At 8.45am yesterday, the silence of the Sepang International Circuit morphed into a loud roar.

And the 35-degree C heat reached fever pitch.

It was time for the first Paddock Club Pit Lane Walk of this year's Malaysian Grand Prix.

That offered spectators with VIP passes an hour to catch all the F1 teams up close, mingle with them and take pictures with the cars before practice commenced.

Every second was treasured by the 200-odd crowd.

Friday is usually the best time to walk with the stars, as one can avoid jostling with the weekend crowd.

Not surprisingly, the 60-minute action centred on the Ferrari, Renault and McLaren pits.

The early attention hovered around Renault driver Giancarlo Fisichella's paddock, where one could stand within touching distance of his race car and pose for photographs.

Renault were one of the few teams who allowed spectators into their paddock.

In contrast, a long red cordon separated the abode of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa's machines from the horde of Ferrari fans.

But it was not long before Ferrari stole Renault's thunder.

The Italian team's pit crew roared into life, practising their race-day drills and enthralling the crowd with their tyre changes.

Camera clicks accompanied their every move.

They certainly knew how to put up a first-rate show to woo the crowd.

And that is despite the fact that the man in the cockpit was merely a mechanic, not Massa or Raikkonen.

Departing the pit-lane tour was sorrowful and difficult for most guests.

They ignored the repeated requests of track officials to clear the area so practice could start.

It was a walk to savour.

However, the star quality of the morning's track stroll paled in comparison to the red-carpet walk at the F1 gala night at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

The country's Who's Who gathered for a posh cocktail reception, followed by a lavish dinner ball and a concert.

A place did not come cheap. A table for 10 cost up to RM100,000 (S$44,000).

The guest of honour was the the Malaysian King, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.

He was joined by Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi and top F1 personalities Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore.

Also present was Bollywood star and former Miss World Priyanka Chopra, who will flag off tomorrow's Grand Prix.

She was joined by Malaysian pop icon Siti Nurhaliza and Indonesian songbird Ruth Sahanaya, who dazzled the star-studded audience with their songs.