Singapore's Christian Ho makes history once again by becoming the first local Formula race car driver to soon feature in the FIA Formula 3
SINGAPORE, 16 SEPTEMBER 2024 – Teen racing sensation Christian Ho, 17, has made history as the first Singaporean to secure a seat on the FIA Formula 3 Championship, taking a big step forward in his quest to become the first Singaporean Formula 1 driver.
The FIA F3 championship is part of motorsport’s governing body FIA’s pathway aimed at helping drivers reach the pinnacle of the sport, sitting in between the FIA Formula 4 and Formula 2 championships. Most if not all F1 drivers go through the third-tier championship which serves as a feeder series.
The FIA F3 season typically takes place on the sidelines of F1 races at the same circuits. The 2024 season consists of 30 drivers from 10 teams, 10 rounds and includes iconic venues such as England’s Silverstone, Monaco’s street circuit and the Red Bull Ring in Austria. The FIA F3 races are shown live globally on the F1 channel and take place a few hours before the F1 race. This will bring unprecedented exposure and more will be able to catch 17-year-old Ho in action.
With this new move, the 17-year-old Ho will make the step up from Eurocup-3 where he currently sits second of 32 drivers and first place in the rookies standings, having clinched three wins and six podiums after six rounds of racing. The last two Eurocup-3 weekends take place from Oct 4 to 6 and Nov 8 to 10 in Spain.
Since moving to Europe at 11 to pursue his motorsport career, Ho has made stellar progress and made waves in the racing world. He has consistently been one of the top drivers for his age group and made steady progress earning a promotion to the next category of racing on a yearly basis. When he was 12, he became the first Asian to win a race in the Deutsche Kart Meisterschaft (DKM) German Karting Championship series. Following a successful karting journey, during which he came second in the FIA Karting Academy Trophy and the German Junior championship in OK-Junior karts in 2019.
The following year in 2020, Ho started on pole position in the Final race of the prestigious CIKFIA World Karting Championship, being the first Asian to do so since F1 driver, Alex Albon. It was a close fight for the top spot and he finished fourth overall in this championship. He also clinched 3rd place in the WSK champion cup in the same year. In 2022, Ho made the move up to junior formula cars (single seater) in the F4 Spanish Championship. He finished in second in the 2023 F4 Spanish Championship, clinching five wins and 13 podium finishes.
Ho said: “I’m really excited to secure my seat in FIA F3 next year. I’ve learnt a lot from competing in the F4 and Eurocup-3, and those experiences will definitely help as I take on this new challenge. It hasn't been an easy journey especially being far away from my family and balancing studying and racing at the same time."
"FIA F3 is going to be a whole new ball game with better, faster drivers and while it's going to get harder from here, I know I can make it. I'm ready to learn, ready to take things to the next level and keep getting better. All FIA F3 races will be shown live on TV before the F1 races, I really hope that with more exposure, more Singaporeans as well as local sponsors will be able to catch me in action and support my quest to become the first Singaporean F1 driver.”
Ho will be in town for the F1 Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay before returning to Europe to complete his Eurocup-3 season and set up his base for the upcoming FIA F3 season. More details of his FIA F3 team will be shared in due course.
Winson Ow, President of Motor Sport Singapore, said: “Christian has achieved a remarkable feat in being the first Singaporean to reach the FIA F3 championship, and we are all very proud of him. He has adapted well to the challenges of racing over the past few years and we are confident he will thrive in this next stage of his journey as well. We hope this raises the level of interest and support for motor sports and our local drivers.”
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