Rio Haryanto needs to find 4.2 million euros
Financing for Rio Haryanto's season is not yet complete. To raise the missing 4.2 million euros, he is appealing to his fellow Indonesians.
In the past, we have known calls for donations to support an F1 team. This is how Caterham was able to participate in the last race of the 2014 season in Abu Dhabi.
It is now Rio Haryanto who does the same to be able to participate in the entire F1 season with Manor. Indeed, to secure a place and edge out Alexander Rossi and Will Stevens, the young driver had obtained significant support from his government, which committed 15 million euros for the season.
Nevertheless, the latter does not intend to have the entire sum borne solely by his oil company Pertamina, especially in a context where oil prices are historically low. According to information reported by CNN Indonesia, Pertamina’s contribution would amount to 5.25 million euros, of which three were paid following the Chinese Grand Prix.
The assets of the Haryanto family are also being utilized as Kiky, a large stationery company led by Sinyo Haryanto, has granted a loan of three million euros, which, therefore, translates to visibility on the team’s single-seaters.
The central government has also planned to rely on Manor to showcase its Wonderful Indonesia promotional campaign as part of the Singapore Grand Prix. This should result in a contribution of 300,000 euros.
In Rio Haryanto’s financing plan, there is reportedly a shortfall equivalent to 4.2 million euros. The Indonesian government has therefore made an agreement with five local telephone operators to set up an SMS donation campaign. By sending the word “RIO” to a given number, Indonesians can contribute 5,000 Indonesian rupiahs, which is a little over 30 euro cents.
By calling for only a small sum, the Minister of Communication hopes to encourage his compatriots to contribute regularly to this effort: « We must support it. It should be like taking medicine, three times a day. Moreover, the number of mobile phone users in Indonesia is relatively large. So, I think if everyone does it, it should be enough. »
Even though Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world with 250 million inhabitants, it will require significant involvement to hope to reach the 12.4 million SMS necessary for the campaign to achieve its stated objective. Under these circumstances, Alexander Rossi, who has become the third driver of the team again, can hope to regain a starting seat during the season if money runs short for Rio Haryanto.
With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr
