Formula 1 – profit making venture or ?
By Lading Batagar
“We will make money in the first year as we have always done with our other ventures” said Kamarudin Meranun, the business partner of Tony Fernandez.
That was on September 29.
Honda, BMW and Toyota should have been wise enough to ask for advice from the owner of 1Malaysia F1 Team on how to run an F1 outfit and stay competitive and most importantly, profitable. If they had, they would still be around competing against the like of Ferrari, McLaren and Renault and none the less, 1MF1T, for that elusive dream of becoming world champion.
On November 13, an online news portal carried the following:
“Lotus Formula One is still seeking sponsorship to help the new team survive in its first season in 2010 despite a tight budget.”
“What is wrong with asking for sponsors from GLCs like Petronas?” asked the man who, less than two months ago, was openly counting his chickens before they are hatched.
Most Malaysians will agree that there is nothing wrong if it stay that way. What worried us is when the Malaysian government became the main sponsor or the bailer just to see the slogan of “One Malaysia, People First, Performance Now” displayed on the front, side or the rear diffuser.
If participating in F1 is a sure bet, then Minardi, Spyker, Jordan, Jaguar and countless other names will still be there every season. As it is, even Renault could be missing from the starting grid of 2010.
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