KUALA LUMPUR — Formula 1 spectators have complained of gridlocked roads, long shuttle bus queues and poor crowd management at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC), after the first day of the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia yesterday.

Malaysian X user @tuakdotsol, said this morning that roads heading towards the circuit remained gridlocked, while private cars and e-hailing vehicles were apparently being stopped at the perimeter, funnelling spectators towards shuttle hubs at Mitsui Outlet Park and KLIA Terminal 2.

“Apparently private cars and Grabs are blocked at the perimeter, so everyone funnels into shuttle hubs at Mitsui outlet and KLIA T2,” the user wrote, alongside images showing large crowds near the circuit.

British content creator Ryan Howlett, who is based in Malaysia, said he left Sepang at 5.45pm yesterday but only managed to board a bus at 9pm, describing the experience as “one of the craziest things” he had encountered.

Howlett also alleged that people were fighting, shouting and throwing objects at buses amid the crowds, while criticising what he described as an absence of signs or information when spectators exited the circuit.

Another X user, @saroki19, described the journey from Sepang to KLIA yesterday as “very bad” and “horrendous”, criticising the organisation of the shuttle service and traffic management.

“Really need to think & plan this well. Sunday is going to be hell!” the user wrote, while tagging Rapid KL, the police and KLIA Ekspres.