On the wheels of success: with the completion of a new hi-tech wind tunnel and the signing on of a former world championship driver, Sauber Petronas is a team on the rise.
| Auteur | Kwok, Christina |
| Fonction | Malaysia Special |
Established in 1974, Petronas (Petroliam Nasional Berhad), Malaysia's national oil company, has transformed itself into a fully integrated multinational corporation with business interests in more than 30 countries and a workforce of about 28,000 people. Ranked among the fortune global 500 largest corporations in the world, Petronas has now reached an important milestone in its journey towards its vision of becoming a leading oil and gas multinational of choice. The company turned 30 in 2004.
In 1995, Petronas sponsored the Sauber Petronas formula one (F-1) team at the grand prix in Monaco. This represented the oil and gas conglomerate's first foray into motor sports, designed to acquire cutting edge technology, increase brand visibility" and pave the way for access into international markets such as the vast Chinese market, for their fuel and lubricants.
The founder and his plans
A former electrician, turned racecar driver then engineer and designer, peter Sauber metamorphosed into entrepreneur and founder by creating Sauber AG in 1970. Sauber AG is a Swiss motor sports company that began its F.1 campaign 13 years ago in 1992. The company owns an impressive high-tech development centre in Hinwil, covering an area of more than 8000 square metres, with 300 specialists dedicated exclusively to F.1.
The Hinwil location completed an ultra-modem wind tunnel in March 2004 at a cost of USD 55 million to facilitate aerodynamic development of new racing cars. This sets new benchmarks for the independent F-1 team and puts Sauber Petronas on a level playing field for the first time with teams backed by global car manufacturers. Having also recently signed on Jacques Villeneuve, former world champion in 1997, for the 2005 season, the F-1 team is poised for a good year ahead and eager to see how benefits from the wind tunnel translate to track performance.
Swiss News spoke to Peter Sauber as well as the public relations office of Sauber Petronas.
Swiss News: Could you briefly outline the history of the collaboration between Petronas and Sauber?
In the mid 1990s, Petronas was looking for a platform to increase public awareness of the corporation on an international scale. It opted for Formula 1, and following a phase of evaluation, selected Sauber as their partner. The cooperation started with the grand prix of Monaco in 1995 in the form of a classical sponsoring commitment, followed in 1996 by the founding of Sauber Petronas engineering (SPE), a joint...
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