Eins.. Zwei.. Sweet Sechzen.. Sweet Sweet Sixteen!!

If you have been watching the 2014 F1 season, you probably would have noticed the presence of a lot of stats and numbers. At the opening round in Albert Park, there were plenty of these, excluding the numerals that come with commentaries on the technical side especially in the dawn of a new weird era in F1 as one major news outlet puts it. 

The Wizard of Oz

2014's Wizard of Oz - Nico Rosberg

Among the primary stat was that of Mercedes AMG PETRONAS Formula One team's Nico Rosberg's win at 2014's first GP. The win down under was also the first win at the first race of the season for the latest generation silver arrow F1 W05; and the 100th F1 victory for Mercedes-Benz power. Some say, the first of many to come. Interestingly enough, Nico's win in Melbourne was also.. wait for it.. the first time that both father and son have won the GP down-under.

When asked about it at subsequent media engagements, Nico was very cool about that stat, but the German who speaks .. wait for it.. five languages, is his own man and quickly played down that stat. Rightly so! Why would you need him to walk in his father's shadow. He's happily casting his own shadow over the rest of the paddock this season. I am sure Nico, 2014's Wizard of Oz, will certainly have more stats to throw at you through the rest of this season. 

From the Outback to the Oven 

Then came the race in the sweltering tropical humidity of Sepang and a second win for Mercedes AMG PETRONAS. This time courtesy of Mr. Lewis Hamilton. Winning from pole to flag, the Briton's win was also his 23rd career win, one that eclipsed Damon Hill's race win tally. Congrats Lewis!!


The outing in the Malaysian sauna was also Mercedes' first 1 - 2 finish in 60 years! Hooray to the Silver Arrows and to the guys back in Stuttgart & Brackley. The various reports across the world's media in the days that followed included all the stats I've mentioned above. 

Awesome duo - Lewis and Nico

Alles super!!! Great.. but somehow I got the feeling that some stats were missing from the Malaysian GP. Stats far closer to home, if you're Malaysian that is.. Geek-mode activated.

If you were listening to the commentaries on the live feeds on either free-to-air or satellite, I couldn't help but notice that only one of them gave a vague reference to what the race meant to Malaysia. And, by Malaysia, I am also referencing directly to the lead protagonist of the Malaysian GP - PETRONAS.


Red, White, Blue and a Yellow 14-pointed Star

While serving the final months of my exile in Europe, I recall watching an F1 race in 1997 on TV. Well, it was more the TV was watching me. Anyway, what caught my attention then was a word emblazoned on the side of a very striking blue-green F1 car flash by on screen. The recognition of that name probably comes from a memory stored in my prefrontal cortex.

Wikipedia

It later dawned on me that the name belonged to Malaysia's own national oil and gas company. Wow, I thought well done lah PETRONAS! Makes sense, oil company-racing, not an unusual pairing. After all, there's Shell-Ferrari and Texaco Havoline Racing.. That realisation reignited my interest in F1. After Ayrton's horrific accident and death, I had relegated my interest in F1 to the back of my mind and focused on finishing my masters.

Anyway, fast forward to 2014. As I reflected back on my first Malaysian GP I realised that there are some landmark stats for Malaysia and PETRONAS that deserve a mention. Granted, some may claim that I am biased. Maybe I am.. So what?!


20 - Twenty - Venti - Zwanzig: 
I am proud of the fact that it's been twenty seasons since the name PETRONAS appeared in F1 on the rear wing end plate of the Sauber C14.. 


3 - Three - Tre - Drei: 
The PETRONAS name was already on the podium in third place, three times prior to the inaugural 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix - Monaco 1996, Hungary 1997 (both Johnny Herbert) and Belgium 1998 (Jean Alesi). 


7 - Seven - Sette - Sieben: 
When F1 landed on these tropical shores in 1999, Jean Alesi claimed a seventh place finish for Sauber PETRONAS C18, PETRONAS' first home race.


2nd - Secundo - Zweite: 
Prior to PETRONAS' relationship with Mercedes in 2010, it's best home result was second place - Robert Kubica's 2nd place in 2008 and Nick Heidfeld's 2nd place in 2009. 


2009: 
I cannot forget that bizarre 2009 race simply because that was also the year when the race started later for European audiences. The angry sky prior to the start of the race was making everyone nervous. When I saw over 90% humidity on the timing screens, I knew that this was going to be interesting. Well, it was. And I simply cannot erase the memory of seeing a very very famous F1 commentator sprinting down the paddock from the TV compound after Zeus unleashed his thunderbolt on the TV antennas. It was hilarious!

I could hear Nick on the radio saying he simply could not see anything once the heavens really opened up. He kept saying over and over "it's too dangerous!" The race was stopped after 31 laps and as it didn't reach the required 75% distance, the top 8 drivers were awarded half-points for their efforts - the 5th time in F1 history that that has happened. The drivers had completed a race distance of just under 172km, which was also the 5th shortest race in GP history.

P2 - Secundo - Zweite: 
Was PETRONAS' best qualifying result on home soil, courtesy of Nico Rosberg in the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS car in 2010. Michael Schumacher's best effort with MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS on my home soil was P3 in 2012.


