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F1: Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team to make statement with black cars and racing suits

When Formula One returns to racing this weekend in Austria, it will do so in a world that has changed profoundly since the teams last gathered in Melbourne in early March for what was to have been the opening round of the 2020 championship (it was cancelled).

The COVID-19 pandemic and various tough actions taken by almost all countries saw movements restricted, and all motorsports were suspended. While that impacted racing teams, the manufacturers they represent as well as the sponsors greatly, there has also been another development which has become an almost global social issue.

Discrimination is not acceptable
In the past five weeks, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has shone a searching light on how much we need new measures and actions in the fight against racism. In sports especially, discrimination of any form is not acceptable. The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team has spent the past weeks listening to the perspectives of its team members, to learn and to reflect on the team as it is today and how they want it to be in the future.

“It’s so important that we seize this moment and use it to educate ourselves whether you are an individual, brand or company to make real meaningful changes when it comes to ensuring equality and inclusivity. I have personally experienced racism in my life and seen my family and friends experience racism, and I am speaking from the heart when I appeal for change,” said Lewis Hamilton, who is the first and still the only black driver in F1. “When I spoke to Toto [Wolff] about my hopes for what we could achieve as a team, I said it was so important that we stand united.”

*Lewis Hamilton is the first and still the only black driver in F1. He says he has personally experienced racism so this initiative by his team matters a lot to him personally.*

Looking inwards at itself, the team could see that there is a lack of diversity: just 3% of its workforce identify as belonging to minority ethnic groups and only 12% are women. “ This lack of diversity shows that we need to find new approaches to attract talent from many areas of society we do not currently reach. We know that our team will be stronger if we can attract talents from the broadest possible pool and we are committed to achieving this through positive action,” said Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.

For the 2020 season, the team has therefore chosen to race in an all-black base livery as a public pledge to improve the diversity of the team. It is a clear statement of the team’s stand against racism and all forms of discrimination. The call to ‘End Racism’ will feature on the halo of both cars, and the united F1 initiative #WeRaceAsOne will be featured on the mirrors of the W11 racing car.

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Racing Team W11 — *The racing cars will be predominantly in black, a change from the light colour sheme they started off with at the beginning of the year (below).*

Diversity and Inclusion programme
“Before the end of this season, we will announce a Diversity and Inclusion programme that will include but not be limited to: continuing to listen to and raise the awareness of our team members; forensic analysis of our recruitment and development processes; collaboration with the sport’s key stakeholders to improve accessibility to our sport; and targeted education initiatives to encourage and support talented people from under-represented backgrounds who aspire to reach F1,” Wolff explained.

“We know that it will take time to build the right strategy, and consistent effort and investment year on year, and decade on decade, to make a measurable difference; our commitment to doing this is irreversible,” he declared.

At the highest levels of Daimler AG, which funds the team, there is also full support for its actions being taken. Markus Schaefer, Member of the Board of Management Daimler AG, Responsible for Group Research and Non-Executive Chairman of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team said: “In recent weeks, events around the world have reinforced the importance of continuing to fight against racism and all forms of discrimination. At Mercedes, we know that the strength of our organisation lies in the diversity of our people, and we are proud to be able to use one of our most prominent global platforms to signal our commitment to this fundamental principle of our society and our business.”

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team — *Just 3% of the team’s workforce identify as belonging to minority ethnic groups and only 12% are women. That’s going to change.*

Speaking up for respect and equality
Expanding on the subject, Wolff said: “Racism and discrimination have no place in our society, our sport or our team: this is a core belief at Mercedes. But having the right beliefs and the right mindset isn’t enough if we remain silent. We wish to use our voice and our global platform to speak up for respect and equality, and the Silver Arrow will race in black for the entire 2020 season to show our commitment to greater diversity within our team and our sport.”

“We will not shy away from our weaknesses in this area, nor from the progress we must still make; our livery is our public pledge to take positive action. We intend to find and attract the very best talents from the broadest possible range of backgrounds, and to create credible pathways for them to reach our sport, in order to build a stronger and more diverse team in the future. I would also like to use this opportunity to thank our parent company Mercedes-Benz and our family of team partners who have supported and encouraged this initiative,” he said.

