Singapore’s New Generation Of Young Formula Drivers Are Creating Their Own Lane

Singapore might be known in the motorsport world for its Formula 1 night race, but once the Marina Bay lights switch off, the country’s relationship with racing doesn’t exactly hit the brakes.. A new generation of young Singaporean racers are putting in the work on international grids, travelling the world in pursuit of their own racing careers. 

With the Singapore Grand Prix 2026 approaching, we caught up with three of the young Formula racers putting Singapore on the motorsport map: Kareen Kaur, Kabir Anurag and Christian Ho. Their routes into racing may look different, but all three know what it means to chase a career in a sport where Singapore has plenty of spectators, but not quite the infrastructure yet to match.

At just 16 years old, Kareen Kaur is Singapore’s first female F4 driver, with her sights firmly set on F1 Academy and, eventually, Formula 1. While most teenagers are juggling school and exams, Kaur is balancing that with simulator sessions, physical training and racing overseas as she works her way up the Formula racing ladder.

See also: Talking About The Future With Racer Kareen Kaur

Kabir Anurag has already made Singaporean motorsport history as the first Singaporean to join the Alpine Academy, the development programme that supports young drivers on their path towards Formula 1. Now competing in the Formula Regional European Championship, the 19-year-old is continuing to climb the junior single-seater ladder while making the most of his place in one of motorsport’s biggest driver development programmes. 

Christian Ho, now 19, became the first Singaporean to compete in FIA Formula 3 when he made his debut in 2025. Before stepping up to F3, he was crowned Eurocup-3 champion back in 2024, adding another milestone to an already history-making career. He’s currently taking a break from racing while preparing for National Service and considering his next moves. 

First things first, for anyone who doesn’t know your journey yet, how did you first get into racing?

Kareen Kaur: “It started at home, watching Formula 1 with my parents. My father is a motorsport enthusiast and I basically grew up following him to workshops and asking what he was doing with his car. I started karting when I was nine, racing with him at Turf City in Bukit Timah. What began as curiosity turned into a real passion quite quickly.

It got serious at around 13. That was when the training focused on physical conditioning, simulator work and testing abroad, and I understood the level of commitment the sport actually asks for. That process made me realise this was the path I wanted to commit to fully and I’ve been learning and growing in motorsport ever since!”

Christian Ho: “I have always watched F1 since I was a little kid. My parents went for the Grand Prix in 2014 and 2017 as well. But I really got into racing in 2015 on a family trip to Phuket where we went rental karting and the track manager advised my dad to start me racing.”

Kabir Anurag: “I first got into racing through karting in Singapore, and a big inspiration for that was the Singapore Grand Prix.”

Motorsport is a pretty unconventional career path in Singapore. What has it been like pursuing racing here?

Christian: “It’s very tough. Obviously I’m the first of my family to be involved in motorsport and having to learn how the industry works as the journey went on was probably the hardest part, but I did have good people around me guiding me on the right path in the early years.”

What have been some of the biggest challenges and joys along the way?

Kabir: “One of the biggest challenges are the times where you feel mentally lost as a driver. That’s very difficult. My joys come when faith turns into action. It’s definitely a good feeling when a lot of work and faith go into something and it plays out well.”

Kareen: “The biggest challenge is physical. I need to build a lot of strength to race against the boys. Biologically they’re stronger than me, so I have to work twice as hard. It’s just the reality of it. Another challenge is how much of this sport sits outside your control. You can prepare perfectly and still have a day where the car doesn’t give you what you need. Learning to accept that is probably harder than any of the training.

The joys are simpler. Scoring points on my very first Formula 4 weekend in India is one I’ll always keep. Just being in the car is such a privilege and a huge joy that I don’t take for granted. When I’m in a race kart or a Formula car, I feel calm behind all the noise. That’s the part I miss when I am not racing. I really love every opportunity I get to race.”

With the Singapore Grand Prix coming up, what are you most looking forward to during the event?

