2012 Formula One Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix, part 2

As we counted down the minutes to 1600 hrs, the crowd's energy was building up. The stands were filling up and people were visibly getting restless. On the screen we saw children talking to the drivers and then a cultural dance.

Our view to the right

To the left of our stand, the umbrella people

Here come the cleaners

The cleaning team walked the part of the track, picking up debris or whatever could pose a danger to the drivers. Then after a while, we stood up for the national anthem. Cheering ensues. When the cars came out for their warm up laps, it was astounding to hear such loud engines. I was glad I got earplugs.

Ferrari fever! One of the flags at our hillstand

Coming closer to the fence

Boy with binoculars, from the Malay Ferrari family in front of us

And then the race began. The top qualifiers from the previous day, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, lost their leads. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso zoomed to the front of the pack, to the delight of the hillstand's Ferrari fans, who came in the team colours, waved their big red flags and cheered the first few laps Alonso drove past us. Since we had somewhat arbitrarily chosen Ferrari beforehand (see overpriced cap as evidence--and only because Paolo had studied in Spain, hahaha), we thought this was cool.

We're with the team! Very subtle branding

It's true what they say: you do see more on television because of the multiple camera angles. Regardless of where you're seated, whether you're paying RM63 (P882) or RM1762 (P26,682) the cars just zip by and then you have to wait a little over a minute for them to come by again. To understand what's going on, you need a bit of help.

The race commentary headsets were too expensive, so we relied on the programme to identify the teams. My mobile internet was wonky, so we followed the standings on Paolo's phone, refreshing every lap. We would have been completely lost otherwise.

It started to rain and the safety car had to lead for a number of laps. Heavier rain started to fall and it was clear that the cars were just wasting fuel. They disappeared from the track and for almost an hour, we were in limbo. I was so afraid they would call off the race. Then I thought of all the people who had flown in specifically for F1 and thought of how they would feel to come all the way and not have results.

Sleep. Race. Party. Kimi.

The English supporters of Jenson Button and the Finnish supporters of Kimi Raikkonen rallying the crowd, with mixed results

So we waited. To while away the boredom, we did the wave across the stands a few times. It's cool that when it came to the uncovered hillstands, they would raise their umbrellas.

And off they go on the wet track

And when the cars came back on the track, we cheered once more. For those weather conditions, the choice of tyres and pit stop timing to change them was crucial. I think that was what really made the race challenging. An exceptional driver and team would be able to use this to their advantage.

So close! Alonso and Perez

Alonso clearly knew what to do to maintain his lead, as  he never faltered. But the surprise of the day was Sauber's Sergio Perez. The 22-year-old Mexican came out of nowhere to take a close second. There were moments we exclaimed aloud when the gap between him and Alonso closed in. (Who doesn't want an underdog to win?) But Alonso would always pull away.

A few laps before the end of the race, when it was almost certain that Perez could not steal the lead, we left hurriedly to avoid getting caught in the jam. We still got stuck in traffic because we had to go all the way around the track in the shuttle bus to get to the parking lot. As the shuttle circled the track, it was confirmed: Alonso won by 2.2 seconds. As the sun set over Sepang, we were very happy to catch the season's most exciting race so far.

The season continues next weekend in Shanghai, China.

Related: 2012 Formula One Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix, part 1