Drivers will use their high profile
At the heart of the team’s commitment to fighting racism and discrimination are its high-profile drivers, and most prominently 6-time world champion Hamilton. He recently announced the formation of the Hamilton Commission, a research partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering dedicated to exploring how motorsport can be used to engage more young people from black backgrounds with STEM subjects and ultimately employ them at Mercedes teams or in other engineering sectors. He and his partner, Valtteri Bottas, will race in black overalls for the 2020 season, with helmet designs adapted as well.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to Toto and the Mercedes Board for taking the time to listen, to talk, and to really understand my experiences and passion, and for making this important statement that we are willing to change and improve as a business. We want to build a legacy that goes beyond sport, and if we can be the leaders and can start building more diversity within our own business, it will send such a strong message and give others the confidence to begin a dialogue about how they can implement change,” he said.

COVID-19 pandemic disrupts motorsports around the world

COVID-19, the coronavirus, is not only doing nasty things to humans but because of what it does, all kinds of activities around the world are disrupted, including motorsports. The first hit was in mid-February when the organisers of the 2020 Chinese F1 Grand Prix asked to cancel their event scheduled on April 19 – with the hope that it could be run later in the year. The epidemic was getting to other countries and the FIA, motorsports governing body, said it would ‘review the situation for other motorsport events globally in accordance with the changing COVID-19 environment and advisories from the World Health Organisation’.

Liberty Media, which has the commercial rights to F1, was quick to announce that the opening round in Australia as well as the following two rounds in Bahrain and Vietnam would go ahead. That, of course, was before the situation in Italy got really bad to the point that a nationwide lockdown was imposed.

Still, the 10 teams were asked to go to Australia for the race which was to be this weekend, in spite of the fact that Australia was raising its barriers, especially for people from Italy. Tests were required and one McLaren team member showed positive results after being seen to have symptoms on arrival. This led to the team withdrawing from the race and the other teams beginning to question the decision to go ahead – especially after the WHO had declared that the situation was officially a ‘pandemic’. 8 teams withdrew from the race which forced its cancellation although it couldn’t have run as the state government had also asked for the event not to be run in view of the large crowds.

*Withdrawal of 8 teams as well as a directive from the state government forced cancellation of the opening F1 round in Australia.*

The ‘domino’ effect starts
The cancellation of the race was announced just prior to practices being held, and one could say that the ‘dominos’ started to fall, greatly dictated by stronger actions of governments after the WHO finally declared the pandemic. The organisation had been refraining from declaring the pandemic for a while but decided it must do so in order to get more governments to be much more serious.

Bahrain had earlier announced that its event, the second F1 round of 2020, would be a ‘closed’ event, meaning no spectators would be at the circuit. It would be broadcast live on the usual TV and internet channels only. The third round in Vietnam was a question mark but thought to be possible to continue.

Hanoi Circuit — *It’s unfortunate for Vietnam that the very first F1 race to be held there cannot start,*

All events to be postponed or cancelled
Now, with governments tightening things and preventing events with large crowds so as to reduce the spread of infection, it appears that all motorsports events are cancelled or postponed. “The organiser of the Vietnam Grand Prix 2020 officially announces the delay of F1 Hanoi race due to complicated development of COVID-19,” said the statement from the Vietnam Grand Prix Company.

Bahrain also announced that its event would be postponed as well, and the FIA says that the F1 championship will resume at the end of May in Europe, possibly with the rounds in Monaco or Azerbaijan. Considering how the pandemic has shifted its epicentre from China to Italy, it seems like wishful thinking but the organisation will be constantly reviewing the situation.

*The FIA has now announced that the 2020 F1 championship will resume at the end of May, possibly at the Monaco GP or the Azerbaijan GP scheduled in early June.*

“Protecting people first,” emphasised Jean Todt, FIA’s President. ”Together with Formula 1, the Bahrain Motor Federation, the Vietnamese Motorsports Association, and the local promoters, postponing both the Bahrain and Vietnam Grands Prix, as with the Australian Grand Prix, was the only possible decision given all of the information currently available to us. We continue to rely on the input and advice from the World Health Organisation and governments and will work with them throughout this unpredictable period to safeguard the fans, competitors and all of the motor sport community.”

*As with other championship sports events, F1 draws very big crowds which, at this time, mean a high risk of infection and spread of the virus.*

No exception in Malaysia too
In Malaysia, the government has declared that all public gatherings – international meetings, conferences, sports events, social and religious events – are to be postponed or cancelled until April 30, 2020. Some organisers had already turned their events into closed events as a precaution and now would have to abide by the government’s directive to cancel or postpone. It will be messy for everyone concerned, not just the teams. Sponsors have committed money, some of which would already have been paid and owners of venues would also have to start discussions about rentals and related matters.

It’s hard to say when this situation will change, let alone end. And even if we can see a glimmer of ‘light at the end of the tunnel’, can we be sure it is not a train coming at you?

