Lotus F1 team chief launches scheme for aspiring young drivers

Tony Fernandes' dream is to see technical wizard Ross Brawn and Formula 1's rising star Sebastian Vettel in his Lotus team one day, alongside an Asian face.

Many would say that is far-fetched.
But maybe they will not baulk when the AirAsia boss claims a Singapore driver could be among the mix of Malaysian and Asean drivers in his Lotus team within the next 10 years.
Fernandes made the brave prediction yesterday at his airline's academy near the Sepang International Circuit, where he introduced Singapore's Daim Hishammudin and Nabil Jeffri of Malaysia as the first two youngsters in AirAsia's Asean Driver Development Programme.The programme will provide a direct route into Formula 1 and towards the Lotus F1 team, which Fernandes resurrected last September, as well as the British-based Williams outfit, which has AirAsia as a sponsor.

"If there is one sport I believe we can compete in with the rest of the world because of our physical stature, it is motorsport," said Fernandes."We have the mental ability and good brains, and the successful Formula 1 drivers are smart, like Nico Rosberg who has a Masters in Physics."Daim, who has won several junior karting competitions in Malaysia, clinched a lucrative sponsorship deal from Malaysian banking giants CIMB earlier this year. He will make his debut in the Asian Karting Championships in the Philippines in June.
The 11-year-old's inclusion in the AirAsia programme means he could become Singapore's first Formula 1 driver.
"It's either Formula 1 or nothing else for me," said Daim. "It is the only dream I have and if I can't make it, then I will find a job doing something else, maybe an engineer in Formula 1.
The event yesterday was attended by Singapore's High Commissioner to Malaysia, T Jasudasen, and Singapore Motor Sport Association (SMSA) president Tan Teng Lip.
"I am very delighted that in the process of searching for young talent in Asean, Tony has picked a young Singaporean in Daim to join a Malaysian as the first drivers to groom for Formula 1," said Jasudasen."We have to admit that Malaysia is well ahead in the motorsport industry. They started the Formula 1 races at Sepang in 1999 and are ahead of the pack. We are behind the curve but hopefully, we will catch up in time."

Fernandes admitted that motorsports is expensive and the only way for the region to excel is to pool resources.
He said: "It is important for Asean to work together then to do everything ourselves because to put a driver into Formula 1 is beyond the budget of many of our countries. We have to bring down these invisible walls.
Daim will come under the wing of former Formula 1 driver Alex Yoong, who has mapped out a long-term programme to get the youngster into the top race in motorsport. Malaysia's Yoong will send Daim to Europe annually for training, starting with a two-month stint before the end of this year, and has set a target for the Singaporean to start racing in junior open wheel races by the time he is 15.

TODAY, Ian da Cotta

Lotus F1 unveils New Car in London

Malaysian F1 team a dream come true - thanks to the many sacrifices

Dreams do come true. Just ask Air Asia CEO Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes.
Five months ago, he was given the task of forming the Malaysian Lotus F1 Racing team.
Not one to shirk from responsibilities, Fernandes assumed the post of team principal and started from scratch.
With financial backing from the Malaysian government and some private individuals, he embarked on the mammoth task of building a car and putting a team together to race in the season-opener in Bahrain next month.
Lotus, however, won’t be the only new kid on the block. They will have three others for company – Virgin Racing, Campos Meta and USF1 Racing.
Fernandes admitted that there were a lot of uncertainties at the beginning.
But, as they took one step at a time and started to fit the right people in the right positions, things began to happen.
And all the hard work and sacrifices finally paid off, culminating in the launch of the visually striking green and yellow Lotus car at the Royal Horticulture Hall, in the heart of Westminster, on Friday.

And Fernandes stood tall – and proud – among the drivers – Italy’s Jarno Trulli, Finland’s Heikki Kovalainen and Malaysia’s very own Fairuz Fauzy (test driver) – on the stage as the T127, built in Norfolk, England, was unveiled.
“It has been a long five months. We started with nothing but today we are here with the machine, the drivers and a crew of about 130 to make our start in Formula One racing,” Fernandes said in his opening speech at the ceremony to officially mark the return of Lotus to Formula One racing after 16 years.
“There have been many unforgettable moments on this journey but, most importantly, I had the backing of people like Datuk Kamaruddin Meranun (Air Asia deputy CEO) and SM Nasaruddin SM Nasimuddin (Naza TTDI Sdn Bhd chairman), who shared my vision.”
And, as far as Fernandes is concerned, getting Mike Gascoyne to build the car was the coup de grace.
“He (Gascoyne) will give you a better idea of the car but, suffice to say, we are all excited at seeing our dreams become a reality,” said Fernandes.
“I must thank the team for a great job in getting the car ready. We will now test it and, hopefully, get good results.”
Fernandes also thanked the Malaysian government, especially Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad, for its support.
Fernandes also outlined in detail the team’s targets.
“To be honest, we are not expecting to win from the word go. But there has to be a gradual progression. We want to secure points and, of course, to win. But, for this year, we need to stay competitive and learn,” he said.

“I would certainly like to see us get on the podium.”
But, more importantly for Fernandes and the team, they want to start off by being ahead of the other three new teams.
“I think that is the realistic target for us. We will start to test the car and for now, we are not sure what lies ahead,” said Fernandes.
“Many were sceptical that we would even have a car ready. But here we are and I believe that we will be ready to start in Bahrain.”
The launching ceremony was a proud moment indeed for Malaysians and their British counterparts as they collaborated to bring Lotus back into Formula One.
“This is not the old Lotus but a new one embarking on a new journey,” said Fernandes.
The Lotus F1 Racing team will be managed by the 1Malaysia Racing Team.
The team, who will be flying the Malaysian flag, are a privately-funded project jointly owned by Tune Group and Naza Group.
Tune Group is jointly owned by Fernandes and Kamarudin, one of the team’s directors.
Other team directors are Naza Group chief executive officers SM Nasarudin and Zahri Ismail.