31 October 2009 / REUTERS, KUALA LUMPUR
Malaysia’s Lotus Formula One team appointed Riad Asmat as chief executive on Friday. Asmat, who was general manager at state-owned Proton Holdings Berhard overseeing its motorsport program, will take charge at the team included as the 13th entry on the starting grid for next season.
The Malaysian-backed team, which was launched last month, are aiming for a roll out of the new car in mid-February to test it before the season opener in Bahrain in March. “Riad’s expertise, which is a good blend of both corporate experience and motorsports knowledge, will provide the dynamic and success-oriented leadership that the Malaysian team requires,” team principal Tony Fernandes told a news conference in Sepang. “I’m confident that his knowledge of motorsports coupled with vast experience will contribute to the success of the 1Malaysia F1 Team.” Lotus F1 is a partnership between the Malaysian government and a consortium of Malaysian entrepreneurs. “All of us in the 1Malaysia Formula One Team understand that this is a very important first step for the nation,” Asmat said. “We’ll make it our key objective to build a very strong and robust foundation moving forward.”