FEATURE – Teamwork, cars and drivers are all important for success in motorsports

It’s a Sunday night and you’re out with friends at your friendly neighbourhood mamak stall and on the screen is a Formula 1 race. You then think to yourself: “It’s just a matter of driving fast. Anyone can do it.” Think again.

Like other intense sports, motorsports requires its athletes to undergo constant training and be in peak physical form in order to excel. Typically, a driver in a race will have to be able to cope with g-forces higher than those experienced in everyday driving when taking corners in excess of 100 km/h. He or she must be able to feel oversteering or understeering due to tyre grip and the setup of the car’s suspension. In addition to being fit, a race car driver will need to have an in-depth understanding of the intricacies of a car.

For Proton R3’s Mitchell Cheah, Fariqe Hairuman, Syafiq Ali, Admi Shahrul, Nurul Husna, Faye Kusairi and Leona Chin, racing came naturally – but only after they began preparing for the race several weeks beforehand. ‘Weekend racers’ may just go to the track and drive fast but for those who are serious about racing, there’s a strict exercise regime and they must follow a healthy and balanced diet. Trips to the mamak stall are definitely out of the question (at least until after the racing season is over).

One of the drivers (we won’t tell who) even spends some time playing Call of Duty in the name of improving hand-eye coordination. Those who spend time on Playstation4’s racing simulators also gain ‘experience’ that can be useful when they race in the real world. So yes, it’s easy to drive a car, but challenging to race in one.

Teamwork is imperative for success
Another crucial aspect about competitive motorsports is the fact that it isn’t a one-man show. Teamwork is imperative for success – engineers are required to analyse and make quick adjustments to the car; engine and tyre specialists have their self-explanatory roles; a pit crew must be quick and precise at refuelling and replacing tyres; a crew chief, who oversees the technical crew; and a team manager who keeps administrative duties in check.

Typically, a racing team begins preparations several days before the actual race day. The driver(s) will have to work closely with the rest of the crew to ensure that their cars are set up for the circuit – tuning to the suspension is critical as every track has its own characteristics.

You wouldn’t want to use a soft suspension set-up for a track with lots of corners, unless you enjoy being in a boat that’s constantly bobbing up and down. There’s also the fact that the engine and drivetrain have to be tuned properly to ensure the car is able to provide a good compromise between acceleration and top speed.

While a car’s set-up is important, there’s only so much that can be done to boost the reliability of the car itself. For the Proton R3 drivers this year, the availability of the improved 2019 Saga and 2019 Iriz made a difference and both achieved significant success in the annual Sepang 1,000km (S1K) race.

This is no easy feat because these cars are driven at an average speed of 110 km/h. Other than the brief moments they are in for pit stops, they are constantly pushed hard and this year, that was for 9 hours and over 181 laps. The strain placed on the cars and drivers is therefore intense and both must be in top form.

A successful endeavour
Both the Proton R3 drivers and cars rose to the occasion and dominated the S1K. The 2019 Iriz that was driven by Mitchell and Fariqe captured first place while the 2019 Saga that was driven by Syafiq and Admi came in second.

Also impressive was the all-ladies team which managed to blitz past the competition from 26^th on the grid, to seventh overall, ahead of all the other lady drivers. When interviewed, all Proton’s racers attributed the success to the handling and reliability of their Malaysian-made and engineered cars.

All said and done, participating in motorsports events like the S1K takes dedication, discipline and a strong level of focus from the entire team. While many are able to drive well on the roads, participating in a race like the S1K requires more than just good driving skills.

Proton R3 wins Sepang 1000km again – that’s 3 years in a row!

TGR 2019: Sights & Sounds, Thrills & Spills @ Toyota Gazoo Racing, Batu Kawan! [+Videos]

Whoever says the racers in Toyota Gazoo aren’t trying hard needs to watch this! Hammer and tongs, no quarter asked or given, bumper to bumper racing that can lead to carnage!

In the meantime earlier on, the Toyo Tyres Drift Team put on a splendid show too!

Here’s a quick walkabout on-site at TGR 2019, do head on over to experience it for yourselves!

Weekend programme appended below:

TGR: Toyota Gazoo Racing Hits Batu Kawan @ Penang 23-24 Feb 2019! [+Video]

We’re here folks! Season 2, Race 3 of the on-going Toyota Gazoo Racing Series is at Batu Kawan Stadium, and here’s the first footage of this weekend!

Swing by if you’re in the area, and stay tuned for more to come!

FIA WEC 2018: Cruel Twist Of Fate Robs Malaysian Team Of Podium @ Spa Francorchamps

The 6-Hours of Spa Francorchamps on May 5 for the season opener of the FIA WEC 2018/19 Super Season saw our all-Malaysian team finishing the race at a remarkable P4, despite set backs. Racing under the Jackie Chan DC Racing x Jota Team, Nabil Jeffri, Weiron Tan and Jazeman Jaafar (below, right to left) were running a strong P2 in their FortuneCat#37 car until the last 65 minutes, when they pitted in for the final driver switch.

During this pit-stop, an unrelated crash occurred in Sector 1, forcing the untimely deployment of the safety car and automatically turning the pit-exit lights red. The team were very close to an almost certain podium debut, if not for the unlucky final pit in; well as they say, “that’s racing”.

However, the team’s successful climb back to a strong P4 finish scored them valuable World Championship points in the first leg of the FIA WEC 2018/19 Super Season.

RACE RESULT
MAY 5, 7.30PM
Finished #P4

QUALIFYING RESULT
MAY 4, 9.25PM
2:03:023 (#P4)

FP3 RESULT
MAY 4, 4.40PM
2:03:544 (#P6)

FP2 RESULT
MAY 3, 10.45PM
2:03:306 (#P2)

FP1 RESULT
MAY 3, 6.00PM
2:04:134 (#P4)

Leona Chin Takes Podium in MINI Challenge Asia Series!

2018 is starting well for local racer-gal Leona Chin. Following her placing as second overall in the Renault Clio Cup China Series in 2016 and a 1 year hiatus, she’s back at it again in the newly-launched MINI Challenge Asia Series. This one-make race featuring the MINI F56 JCW – a 255hp, sequential gearbox equipped race car based on the road-going F56 JCW.

The MINI Challenge Asia Series sees the world-renowned MINI one-make race series making it’s way to Asia, with the hopes that it will eventually grow in scale to match that of the series 17 years history in the UK.

Over the course of the weekend, Leona proved she could tangle with some of the best drivers in the region. Two notable opponents were Nobuhiro Murata, a Japan Super GT driver, and Nattanid ‘Kat’ Leewatanavalagul, current best female driver from Thailand. For this round, Leona is racing under Team GreatDrive – a well-established Hong Kong based automobile importer.

The first leg of the series was held at Zhuhai International Circuit – a track that Leona is familiar with herself given her past racing experience in China. During free practice Leona managed to clock a time just 1 second off the top spot. The field was separated by 16 seconds, with the top 5 drivers placing within 7 seconds of each other. Murata did not manage to finish qualifying as he went off the track during his session.

When it came time to race, Leona’s competitor pulled slightly ahead during Race 1, she finished the race with a 4^th place standing, just half a second behind Takaya Tsubobayashi. For Race 2 the positions were shuffled once again., and Leona took the opportunity to overtake Tsubobayashi for a 3^rd place finish, just 1 second behind Nobuhiro Murata. During the race she also managed to set a fastest lap time of 1:54.188, roughly half a second quicker than Henry Lee Jr. who took victory over the weekend.

Following the end of Race 1 and 2, Leona felt positive about the outcome and the coming races. “I would like to thank GreatDrive for giving me the opportunity to compete in this round of MINI Challenge Asia Series. The car performed well during both races, really easy to drive and light on its feet.” she said. “It’s a nice step up from the Clio cup car I raced 2 years ago. I’m looking forward to the next round on the 16^th and 17^th June, which also be at Zhuhai International Circuit.”

Leona Chin has been involved in cars and motorsports since her teenage years. She has had experience in various levels of motorsports, competing both within Malaysia and overseas as well, along with off-track exploits such as Gymkhana, Autocross, Rallying and – most notably of all – drifting.

She currently has roles both as a driver and a manager for teams in various series, and is continuously honing her skills and looking for new challenges.

Ferrari Challenge Race Driver Zen Low Aiming To Better His Performance In The Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Asia Pacific 2018

Seasoned race car driver, Zen Low, is geared up to improve on his 2017 third-place finish for the coming 2018 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli APAC season. Malaysia’s first driver to compete at the wheel of the 488 Challenge in the one-make series was re-appointed to race for team OneApps NAZA Aylezo this year. Brimming with confidence, he is all set for the 2018 Series, which kicks off in Melbourne over this weekend of March 22-25 in conjunction with the 2018 Formula 1 season opener.

Zen Low made his stellar debut last year, doing Malaysia proud with eight podium finishes out of a total of 13 races. His performance earned him a total of 163 points and an impressive third place overall in the top tier Trofeo Pirelli category.

