Take a look at this 360 degree photo:
https://goo.gl/maps/BtaJ3VpNBrX1ansR6
The circuit is huge and there's lots of vantage points around the edges. Why watch on the start straight when you can see from the (many) corner stands or vantage points? Was probably still a small crowd, though.
But the above photo also goes to show just how remote the circuit is. Would be a great place to go if you like hiking / mountain biking and to watch a bit of racing, I guess...