Martin Whitaker
Chief Executive Officer, Saudi Motorsport Company
Martin Whitaker has enjoyed a four-decade career at the forefront of motorsport which has spanned the FIA, Formula 1, McLaren, Ford, and in recent years the operational and promotional activities of the Bahrain and the Saudi Arabian Grands Prix. As CEO of the Saudi Motorsport Company, he explains how F1 has helped raise the profile of the Middle East
GP Racing: Where did your interest in motor racing begin?
Martin Whitaker: A family friend, Alan McKechnie, ran local driver Bob Evans who won the Formula 5000 championship in 1974. The Lola was run from the fruit orchard close to my family home on the Herefordshire/ Gloucestershire border. A ‘test’ track ran through the apple orchards and one day I went to see a new driver test.
On arriving at the farm, I remember a chassis with Evans’ name taped over with that of Keijo Rosberg. Somewhat shorter than Bob, “Keke” had wooden blocks bolted to the pedals so that he could reach them. After a stint as a journalist at Motoring News I headed to the RAC Motorsports Association.
GPR: What was your remit at the MSA?
MW: We looked after the media and PR for all the major series in the UK. It was while working at the British Grand Prix that I received a call from Bernie Ecclestone offering me a role with Formula 1. In short, Bernie sent me off to Paris where I worked for the FIA under then-president Jean Marie Balestre. “You’ll be in Paris for six weeks,” said Bernie and 18 months later I was still there. After time at McLaren and back with the FIA, I went to work with the Ford Motor Company in F1 and the World Rally Championship.
GPR: In your role with Bahrain, how difficult was it to make a new race in the Middle East credible?
MW: Looking back, it’s clear that Bahrain was a catalyst for change in the way in which F1 circuits and much of the sport were run. With the backing of the Bahraini Crown Prince we were able to help establish a new vision for the way in which circuits were run. No longer was it a case of just running a race. Bahrain began to develop a new range of entertainment designed to create an exciting F1 race weekend and how the sport could engage with the fans.
What Bahrain gave to Formula 1 was reciprocated in what the sport did for Bahrain. The global coverage of the race highlighted the Kingdom and helped raise the awareness
INTERVIEW and profile of the country. There’s little doubt in my mind t
