F1 Teams Are Promoting Malaysia Better Than Malaysia, According To Malaysians
Several F1 teams showcased Malaysia on their social media accounts as they get ready for the race weekend.
- F1 teams like Aston Martin, Haas, and McLaren are capturing stunning photos of Malaysia, impressing locals with their quality.
- Malaysians feel F1 teams are promoting the country better than the government, which has faced criticism for lazy AI-generated tourism content.
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Malaysia is not short of beautiful scenery and landmarks, and it doesn’t take that much effort to snap something aesthetic whether you’re in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, at the beaches of Terengganu, in paddy fields on the fringes or Selangor, or on the islands off the coast of Sabah.
A few well-taken photos posted on social media by Formula One teams have grabbed the attention of Malaysians, and many are saying the motorsport brands know how to take photos and promote the country better than Malaysia’s own tourism industry.
Admittedly, the content produced by some of the teams really do have that pull factor towards Malaysia. Many of the photos are actually of famous landmarks, taken from the lens of the teams’ photographers.
Aston Martin F1
The Aston Martin F1 team posted stunning photos of Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur after sundown, and even included people and street food vendors. These sort of photos are actually common but it’s the way they were taken, and the kind of post-shoot editing that went into them that stuck a chord with Malaysians.
Many of the photos invoked feelings of actually being at those places in person, with its dark and dreamy colour treatment that adds depth to the images.
Many left comments praising the photos, and how well they represented Malaysia.
“Welcome to Malaysia and thanks for exploring our beautiful country,” said one Instagram user.
“This is beautiful. Thank you and welcome to our country,” another user commented.
Haas F1 Team
North America’s Haas F1 Team also shared a carousel of photos on Instagram, primarily focused on famous sites around Kuala Lumpur.
The highlight of their post is a picture of Pintasan Saloma (Saloma Link), a bridge in Kuala Lumpur named after the wife of Malaysia’s legendary actor and singer Tan Sri P. Ramlee.
It was beautifully captured from a low angle, with a reflective puddle of water at the bottom that made the tunnel of the brige look even larger.
The rest of the photos, we would say, looks pretty normal.
But, Malaysians are still impressed nonetheless.
Haas F1 Team also posted a video montage that captured the vibes of Kuala Lumpur at night.
Scenes of people and food vendors along Jalan Alor at Bukit Bintang, the Saloma Link, and the Petronas Twin Towers all bathed in bright lights showed how lively the city is at all times.
McLaren F1
Just like the other teams, McLaren F1 seem to can’t get enough of Malaysia.
The team went snap-happy around Kuala Lumpur, sharing Instagram posts of their camera roll filling up with photos of the capital city.
They also did a “What we saw versus what we shot” series of photos, showcasing their eye for photography in an otherwise mundane scene.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas
While the other teams were highlighting city scenes, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team featured the Sepang International Circuit (SIC), where they will be racing this 2 to 4 October.
The photos captured Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 cars in high-intensity action on the SIC track.
Meanwhile, fans are still eagerly waiting for updates from Ferrari which has been quiet, with some wondering if they made a mistake and set up in Bahrain.
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Malaysians: They’re doing a better job promoting the country
Malaysians have been generally appreciative of all the F1 teams and drivers who have been posting content about Malaysia.
However, they also felt that the teams are doing a better job in promoting Malaysia as a destination when compared to the government’s own efforts.
Malaysia’s government has had history in utilising artifcial intelligence (AI) to create promotional materials for tourism that the public deemed as “lazy”.
They also frequently receive criticism for not hiring local talents to produce tourism videos, until eventually local VFX content creator Sofyank made a video in collaboration with Grab to support Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
READ MORE: Malaysian VFX Creator Sofyank Grabs Attention Again With New Video
READ MORE: RTM’s 2025 AI-Generated Music Video Gets Absolutely Incinerated, Again
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