The Indonesian government has reportedly launched a fundraising campaign for their national driver, Rio Haryanto, in order to pay for the rest of his 2016 contract. They are seeking the support of local telecommunication users in a text-for-cash campaign.
Haryanto was given a contract with Manor only a few weeks before the 2016 pre-season testing was set to begin. He was signed largely because he had extensive financial backing from the Indonesian government and some other state owned companies. However, recent reports suggest that roughly €4.7 million of the promised backing has not yet been paid to Manor.
According to Indonesian news sources, the government has reached an agreement with five national telecommunication companies, in hope of raising the missing funds. Reports state that the five companies are Telkomsel, Indosat, Smartfren, XL Axiata and Tri.
The government plans to ask users to text a keyword to a specific phone number. The user will be charged a small fee that will be used to fund Haryanto’s Formula One seat. The SMS donation campaign will require roughly 12.5 million texts from the country’s population of an estimated 255 million. The donations will be open until May 16. Interested users of the listed providers should contact the company for further information on how to get involved.
Haryanto is largely popular in his country, having been the only Indonesian Formula One driver in the sport’s long history. His popularity was evident during the Australian Grand Prix Driver of the Day vote, where he managed to collect more votes than any other driver on the grid. However, many of his votes were excluded, as they were determined to have originated from the same source.
Nevertheless, the government is hoping that the campaign goes well, as they are exploring this method to fund future athletes looking to enter into the international level. It’s unclear whether Manor will take any action if the funds are not raised, although it has been speculated that the Indonesian may risk a breach of contract with Manor.
Racing Clothesline has been in touch with Manor. They were able to confirm that Haryanto has a contract for 2016 and that the Indonesian government provided financial backing, but they were unable to provide details on his contract or comment on the current situation.
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