2121 days or 303 weeks or 5years 9months & 22days: 
That is how long ago it was since PETRONAS' claimed its first ever race win and first ever 1-2 race finish. It came in the way of then-backed team BMW Sauber F1 Team's Robert Kubica (1st place) and Nick Heidfeld (2nd place) results at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix. 


Sweet 16: 
How apt then that PETRONAS would get it's second 1 - 2 finish, its first ever on its own home soil and MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS' first home race of the season in 2014 right here in Sepang on the PETRONAS Malaysia Grand Prix's sixteenth edition. 


The waterworks are on now..

I miss Robert and Heike.

Despite the fact that I am probably biased, I cannot help but feel good at those facts. Since my time in the industry, I recall a lot of happy memories sunning under the blazing heat of the Sepang paddock. For instance, when a usually cool and collected Nick Heidfeld gave me a rather emotional hug after finishing fourth at the 2007 PETRONAS Malaysian GP; or Robert Kubica's high-five and back-slap after his second place at the 2008 PMGP. Weirder still was Mario Theissen hugging me that same year.. now that was a super shock, if there ever was one.

As I struggle with the memories that seem to be flooding out of my prefrontal cortex and emotions from my amygdala - I will end this post with this thought. People often critique and find faults in what PETRONAS does in F1. While I am predisposed to understand the motivation, I am proud of having been a part of this historic journey, both as an observer and participant. 

arguing with 1996 world champion Jacques Villeneuve..

I am proud to have crossed paths with so many souls whose names most will never know, whose roles were insurmountable over the past 20 years. The congratulations that PETRONAS earned at the sweet 16th home GP last weekend I believe also belong to those names buried deep in the archives. 

This post is dedicated to those soldiers who laboured so hard against the adversities thrown at them from members of parliament, politicians, editors, journalists, members of the public, fellow colleagues.. etcetera. Theirs was a struggle against all the antagonists and adversities that has eventually turned into a positive, culminating in that landmark 1-2 result on March 30th. Take pride in knowing who you are/were and what you've done. You should! I am. 

We miss you Arwah Tun, Arwah Yati, Tan Sri & Puan Sri H, the late Ute Cohrs, RR... 

Deuce.. set point.. and we are racing!!

Whether you are a fan of F1 or otherwise, I think one would agree that there has been quite a lot of chatter about the brand spanking new 2014 season. Initially, pundits and fans took a cautious approach to the new technical regulations during the pre-season testing. So, the pitch and volume of the chatter were somewhat reserved. "We'll wait and see after we get the first couple of races out of the way," was somewhat the preferred tone of response to those changes. 

Since the curtain was raised for the world's biggest motor racing circus at the opening round in Australia on March 16th, what seems to have changed is indeed the volume and pitch of that chatter. Interestingly enough, one can now actually hear the arguments (pun, intended)! 

Backhand.. forehand.. and again, backhand.. forehand.. 

No doubt the 2014 cars are technically complex with its two energy recovery systems, more torque at lower revs and fuel limits capped at 100kg. Reading the regulation changes at the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile website - for a non-technical person like me - is almost like trying to translate ancient Nubian hieroglyphics into both sanskrit and aramaic using binary code.

Having said that, reading the views for and against the raft of regulation changes made me feel like I was watching a rather odd, painfully long but beautiful tennis rally. With the arguments flowing from one end of the court to another, I am assured in the fact that I am probably not alone in feeling the presence of a growing but dull throb somewhere in my cerebral cortex. 

I do not intend to regurgitate those arguments here as there are plenty of websites out there that will happily spew out the analysis for the discerning fan. However, I will say that we are all in for a very very very long tennis rally, at least for a while. Remember that ferocious 50+ shot exchange between Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal at the US Open final last year? Well, by my reckoning the arguments will rage on with some intensity, at least during the first flyaway races and perhaps through to the start of the European leg of the season, maybe. 

Naturally, like all debates, there are those for or against, and those that sit on the fence. Being the second round of the championship in this brand spanking new 2014 season, the PETRONAS Malaysia Grand Prix has certainly given quite a number of journalists I know ample material to work with. 

I especially enjoyed "watching" the pre-race weekend sparring between Button and Vettel about how it feels to drive the new 1.6L V6 powered cars. My imagination got the better of me as I started seeing the two of them with tennis racquets in their hands, slugging it out on centre court at Roland Garros at the height of the French summer. OK, granted, I have a strange sense of imagination.

"CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

the complicated aero designs of an old F1 car from the 2008 season

Back to reality. I was given the chance to speak to several people within the industry about some aspects of the arguments. For instance, the debate on the deafening silence of the 2014 cars and the new fuel restrictions have been flying back and forth. 

While the season is only 2 races old, it already feels like it's been argued to its death. Jumping on the bandwagon, I too had to ask the same questions. A former Formula 1 world champion said, "It's good to have a change and I think Formula One needs to have a change." 

On another side of the argument, another former F1 driver said, "Formula 1 has gone a bit backwards, a little bit in performance and outright speed because of the restriction..". He later qualified that by saying Formula 1 does not stay still and it would be interesting to see what develops through the course of the season. 

