Race winner Lewis Hamilton (second right) gestures towards photographers before the English national anthem is played. Also seen (from left) are Petronas president and Group chief executive officer Tan Sri Shamsul Azhar Abbas, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team chief engineer Andy Shovlin, Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel. — Photos courtesy of Petronas.
Hamilton and Rosberg (right) celebrate their one-two finish.
The support team attend to the driver and car coming in for a pitstop mid-way through the race. — Photo by Geryl Ogilvy Ruekeith
PETRONAS waited 16 years to record its first Formula One (F1) home victory.
The script couldn’t have been written any better than the first-and-second finish chalked by the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team at Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang last Sunday (March 30).
Britain’s Lewis Hamilton broke an eight-month drought with flawless driving, streaking away from pole position to take the chequered flag 17 seconds ahead of his German teammate Nico Rosberg for a 23rd career win.
Petronas’ home victory was especially uplifting for Malaysia in the light of MH370’s mysterious disappearance on March 8. A minute’s silence was observed before the race.
“Incredible, incredible. I just feel so grateful, particularly after such a tragedy three weeks ago. I would like to dedicate it to the passengers people and their families.
“This is my first win in Malaysia after eight attempts and to do it for our Petronas family in their home country makes it even more special. It’s all down to the team,” Hamilton said.
It was already an emotional week for the country when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced MH370 was lost “beyond any reasonable doubt” in the Indian Ocean.There were 239 people on board the Beijing-bound flight.
The day after the F1 race, Petronas which sponsors the Mercedes F1 racing team, called off a Malaysian Grand Prix concert as a sign of respect to families of the crew and passengers.
The concert to be held Friday and Saturday at the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, would have featured international star Christina Aguilera, Korean icon Rain and R&B artist Craig Davis, among others.
Rosberg was among the first to pay tribute to the victims and the family members of MH370 after arriving in Kuala Lumpur.
He said on Twitter “all my prayers go to friends and families of the passengers on #MH370.”
Petronas motorsports
Petronas has been involved in motorsports from as early as 1988 before making a foray into the pinnacle of motorracing – Formula 1 — in 1995 following its sponsorship of the Red Bull-Sauber Petronas F1 team.
This was seen as the first bold step towards positioning Petronas as a global brand and putting Malaysia on the world map. The effort was further enhanced in 1999 when the company secured the title sponsorship rights of the F1 Grand Prix in Malaysia.
“Petronas’ involvement in motorsports is more than just promoting its image and a brand-building exercise. The Petronas Motorsports sponsorship programme serves as an effective platform for enhancing its technological and human capabilities through research and development (R&D) of Petronas’ fuel and lubricant products.
“This as well as the nurturing of indigenous technological capabilities in the field of automotive engineering within the Petronas Group, particularly its powertrain R&D,” Petronas said in its official website.
In 2005, Petronas extended its long-standing partnership with Sauber when it became the Premium Partner to the BMW Sauber F1 Team, following BMW’s acquisition of majority interest in Sauber Holdings.
In 2009, Petronas signed a five-year agreement with major auto-manufacturer Mercedes, making it the title partner to the Mercedes GP Team. From the 2010 season, the team was known as Mercedes GP Petronas Formula One Team.
Sepang International Circuit
The 80,000 capacity Sepang International Circuit was first included in the F1 World Championship for the Malaysian Grand Prix in 1999.
The inaugural Grand Prix at Sepang was the most notable as it saw the return of Michael Schumacher from a broken leg injury sustained at the British Grand Prix.
The seven times world champion dominated the race but lost to title-hopeful team mate Eddie Irvine. However, both Schumacher and Irvine’s Ferraris were disqualified due to technical irregularity, handing the title to Mika Hakkinen of McLaren Mercedes.
In 2001, a heavy storm hit in the middle of the race, making conditions difficult. The Ferraris, driven by Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, spun off almost simultaneously but both recovered to score a one-two finish for their team.
The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix had to be called off due to heavy rainfall and could not restart due to the low light. The race ended on Lap 33 with the victory going to Jenson Button of team Brawn-Mercedes.
To date, Ferrari has the most victories at Sepang with a total of six, including in 2000, 2001, 2004 (Schumacher), 2008 (Kimi Raikonnen) and 2012 (Fernando Alonso).
Schumacher’s younger brother Ralf won in 2002 for Williams-BMW while Raikkonen’s first Sepang title was in 2003 for McLaren-Mercedes.
Double world-champion Alonso first won at Sepang with Renault in 2005. The following year, Renault repeated its triumph with Giancarlo Fisichella taking the chequered flag.
Spaniard Alonso, this time driving for McLaren-Mercedes, reclaimed the title for his third Sepang win in 2007.
Four times and current world champion Sebastian Vettel won in Malaysia for Red Bull-Renault in 2010, 2011 and 2013.
What they say
Commenting on Mercedes AMG Petronas one-two finish, team executive director (technical) Paddy Lowe said: “It’s hard to overstate the crucial role of Petronas fluid technology solutions in the development of the new 2014 Power Unit and we are especially proud to have delivered our first one-two finish at the home race here in Malaysia.”
Neil Mark from Sheffield, England, has been following F1 since 1992, throwing his support behind the legendary Nigel Mansell.
He cited 1996 champion Damon Hill as another long-time favourite but now, he is rooting for Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.
“The atmosphere at Sepang was fantastic. Despite all the critique about the noise of these new F1 engines, I really don’t see the fuss here. Now the cars are more environment-friendly but also faster,” the 55-year-old Briton told thesundaypost after the race.
Mark who works as a builder, said he would save up to watch F1 races. Apart from Sepang, his passion for the sport has taken him to Australia, Singapore, China and the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.
Australian Jonathan Graham, 42, gave a double thumb’s up to the new turbo-charged 1.6-litre V6 engine compared to the F1’s ear-splitting V8 engine of the past.
Travelling with his wife and kids, Graham said spectators now need not worry about missing earplugs or suffering from hearing damage.
“It’s not all quiet, still smooth as ever — and just different. When you see these cars flashing past you at full throttle, the sense of excitement is still there. You would still be in awe,” he added.
Graham was happy Mercedes scored a one-two finish in a fitting tribute to the home crowd.
Louise from Finland touched on MH370, saying: “The home win for the Mercedes Petronas team will surely lift the spirits and morale of Malaysian racing fans at least for the week. Our prayers go to the families of crew and passengers of the missing flight.”
Rosberg remains at the top the drivers’ standings on 43 points, with Hamilton now second on 25 points.
Mercedes AMG Petronas currently sits atop the Constructors Championship with 68 points ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix.