Sepang International Circuit
The Sepang International Circuit is an FIA Grade 1 race track paved over the rolling hills of Sepang, on a 45-min ride south of downtown Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. The 3.44-mile (5.53-km) raceway was the home for the Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix and the FIM Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix from 1999 to 2019. The circuit is a design by Hermann Tilke and is considered by many to be one of his masterpieces. The elevation changes are remarkable and create plenty of blind corners along the curvy trajectory of the track. The Malaysian climate is oppressively hot and rainy year-round, so paying attention to the weather forecast for the day is a must.
The layout of the Sepang International Circuit is ideal for high-speed racing, with eight straight segments and 15 turns on its clockwise-oriented version. Turn one is a tight right-hander immediately followed by another sharp turn, this time to the left and with negative banking. The first heavy acceleration goes through the long sweeping turn three and only stops when reaching the 90-degree corner number four. The sweeper turns five and six go to the right and then to the left at high speed. The section between corners seven and 14 is a highly technical array of turns with varying angles that, if correctly maneuvered, proves decisive for wining on the Malaysian track. The back straight comes next, with the heaviest braking sector at its end, and from there into the final stretch where racers can get the most power out of their cars at 300 km/h (186 mph).