The thing is, I guess I have to wonder whether the seemingly "lack of noise" in F1 actually diminishes the sport's appeal. I say that because these regulation changes were already in the works for over a few years now. Engine manufacturers like Mercedes had started working on these power units as far back as 2010. I recall a media briefing with several tech-journalists back in 2011 and among the questions that were raised included the impact of these smaller power units, that included the sound levels these units would produce. So, I am kinda surprised at the 'surprise' reaction. 

Sure, we miss the outrageous roar of the old V8 engines or even the V10s of the 1990s. Sure, there is that sense of romanticism behind the herculean roar and thunderous vibrations caused by an F1 car at almost 300+ km/h. I'll admit, I miss those days. On the flip side though, whenever I'd go to a race back then, I always left the circuit with a bad sore throat and clubitis. It's probably worth that experience, though my ENT specialist would mightily disagree. 


We all missed the turbocharged era of the 1980s but the thing is, like with all changes, I think eventually people will get used to it. We'll start focusing on other things instead. For one, F1 today is probably more accessible to those under the age of 12, the future fans of the sport, perhaps? And that then begs the question, perhaps F1 is evolving to suit the needs of the world we live in today and of the future. Perhaps it is embracing the future to ensure that it continues to remain both entertaining and relevant.

The angry skies over Sepang is kinda reflective over some of the reaction to the a new era in F1. 

The E factor.. not the drug.. 

The same former world champion asked me, "when you look at the world we live in today, what do you see?" That is the challenge for F1. To survive as a sport in a world today besieged with problems - energy crisis, food shortages, civil wars, higher cost of living.. etcetera. To survive as a sport that continues to inspire a younger audience that is more in tuned and conscious of the world they live in, far more than probably my generation ever were when we were younger. 

And, these changes that seems to have ushered in the dawn of a new era in F1 are not unique to F1. There's the new Formula E powered exclusively by electricity. Jean Todt, President of the FIA comments on the series as, " an opportunity to share FIA's values for clean energy, mobility and sustainability. The FIA is definitely looking to the future!" 

There are even energy restrictions in this years 24 hours of Le Mans. A renowned F1 journalist even quipped with me and said, "soon MotoGP will also be as quiet as F1. We're all headed in the same direction."

The two main things that seem to scream out are energy and the future. 

Back to my train of thought. Has F1 forsaken it's place at the top of racing's technological pyramid? I am not so sure. In fact, I'll stick my head out and say, I don't think so.

The fact that the 2014 car are so mind-bogglingly technically complex is testament to the technological prowess that not only defines the sport but keeps it at the top of the proverbial racing food chain. 

It can't all be about speed, dude.. 

I didn't get to drive this but sitting in the cockpit of a 2009
F1 car does make you marvel at the brains behind these
complex machines.

The tech-brains behind the sport - who are amongst the most brilliant minds - have been given a new set of challenging parameters to which they are having to come up with new innovative solutions. Sure F1 is not as fast today as it was 10 years go. 

But how fast an F1 car goes is no longer the sole determining factor anymore. To the naked eye, the cars seems slower. But, the paradigm of racing has changed. Its about who's fastest in the most energy efficient, most reliable and economical manner. 

Take all the different considerations in place in today's regulations and then consider this: Juan Pablo Montoya's lap record at Sepang in his Williams 3L V10 BMW engine in 2004 was 1:34.223. Lewis Hamilton's fastest lap of the race in his 2014 Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 W05 1.6L V6 was a 1:43.066 on the same circuit. At face value, way slow, right? Well..... Given the size of the power units compared to the monsters F1 had 10 years ago, the V6 turbo cars have higher top speeds. So how come the slower lap times? Well, there's more power but the cars have less downforce. So, the drivers are struggling to get the power down especially coming out of slower corners. 

Anyway, I am getting into territory that I am not smart enough for. 

Suffice to say, the nature of F1 is that it will continue to push the brains behind the sports. Engineers are constantly challenged to find solutions that make their team the best. In that respect, F1 has not changed. They'll continue to push the envelope of technology and unlock the performance of their cars. Drivers will continue to be pushed to the limit, even if in a quieter environment. At least they can now hear your screams from the grandstand. And you might not have to worry about premature deafness. 

And fuel regulations? I don't know about you, but I wonder about how far my car can go on XX litres, while still being able to go that little bit faster than that gas-guzzling monster Porsche Cayenne beside me on the highway. Perhaps, it was about time F1 did the same. After all, fuel regulations have already been in place for some years now. No refuelling regulations have been in place since 2010, so teams have had to figure out the best way to deliver maximum performance on XX litres of fuel. This year, they have to ensure that the fuel flow rate is within regulations, yet another complex challenge. 

Phew.. that's off my chest. I could go on and on.. but I wont.

Well, I guess like a long tennis rally, this set is likely to continue on for a while until someone wins the point. Then, another debate will emerge and yet another long rally will ensue. I'm interested to see how this match will play out. Like any kind of competitive spirit, on or off the race track, I know I will keep coming back for more.