KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 28 — More than 5,000 youths will be in for a thrill of their lifetime.

This weekend, 5,400 of them will be given a chance to watch the final Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix for free.

Courtesy of Sepang International Circuit (SIC), the tickets were handed to local leaders to be distributed to youth in their respective areas who are keen to catch the event live.

Special Affairs Department (Jasa) director-general Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi said the "giveaway” was a part of SIC’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme and aimed at giving youths the opportunity to catch the action live.

"All these years they probably only watched the Malaysian Grand Prix on television. Now, they get to watch the race in Sepang,” he said in a statement.

He added the initiative would also give young people the opportunity to see the government’s success in handling such a prestigious international tournament.

This weekend’s F1 event would be the last year the Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix will be held.

After 19 years of hosting the races, the international circuit will only play host to MotoGP event from 2018.

"Hopefully this new edition will attract a larger crowd of youth,” the statement read.