sepang, smaller crowd

The atmosphere at Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang was clearly subdued.

Though organisers could not confirm final attendance numbers, Sepang International Circuit (SIC) chief executive officer Datuk Razlan Razali doubts crowd figures will reach the targeted 90,000 for the three-day event.

The obvious reason for the low turnout was that Malaysia was still in mourning following the MH370 tragedy, but Razlan also felt the controversy over the new, quieter V6 engines could have affected fan interest.

The new Formula 1 cars feature hybrid 1.6-litre V6 turbo engines that are not as loud as the former 2.4-litre high-revving V8 engines.

"There have been many negative comments about the sound of the new cars after the Australian GP (two weeks ago), both from the fans and even the drivers themselves," Razlan said.

"I think many people were discouraged by that. Ask Formula 1 fans anywhere and they'll tell you one of the reasons they love this sport is because of the noise, the roar of the engines."

Razlan added that the heavy rain which fell during qualifying on Saturday might have also discouraged people to travel to Sepang, which is a one-hour journey from Kuala Lumpur.

Rain did fall during the race yesterday, but only intermittently, and it did not affect activity on the track.

Attendances at Sepang have been falling since the venue hit a record number of 140,000 in 2006.

The average price of a ticket is RM340 ($130).

The Malaysian Grand Prix, which began in 1999, has never been a sold-out affair.

It attracted 84,000 fans last year, and Razlan estimated the figure for this season's race to be between 75,000 and 85,000.

"You could say the falling attendance is a trend, but like I've said earlier in the week, this race is still the biggest international event for Malaysia.

"I think we can better judge (the trend) next year, because circumstances this year, with the airline tragedy, make it difficult to gauge overall where the race is headed."

A one-minute silence was observed before the start of the race yesterday, with Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone at the starting grid with the drivers.

In a show of solidarity with the grieving families of loved ones on board the doomed Malaysian Airlines plane, every team displayed stickers bearing the flight number MH370 on the side of their cars or helmets over the weekend.

"I don't think anyone arrived in Malaysia this week without talking and feeling sad about the missing flight," said Ferrari test driver, Marc Gene.

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