Remarking on Zen’s return in the new season, Datuk Wira SM Faisal Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin, NAZA World Group Executive Chairman, said, “It was such a thrill to see Zen Low do so well in his first season. With his wealth of experience and devotion to his craft, he is certainly one of Malaysia’s top drivers and we have much to look forward to as we support him in the coming season.”

“After getting a taste of the competition and gaining experience in last year’s season, I’m even more motivated this time round. Passion, strength and determination form the recipe for success and I’m ready to top that podium,” said Zen Low.

Zen Low is racing for the entire 2018 season and is once again competing in the Trofeo Pirelli category under the race number of 69 and team name OneApps NAZA Aylezo. Zen has an established career as one of the most passionate and successful race drivers in Asia. An adroit businessman with a keen interest and natural talent for racing, he founded Aylezo Motorsport in 2009. Over the years, Zen has participated in multiple motorsport events both locally and regionally, including competitions such as the Merdeka Millenium Endurance Race (2009 & 2010), the Gulf 12 Hours 2012, Asian Le Mans Series (2013 & 2016), Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo (2013, 2014 & 2016), GT Asia 2015, Sepang 12 Hours (2015 & 2016) and Bathurst 12 Hours 2017.

This season, the Ferrari 488 Challenge makes a glorious return to the track. As the first model in this competition to be equipped with a turbo engine, the Ferrari 488 Challenge is the most powerful car in the history of one-make series. Derived from the Ferrari 488 GTB, the V8 3.9-litre engine – winner of the International Engine of the Year Award in 2016, delivers a forceful 670hp.

Ferrari Challenge was established as a one-make series in 1993, bringing together complete track novices and drivers with prior competition experience. The series spans three regions: North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The Ferrari Challenge uses a multi-class format; drivers are grouped under Trofeo Pirelli, Coppa Shell, Coppa Shell AM, Ladies’ Cup and Gentlemen’s Cup. Events are FIA approved, ensuring an exceptionally high standard of organization and safety for all involved.

The 2018 competition will flag off in Melbourne (22-25 March) and travel on to Hampton Downs, New Zealand (12-15 April), Shanghai, China (24-27 May), Fuji, Japan (28 June-1 July) and Suzuka, Japan (23-25 August) before making its way to Singapore (14-16 September). Finally, the Ferrari Challenge will finish off in Monza (1-4 November) for the Finali Mondiali.

More exciting information about Ferrari Malaysia may be obtained at http://www.facebook.com/ferrarimalaysia.nazaitalia. Follow @ferrari.malaysia on Instagram for the latest updates and offerings of Ferrari and NAZA Italia.

Porsche and Microsoft sign gaming partnership

Porsche is starting to take the virtual world more seriously as its marketing tool. The sportscar maker has signed a six year deal with Microsoft at the New York International Motorshow, which will see both companies collaborating in projects that cover racing games and electronic gaming competitions. As such, in future games from Microsoft’s Forza franchise, Porsche vehicles will receive more prominence than if ever did before. This will especially be evident in the gaming series Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon.

This partnership will allow Porsche to delve deeper into the eSports arena, which are competitions designed for gamers to compete against each other in their preferred gaming genre. This is especially true with Forza Racing Championship (ForzaRC), which is the leading eSport racing series backed by the world’s largest racing community.

ForzaRC, Porsche’s prime focus for now, is based on the current Xbox racing game Forza Motorsport 6 which already includes more than 20 Porsche vehicles since 2016. For 2017, ForzaRC will feature a motorsport championship too, where gamers from around the world can compete on the world stage. If you are interested, registration opened on 12th April 2017 at http://www.forzarc.gfinity.net/ and qualification will take place online beginning May 1st.

“By having Microsoft as our partner, we have the opportunity to take the pleasure of driving a Porsche and making it an experience in the virtual world”, says Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board responsible for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG. “Racing games and eSports connect the real and virtual worlds and enable us to gain further access to the young target group. It means that they can develop a passion for Porsche even before buying their first sports car.”

As icing on the cake for the newly signed partnership, a new Porsche package can now be downloaded for Forza Horizon 3. It contains a total of seven current and historical Porsche vehicles,that are the 550A Spyder, 718 RS 60 Spyder from 1960, 911 Carrera RS 2.7 from 1973, 911 GT2 (type 993), Cayman GT4 and the 911 GT3 RS as well as the new Panamera Turbo.

So, if you own an Xbox, are into the Forza franchise and a die hard Porsche fan, you should be very happy with this partnership. You can expect to see a number of interesting projects from both companies in the near future.