In conversation with Aston Martin F1 ambassador Pedro de la Rosa
IF golf is the sport for CEOs and billionaires, Formula 1 is the one for motorheads who spend their time making a luxury (and some vintage) sports car binder. And nobody does luxury better than the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team.
Some teams embrace legacy, some embrace modern innovation – but the Aston Martin team acutely understands that luxury and F1 are parallels: two sides of the same coin.
Led by team principal and managing technical partner Adrian Newey, the team itself is built of high-profile individuals, including their recently re-signed pilots, two-time World Drivers’ Champion Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
With a sleek livery that is a chassis of quiet luxury, the team is incredibly suave with its approach to luxury as they balance their high-end identity and the on-track intensity.
Lounging with theSun, their F1 ambassador and former Spanish racing driver Pedro de la Rosa dishes on the team’s dual identity, its luxurious synergy with Scotch whisky Glenfiddich and his thoughts on the sport’s massive growth in Southeast Asia.
Allure of Sepang
Fresh off a plane and soaking in the vibrant energy and hazy Kuala Lumpur, de la Rosa, who arrived, still jet-lagged, on Wednesday (Sept 30), declared his love for Malaysia immediately after greeting the media present at the VIP room of Whisky House KL.
“I’m still a bit jet-lagged, but actually, I love Malaysia. I love this place. I love KL,” he said.
Sharing the same sentiment as F1 fans and drivers alike, he was excited to come back to Sepang – specifically the Sepang International Circuit that is historically the toughest and most interesting track to race on, with its high-speed straights and intense tropical weather.
“I love the circuit (Sepang), it’s one of my favourites, always has been.
“And we had lost contact with Malaysia for many years, you know? So, it’s great to be back! Really, really nice.
“At the airport, there were fans, F1 fans. And this is exciting because I didn’t remember so many fans back when I was racing.
“You know, I think it has increased, and this is great to watch.”
Cask of two identities
Still high on the love showered by Malaysian fans, de la Rosa also talked about the exact moment when he realised that Glenfiddich and the Aston Martin Formula One team are vatted from the same cask.
“I mean, to be honest, the first event we did together was in Las Vegas, in 2024.
“And it was in the middle of the desert at night – a fantastic event where a car was displayed in the middle of the dessert with lights, and it was just (incredible).”
Reminiscing about the opulent night under the twinkling desert stars, he said it was the first time he knew that they shared a common soul.
“Both are iconic (names) with an amazing heritage, and it’s the fact that they’re both very exciting (identities) bringing something unique together in F1. It’s really a very, very interesting partnership, I would say.”
Luxury of patience
“Character” is one word that comes to mind when speaking of luxury. It is not bought, it is felt.
It is slowly and patiently woven by deliberate hands, carried through generations, whispering a story born of heritage.
As such, many times, it becomes a conversation starter because, like a meticulously assembled F1 car, every titanium bolt, carbon-fibre chassis layer and custom spec mirrors a complex story and flavour profile waiting to be told.
“Because they are unique pieces, you know? In the same way that at Aston Martin, every car has its own character and it’s a very exclusive (name).”
As we took a brief walk out of the room, de la Rosa expressed once more that he is grateful to be back in Malaysia and on the track he has once raced on.
He holds onto the hope that Malaysia would soon hear the roar of an F1 car engine for our very own Grand Prix once again.
The Aston Martin F1 ambassador, just like a neat pour of a fine whisky, left a lasting impression – warm and convivial on the surface, but grounded in a suave, calming presence.
He left behind a clear conviction that for the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, true luxury is an art form that is best savoured slowly in a high-octane milieu.
