A Filipino F1 driver?

As I tap away furiously on my laptop, 35,000 feet above sea level, trying to catch another deadline that is hovering like one of the many of planes ahead us that are waiting to land in Nice airport, a young man is on his way to make history as the first Filipino driver to ever be invited to formally test a Formula One car.

By the time you read this, Filipino-Swiss karting champion, GP3 Monaco winner and current Renault World Series Driver, Marlon Stockinger would have already completed 350 kilometers on the famed Paul Ricard F1 circuit with the Lotus F1 team, as part of his evaluation as a potential replacement for 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen or Romain Grosjean.

Although Marlon had already been competing in Status Grand Prix GP3 team and managed by Gravity, which is owned by Lotus F1 team boss, Eric Boullier, the opportunity came last February, when the Lotus F1 Team announced its roster of drivers for the newly launched Lotus F1 Junior Team.

As one of only seven drivers to be chosen, Marlon is currently supported by the team in all areas of driving skills, physical fitness, health and nutrition, social and mental development, business ethics and principals, as well as PR training. He is the only one, however, to be selected for testing.

“Lotus F1 Junior Team takes our previous i-Race Professional young driver academy and builds on it to be more closely aligned with the Formula 1 team and all the benefits brought by this association. We’re offering an in-depth and highly beneficial training regime which should encourage these drivers to develop and perform at their very best. Motorsport can be very daunting for young drivers, particularly everything that occurs away from the track, so we hope to give our drivers the very best preparation possible for their future careers.” Lotus F1 team principal, Eric Boullier said during the announcement.

Regardless of how the test goes, Marlon would have not only made history but would have also opened the doors to our future Filipino champions and inspire another generation to follow his road.

You can expect a blow by blow account in next week’s motoring section, of course, but for now, all we can do is throw our support behind the 21 year-old as he flies the flag for us in the most exclusive sport on earth. Because should he be chosen, whether in the Lotus F1 team or loaned out to one of the smaller teams for race experience, Marlon would have overcome odds that are over 350 million to one.

Sounds crazy, I know, but unlike other elite sports, if you can consider that there are only twenty Formula One drivers on the grid in a world of seven billion people, as flawed as my math may be, I’m sure you can appreciate how big a deal it really is. Besides, the only math that needs to add up are the numbers it takes to get him all the way. And this is where we can all help.

The average price of competing in GP3 costs roughly 600,000 Euros; a seat in GP2 is usually 2.5 million, while F1 is upwards of 5 million—all in Euros. Although he can theoretically skip the GP2 series, on those figures alone, you can begin to connect the dots.

As it is now, Marlon has been supported almost entirely by his family. After he made waves in the lower formula series, Globe Tattoo have thrown their corporate muscle behind him—but if we want him to go all the way, he will need more than just a speedy Internet connection to fulfill his dream. Our dream.

The race is on.