As Malaysia will be turning 63 years old this 31st August 2020, it is not uncommon to witness fellow Malaysians expressing their pride and joy of being part of this motherland. Throughout this six decades, Malaysia has become a country that is not unheard of. We are on top of the world in many fields. From Badminton and Squash domination, to fashionable brand like Jimmy Choo. We have proven to be among the best. While what’s mention above is a very common knowledge across generations, here I would like to share more matters that could make us even prouder as a Malaysian. That is, Malaysian domination in the pinnacle of motorsport: Formula 1.
Yes, if you are a fan of motorsport in general, you should be aware of the status of Formula 1 as the greatest motorsport championship ever. Even if you are not a fan, chances are you still know what Formula 1 is. However, how many of us actually really know that in this very particular sport, Malaysia is the dominant party? Enter Petroliam Nasional Berhad aka PETRONAS. The Malaysian Oil and Gas giant. It makes sense now doesn’t it? Since 2014, there has been only one F1 World Constructors’ Champion and that is Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. They are winning the championship for six consecutive years!
Now we should understand in Formula 1, it is a norm for F1 teams to get numerous sponsors to fund their team. Take Scuderia Ferrari for example, they have Shell and Mission Winnow as their main sponsors and keeping the team financially competitive. However, PETRONAS still stands out because they are not necessarily there in F1 to just throw money and pray that Mercedes will keeps on winning. No, they are not just a rich sponsor. They are “technical partners” to Mercedes. That means, apart from the cash injection, PETRONAS is also expected to assist Mercedes in terms of fuel, engine fluid and lubricant which I don’t want to touch on that technicality. My point is, PETRONAS is directly involved in the production of Mercedes’ engine. Some of PETRONAS engineers can be seen present in the F1 garage hence proving their significance in F1.
In 2018 208 companies fueled 239 team sponsorship deals with the biggest being Malaysian oil giant Petronas’ title sponsorship of Mercedes which comes to an estimated $75 million annually.
Forbes, 2018
If powering Mercedes to six world championships does not impress you. What if I told you that PETRONAS is also supplying their fuel and lubricant to two other Formula 1 teams? Yes, like Mercedes is not enough. The two teams are BWT Racing Point F1 team and Williams F1 team. While the latter is currently at the bottom of the table, Racing Point is a strong contender currently placing third behind Mercedes and Red Bull. If that is still not impressive, another F1 team, McLaren Racing will also be using PETRONAS lubricant and fuel for 2021 onwards. That just shows how PETRONAS fluid is working well!
With their unchallenged successes and surprising domination in Formula 1, it brings us to another question. How has PETRONAS come this far? It was 1996. Swiss company Sauber Motorsport AG has teamed up with Malaysia’s PETRONAS to form a joint-venture company; Sauber PETRONAS Engineering. This joint venture is responsible for the production of Formula 1 engines for Sauber’s F1 Team which is for sponsorship purpose, branded as Red Bull Sauber PETRONAS back then. The next year, it marks the first time a Malaysian brand will be written on an F1 car and race across the globe. Sauber-PETRONAS partnership is not that successful, however. From 1997 to 2005, Red Bull Sauber PETRONAS was only able to produce four podiums. Still, not bad for a first timer. And a Malaysian brand if I may add. That 9 years has been a very important learning curve for PETRONAS. Staying loyal with Sauber, PETRONAS became a premium partner of the newly rebranded BMW Sauber F1 Team for 2006. This time, PETRONAS has shown its maturity by helping the BMW team to finish second in 2007 and third in 2008 for World Constructor’s Championship standings. In 2009, PETRONAS starts to shift their partner. This time with Mercedes which has rejoined the F1 for the first time since 1955. It was a rocky start though, from 2010 to 2012, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS was not really a favourite contender in Formula 1. It all changes when 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton signed with Mercedes in 2013 pairing with German ace Nico Rosberg. The duo became the most dominant F1 driver in the history and helped Mercedes to start winning from 2014 until present day. The rest is a known history.
PETRONAS has come a long way to become the dominant brand in Formula 1. Its products have proven to be a winning formula. Its partnership has proven to be a strong friendship. All in the course of over more than 20 years in F1 scene. As of 2020, PETRONAS ventures in motorsport is not limited to only be in F1. They have also founded the PETRONAS Sepang Racing Team for MotoGP championship since 2019 and in that same year, they were awarded the best independent team. The future seems so bright for this Malaysian brand. As an avid fan of motorsport, this is easily the main reason for me to be proud as a Malaysian. PETRONAS which is synonymous to Malaysia itself has shown us that we Malaysians are not nobodies. We are somebodies. And it takes decades for that to happen and it did happen. Therefore, I urge fellow Malaysians to embrace this Merdeka spirit by supporting our Malaysia’s one and only: PETRONAS.
MERDEKA!
MERDEKA!!
MERDEKA!!!
MERDEKA!!!!
MERDEKA!!!!!
MERDEKA!!!!!!
MERDEKA!!!!!!!
Teacherhalia Writes 