A Formula One team's pit area is one of those areas you'd expect to be full of buzz and high-octane action.

But for one special hour in the Ferrari pit at last Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, I was able to watch silently - like a fly on the wall - a bit of how the world's greatest motor racing marque works.

At the end of it, only one word summed it up - calm. No one talks, at least not that I noticed during the crucial period from the warm-up lap to the series of first pit stops.

So how does the Ferrari pit and back-up technical crew communicate?

Hand signs is the obvious answer as everyone has ear plugs on, supplemented by headphones.

Still, there was very little of it.

In fact, it was like watching a silent movie, as I stood in one corner discreetly.

Like the sport itself, every Ferrari team member went about doing their own individual jobs.

There was no shouting, no panicking. Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, you name it, they could go through the various scenarios without making a song and dance of it.

CLOCKWORK

It was truly, as you will see on television partly for today's Bahrain Grand Prix, clockwork stuff.

Even when Kimi Raikkonen came in for his pit stop a few metres from where I was standing, it was poetry in motion.

Because of strict conditions, we were not allowed to publish specific photographs of the team and their personnel from within the pit area.

But back to Raikkonen's pit stop.

Nuts off, old wheels off, new wheels on, nuts on, and then a loud boom as the blood-red Ferrari pulled out to rejoin the race. Perspiration was literally falling off my face, neck and arms, and I was wearing a thin jersey and bermudas with a cap.

Imagine how the Ferrari mechanics must have felt in their super-thick full flame-retardant suits and helmets.

Yet, there was one moment, when they were there, simply sitting behind a Shell refuelling machine, alert...but relaxed.

A picture of total calm.

I cast my eyes on Ferrari team boss Jean Todt, in the middle of the team's control base along the pit wall, much further out from where I was stationed. He and his team of engineers and strategists looked on quietly at their monitors.

Again, calm was the word, even if they were busy figuring how to help Raikkonen and Felipe Massa hunt their prey down during the race, as they will again do in Bahrain today.

Yes, with the mini jet planes that are F1 cars today, literally flying around the circuit and creating a constant burst of constant ear-piercing sounds, I never felt more calm after three days of running about at the Grand Prix.

Having visited the Ferrari pits after qualifying last Saturday, thanks to their long-time technical partner Shell, a friend was suddenly able to arrange for me to visit the Ferrari pit just before the race start the following day, and stay for an hour.

Of course, the guidelines in the pit area were clear.

Please don't even attempt to talk to anyone. Keep clear of the aisles. Move aside if they tell you to.

And then, came the serious but humorous punchline: Don't light up a cigarette.

In the Ferrari hospitality suite behind the pit area, I sat to grab a chilled bottle of water as some other guests sat watching the live telecast on a small television (a normal bulky set one at that too, instead of the expected latest flat-screen sets).

Yes, it was nothing overly fancy. Just an air-conditioned tent with simple chairs and tables, and some bites, like Ferrero Rocher chocolate.

ENGROSSED

Also seated and engrossed in the proceedings were Raikkonen's brother Rami - a rally driver himself who's almost two years older than the 27-year-old Ferrari driver.

There was Raikkonen's tall and lanky model wife of three years, Jenni Dahlman. They were riveted by Massa's spectacular but failed early attempt to overtake McLaren's rookie upstart Lewis Hamilton at the start.

And Dahlman clenched her fists as she willed on Raikkonen to chase down Hamilton.

Seated next to me was Moko, a Senegalese jeweller who has been a long-time fan of F1 and Ferrari.

Everyone in the team knows him and whenever he goes to any Grand Prix around the world, he visits the Ferrari team at trackside.

He remarked: "Oh man, this is exciting! It's a pity Massa lost out at the start from pole, but his fight with Hamilton is what we want to see more of in F1.

"That Hamilton is really good, he's so smooth and consistent, and very hard to overtake."

We introduced ourselves and Moko added: "Singapore, oh yes, I hope you get a Grand Prix. That will be great, and hopefully, we'll take another picture together again there."

I then had to leave the Ferrari pit and privileged hospitality area, to enjoy the end of the race with the masses from the grandstand.

But for one hour last Sunday, it helped to be able to appreciate the less seen aspects of a glamorous sport like Formula One from behind the scenes - as the fly on Ferrari's pit wall.