Malaysian Lewis Hamilton

I REFER to your report “Full throttle” on Malaysian motor racer Akash Nandy (The Star, Dec 7). I was amazed to read that this young man (pic) at the age of 18 has already accomplished so many things in motor sports.

I never knew that a Malaysian was doing so well in Formula 3.
Having Googled his name, I discovered that this young man won nine out of 12 races in the 2015 Formula 3 season.

To put this in perspective, Lewis Hamilton raced Formula 3 and was Champion in the 2005 season before moving onto Formula One. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that with the right sponsorship and guidance, we have a Formula One world champion in the making in Akash Nandy.

I can’t understand why despite his many achievements, he is having difficulty finding sponsors especially since Malaysian corporations have been pouring millions of ringgit into Formula One teams and drivers over the years and have had an active presence in Formula One.

The only explanation I can think of is that our corporations are looking at the immediate gains in terms of publicity by associating their brands with well-established teams and drivers instead of having a long-term vision of nurturing and building Malaysian champions and icons.

We have a Malaysian “Lewis Hamilton” right under our very noses, and all I can say is that it’s a shame his parents are his only backers for now. I congratulate his parents for having the courage to back their son and I would also like to commend The Star for highlighting this issue, which really needs to be addressed.

His predicament is a replay of the life of Nicole David at the beginning of her career. Unfortunately, Formula One is not squash, and I don’t think Akash can reach the pinnacle of his potential by relying solely on his parents. It is time for us as a nation to encourage and back our champions based on merit and achievement.

I urge all Malaysian corporations, especially those that are already sponsoring foreign teams and drivers like Petronas and Proton, to rethink their sponsorship strategies and support Malaysians who are truly excelling. If we want young Malaysians to dream of being world beaters, we must show them that we believe in them.

DATUK DR SIVA ANANTHAN

lvbala said;

The issue here is color, race and religion. Akash should be thinking about going global and obtain his professional qualification license and make money for himself. 
 

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