What are Marlon Stockinger’s chances of getting into F1?

It has been three days since Marlon Stockinger tore through the streets of Manila and the Mall of Asia in a Lotus F1 car, yet the sound is still ringing in my ears. As anyone who has ever heard an F1 car drive by will tell you, the high-pitched shrill is enough to pierce even the most jaded soul. But as awesome as the shriek of a Grand Prix-winning, hand-built Renault engine is, it pales in comparison to the unforgettable sounds of the Filipino fans that came out to support this up and coming racing sensation.

Tens, if not hundreds of thousands braved the heat and lined up around the 4.2-kilometer street course to witness history as a 22-year-old Filipino lived out not only his dream, but the dream of an entire nation. People travelled as far as Mindanao, Albay, Bacolod, Ilocos Norte and even Batanes, just to catch a glimpse of Marlon as he piloted his way around the mall and into the annals of Philippine history.

But now what? Well a lot of that depends on you.

Ever since witnessing Marlon’s first F1 test in Paul Ricard last month, the most asked question I’ve had has been, “Patriotism aside, realistically, what are his chances of making it into F1?” It is a fair question that deserves a fair and balanced answer, which is why I’ll skip all the fluff about the recently concluded Manila Speed Show last weekend and dive straight into the most honest answer I can possibly give you.

Marlon has got the talent. He has won an international race at one of the highest levels in what is arguably the most demanding and prestigious venue in motor sports history--Monaco. But the truth is, so have many others. He is young, marketable and intelligent. But once again, so are many others. So what advantage does Marlon have over the rest? Simple. You.

Marlon has done all he needs to do. He now needs to put his head down and beat his teammate in this year’s Renault World Series; but honestly, even if he does that, it is not enough. He needs our help.

Gone are the days when a driver could simply rely on talent alone. Even the best ones need to bring in money. As brilliant as everyone knew he was, even Alonso had to pay his way through F1; and although he may be earning the equivalent of a small country today, Santander is throwing in 50 million euros to make sure Ferrari can afford him.

According to Lotus F1 team boss, Eric Boullier, Marlon has all the skill sets he is looking for to secure a seat. The sobering reality here is, that seat costs around 15 million euros. Sounds ridiculous, right? It is. It is ridiculously cheap.

Shanghai spent around US$750 million on their race track. They will never get that back. Ever. Because as awesome as it is, people do not have emotional connections with a track, and nine years later, F1 is just as unpopular in China today as it was before they built it. In stark contrast, Venezuela spent around US$20 million on getting Pastor Maldonado into Williams, and since then, he has won a Grand Prix, gotten Venezuela plastered all over the car, raised the image of what is perceived as an impoverished nation, brought national pride and generated hundreds of millions of dollars of media mileage and sponsorships.

Russia did the same with Vitaly Petrov. Poland did it with Robert Kubica. Carlos Slim did it for Mexican driver, Sergio Perez. I could go on.

F1 may seem like a lavish and elitist sport, but if you look at it as an investment, it is like having an embassy on wheels. Nothing can generate as much pride and passion as sport and we have a very real chance to develop a global ambassador to our country. So 15 million euros?  Please. A politician spends more than that in a campaign. So now let me ask you, given a choice between seeing another candidate for elections or a seeing a Filipino representing us in the most watched sporting event on earth, where would you rather see your money go to?

This is not about Marlon. This is about the Philippines. Marlon just happens to be the most famous face right now and the only one with a proper shot at F1. If he does well, we all do well––the sport grows, our image grows, sponsors follow so we can develop new drivers and support others like Enzo Pastor who finished fourth in Euro Nascar last April 19. We need to create that chain reaction rather than reacting to it when it doesn’t happen. Marlon has done his bit, it’s time we all do ours by showing the sponsors that there are enough  of us supporting drivers like him and Enzo to warrant them parting with the money that they so happily throw at basketball.

Try and picture Marlon, or any young upcoming Filipino driver in the future for that matter, driving a Lotus F1 car with an “It’s more fun in the Philippines” slogan on it. It is closer than you think. So, back to the question. What do I really think of Marlon’s chances of getting into F1? Well that is up to us. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an entire country to raise an F1 driver.