THE Sepang circuit might be Formula One's track for the new millennium, but it is way beyond the reach of the average Malaysian who harbours a desire to be part of the country's first F1 party.
With a typical Malaysian earning in the region of 1,200 ringgit (about HK$3,000) per month, tickets for this weekend's F1 extravaganza are the stuff of dreams.
There is no doubting that Malaysia has built an F1 facility which has redefined standards for the rest of the world, but the man in the street must be wondering whether the $500 million-plus price tag is really worth it.
As a tool to attract tourists it has clearly worked - over 80 per cent of paying customers in the grandstand section yesterday were overseas visitors.
With minimum grandstand prices running at around $1,400 for two days, clearly in Malaysia, F1 dreams don't come cheap.
Vantage points around the track are first class and there is probably not a more 'spectator friendly' circuit in F1 but even the cheapest tickets cost over $300 on raceday.