Kareen: “The Singapore Grand Prix season is always such an exciting time, and I’m grateful to be involved in a few brand activations around the track this year. Seeing the whole country come alive and get involved is really special, and the energy is infectious. I’m looking forward to meeting people, watching the sessions and soaking in the atmosphere of having one of the great spectacles in racing right here at home. When you spend most of your year travelling to circuits overseas, having this one in your own city feels different.”

F1 has become increasingly popular with a younger audience, especially through social media and shows like Drive to Survive. What do you think has changed about the way young people see motorsport today?

Kareen: “The audience has changed the most. F1 is close to a more even split between male and female fans globally now, which nobody would have said years ago. You can see what that’s done. Far more brands are coming into the sport, not just in F1 but in F1 Academy too, and there’s a lot more intent behind putting a female driver in a car. That shift is real and it’s happening quickly.

On a smaller level, it’s much easier to tell my friends what I do and have them understand it. I get DMs from kids and young girls cheering me on and following what I’m doing, and none of that would have happened if the sport hadn’t grown the way it has. That’s the bit that makes it feel like something bigger than my own results.”

Christian: “Although I do think that these shows/social media have boosted the attention to F1 I would say that sometimes people see it as a very dramatic sport but I would say that racing is always just racing for all the drivers. It’s a passion for all of us and although there is a lot of politics involved when drivers are on the track, usually you think more about driving than the dramatic part of the sport.”

What would you like to see change or grow within Singapore’s motorsport scene for the next generation of young drivers?

Kabir: “In Singapore, we don’t currently have a karting track, which doesn’t help the scene grow. I think it would be the right move to try and build some motorsport culture in Singapore beyond just the Grand Prix.”

What is the biggest goal you’re working towards right now, and what does the next step in your racing career look like?

Kabir: “I’d say the biggest thing I’m working towards right now is to keep growing. In racing, it’s a constant process of improvement. If I grow in my faith and stay humble, I’m moving in the right direction. The next step looks like continuing in FREC (Formula Regional European Championship: an official junior single-seater racing series that bridges the gap between Formula 4 and FIA Formula 3) in 2027, for now, but we’ll see.”

Christian: “Probably getting through my National Service and finding the uni I’m going to be applying to. Racing wise, like I said now it is quite unclear what I’m going to be doing.”

Kareen: “The long-term goal is Formula 1. That’s the honest answer, even though the road there is a long one. Nearer term, I’m building towards a competitive Formula 4 season in Europe, and F1 Academy wherever the opportunity comes. The immediate next step is Sepang in October, racing in Formula Trophy Malaysia on the support bill for the Formula 1 weekend. After a year built mostly around testing, that’s a chance to race in front of a real crowd and the Formula 1 paddock, which is rare for a Formula 4 driver.”

Christian, you became the first Singaporean to race in FIA Formula 3 in 2025. Looking back at that first season, what did competing at that level teach you about yourself as a driver?

Christian: “I would say my first season was quite challenging just because obviously it’s a new team, and I was a rookie so it was always going to be hard but I would say it taught me to stay grounded and to stay positive even when times are hard.”

Kabir, you made history as the first Singaporean to join the Alpine Academy. What did that milestone mean to you?

Kabir: “I’d say this milestone was a nice part of my journey, but the main focus has always been to keep developing and growing, and to use the academy to help me do that. Even though it may seem like I’m carving out a new path in motorsport, the path is already pretty well established. F4, FREC, F3, and so on. But it’s always nice to know someone’s doing it who came from the same place as you.”

Kareen, as Singapore’s first female F4 driver, has being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated sport affected your experience of racing? And what would you like younger girls in Singapore to see when they look at your journey? 

Kareen: “In the car, it stops being about whether you’re male or female. It’s about executing as a driver and focusing on performance. I believe underneath the helmet, we’re all just racing drivers who have the same hunger to win.

Physically, I have to build strength and endurance to race at a competitive level against a grid that’s usually composed of older guys. Whether you’re a girl or a boy, the only thing that proves your worth is getting on the podium.

As for younger girls, I hope it shows that you don’t need to wait. I’m usually the only Singaporean at these sessions and often the only girl, and I’d like that to stop being the usual. If a girl at a karting track sees me doing this and realises it’s a real thing she could do, I would have considered that a win too.”