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After signing an agreement to sponsor the new Yamaha MotoGP satellite, Petronas wants to emulate the success of Mercedes in Formula 1.
When they had the opportunity, the bosses of Petronas did not hesitate and got into MotoGP. Entering the Queen category as a title sponsor of a new team backed by the factory is not a chance that comes up every day.
The highly successful partnership that the Malaysian oil giant has had with Mercedes in F1, which has earned five titles of drivers and teams over the last five years, is the ideal model to win the first prize in the motorcycle race.
The opportunity came after the signing of an agreement between Tech3 and the second team of KTM, thus ending a 20-year relationship with Yamaha.
This paved the way for the SIC team (Sepang International Circuit), with the support of Petronas.
While Tech3 had to deal with manual machines from the factory, the new Petronas SRT team will have a much closer relationship with Yamaha – which will provide Franco Morbidelli with a bike with specifications very similar to those of its factory riders. Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales will use.
Sometimes the Grand Prix racer, Johan Stigefelt, is responsible for the brand new operation, supported with talent by Jorge Lorenzo's former right-hand man, Wilco Zeelenberg. In the first year, the goal is simply to get into MotoGP – and grow, again and again.
That's exactly what Petronas expects from this project, both in terms of results and technology used in this area. After all, there is no better motorcycle testbike than MotoGP, which has been an essential motivation for the firm in this new adventure.
"Motorcycle racing is one of the most popular disciplines among young people in Malaysia," said Autosport Afiza Mohd Yusof, Petronas' sponsorship manager.
"We are providing lubricant and oil to the Mercedes F1 team and the results could not be better and we now want to achieve this success in MotoGP.
"We have to relearn because everything that allowed us to succeed in F1 can not be applied to MotoGP.
"What we want is to be able to develop our products on a bench as demanding as this championship.
"We are not only a sponsor for Yamaha, but we are also part of the team and we will participate in all major awards."
Datuk Razlan Razali, CEO of the Sepang International Circuit, is the other key player in this ambitious program.
He was the man in charge of communicating with the various parties and putting everything in order when the opportunity presented itself.
"We had not planned our entry into MotoGP even though it was obvious that it was our wish," Razlan said.
"With Yamaha, it all depends on the budget, it's as simple as that.In the beginning, we wanted both riders to have an official bike, but it makes no sense to spend money. for an official bike when Fabio [Quartararo, the team’s second rider] must learn and get used to the category.
"We expect a lot from Franco, he arrives after being the best rookie of [2018] season.
"He really impressed us the first two days on a motorcycle [during Valencia post-season testing last week]. We want to be the first independent team and he wants to be the first independent runner; that's why he will have an official bike. "
The official launch of Petronas SRT will likely take place in Sepang, just before the first pre-season test of 2019 – which will take place from February 6 to 8.
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