A long-time fan of Formula 1 and thus, happy to watch races wherever they’re staged or whatever teams happen to be competing, I’m mystified by Malaysia’s involvement in such a spectacularly expensive sport. Or, more specifically, I’m wondering who’s paying for it.

Tony Fernandes, CEO of AirAsia and principal of Malaysia’s new F1 participant Lotus Racing, has been loud in his assurances that no public money is involved in this venture.

But this statement merely raises the question of what precisely constitutes ‘public’ money in the minds of Fernandes and his pals in Malaysian politics.

Let’s not forget that the power behind Malaysia’s entry into Formula 1 in the first place, and the driving-force behind the establishment of the Subang circuit some years ago, was that most profligate of public spenders, then premier Dr Mahathir Mohamaed.

Dr M’s enthusiasm for the elitist and Eurocentric sport of Formula 1 has always seemed somewhat odd if not stunningly hypocritical to me, considering his highly vocal hatred of the West in general and white former colonialists in particular.

Nevertheless he’s still involved because somebody, be it AirAsia, Lotus Racing or whoever, evidently paid his fare to the recent launch of Lotus Racing in Norfolk, UK.

According to Bernama , the ‘news agency’ that tirelessly promotes Umno/BN personalities and spins their exploits, Dr M expressed the sentiment at the launch ceremony that the team must perform well in the season-opening race in Bahrain next month, as failure “would tarnish the famous name that they (carry)”.

But he failed to explain what on earth the name Lotus, as famed as it has been for decades for its over-priced, under-sized sports cars, could possibly do to either tarnish or burnish the name of Malaysia.

NONE Aside from the purchase of the Lotus company by Proton several years ago, with or without public funds, and the formation of this racing team with or without public funds, this effort is almost as foreign as the space launch that carried Malaysia’s first ‘astronaut’.

From what I can see, aside from its top management there’s absolutely nothing about Team Lotus, from its chief engineer Mike Gascoyne to its factory already established by Toyota and Audi and its European drivers, that has anything whatever to do with Malaysia.

Unless, of course, there’s Malaysian rubber in the Bridgestone tyres or some Malaysian crude or palm-oil derivatives in the fuel and lubricants the cars consume.

Or possibly some former Royal Malaysian Air Force personnel are working for the team as special security guards to ensure that none of its engines go missing.

How to help the cause

As for whether the money Team Lotus will be running on is Malaysian, public or otherwise, in any event Fernandes says it’s not really enough.

tony fernandes “Of course we would like to have big sponsors who could give us a large cheque and we can be more competitive,” he was quoted as saying at the team launch, but added that “if that doesn’t happen we will make do with what we have”.

But with untold millions of ringgit, public or otherwise, already spent in getting the team off the ground, what’s the problem with getting local sponsors to splurge a little or even a lot more?

The Umno/BN government, for example, always has plenty of money, public or otherwise, to buy all the votes, legislators, judges, journalists and so on that it needs. So surely it can afford a few mega-bucks to sponsor the F1Malaysia logo on the Team Lotus cars, helmets and overalls.

Some filthy-rich Umnoputras could easily contribute to the team’s success too. Instead of ploughing all the cash they’ve made in their chequered careers into magnificent mansions like Dr Mohd Khir Toyo’s, or squirreling it away in foreign real estate and/or Swiss banks accounts where nobody can see it, they could help fuel Malaysia to GP glory.

There’s no cause for them to be shy about their wealth, goodness knows. The relationship between these people’s success and their political connections could be entirely coincidental.

And in any case the MACC and attorney-general are always on hand to allay any suspicions or allegations of impropriety.

So, considering all they’ve got out of the country, it wouldn’t hurt them to demonstrate their gratitude with a spot of sponsorship money for the token national F1 team.

petronas But whoever’s funding the team in the meantime is impossible to determine, as under the BN regime the connection between public funds and the cash-flows of government-linked corporations like Petronas and Proton - not to mention the financial affairs of the ruling political parties and their cronies - are jealously-guarded state secrets.

Nor is it easy to weigh the costs of Malaysia’s involvement in Formula 1 against the possible benefits to the nation in terms of global publicity.

Just as some cynic has said that ‘war is God’s way of teaching Americans geography’, clinching a spot on the Formula 1 circuit can put a city or country on the international map. And running a team in the contest will doubtless attract even more global attention and awareness for Malaysia.

But publicity isn’t always positive. When legendary showman PT Barnum declared that “there’s no such thing as bad publicity”, he was referring to circuses, not countries.

robert mugabe And surely nobody would argue that the publicity that Robert Mugabe has achieved for Zimbabwe, for example, or Kim Il-Jong for North Korea, or the Generals for Burma, has done anything for tourism or other industries in these countries.

Similarly, while Malaysia’s F1-powered higher profile may well prompt some people around the world to think ‘Truly Asia’ and start planning a visit or investment here, it may put others off by evoking such repellant images as corrupt government, whipped women and politically-motivated sodomy trials.

There are mixed feelings about F1 involvement among Malaysians too. While no doubt many perceive it as a boost to national pride, as well as a golden opportunity to enjoy the action out at Sepang every year, others are scandalised by what they see as an massive waste of public money, like the widely-loathed Monsoon Cup.

So whoever’s funding this Lotus effort, be it AirAsia, Umno/BN cronies or the ever-generous rakyat , it will be fascinating see how many points the team manages to score for its own and Malaysia’s image, both on and off the track.