Young Chinese driver is taking it one lap at a time for HRT team

After becoming the first Chinese driver to perfrom at a Formula 1 Grand Prix event, 24-year-old Shanghainese Ma Qinghua will hit the tracks again at the Singapore Grand Prix this week.

Ma made his debut at Italy's Monza track for the free practice session on Sept 7, and impressed the HRT team so much that he will perform similar service at the Asian race.

"Monza is rather traditional and currently the fastest F1 circuit in the world, but Singapore is a new challenge for me because I've never driven on a street circuit, or at night," he said.

Singapore's race is staged at the Marina Bay street circuit and was the first night race on the F1 circuit as well as the first street circuit in Asia. Ma will replace his HRT teammate Narain Karthikeyan and join Pedro de la Rosa at the first free practice session of the Singapore GP, which will be held from Sept 21-23.

"Singapore's road conditions will be completely different from those in Monza- there will be more curves and less buffer zones. The circuit is surrounded by walls, so if there's any mistake you will just get hit," said Ma.

Just 10 days ago, Ma completed 26 laps and clocked a fastest time of 1:31.239 at the first free practice session for HRT at the Italian Grand Prix. Even though his result ranked at the bottom of the 24 competitors, he was happy with his debut.

"The result of a single circuit isn't the only standard of judgment to say whether you're a good driver or not, for me. I'm chasing my teammates (so that I'm competitive in terms of participating in the qualifying sessions and the race), however the difference in various F1cars cannot be ignored," he said.

Ma won't participate in the qualifying session and the actual race, but his team, the Spanish-based HRT, is satisfied with Ma's efforts.

"I'm happy because Ma has taken another step in his developmental program as a Formula 1 driver and he had a satisfactory debut," team principal Luis Perez-Sala said after Ma's free practice in Monza.

"He did what was asked of him and showed clear progress, with no mistakes."

HRT only officially signed the 24-year-old this April as a member of the team's driver development program. The organization said in a statement that the program designed for Ma included private tests with cars from different categories and simulator tests.

For Ma, driving in the free practice session isn't only about racing, but also ironing out chinks in the vehicle's performance.

"It's very easy to concentrate so hard (on driving) that you forget about all of the little tasks - you've got to be fast, stable, but most importantly, you need to be able to accomplish the missions you're assigned," he said.

Ma said despite his dream to compete in qualifying sessions as soon as possible, he was taking his career "a step and a day at a time".

"At the moment, I just want to do my best for the team at the Singapore GP," he said.

Since joining the team, Ma has been preparing himself for the big stage by testing lower category cars, working on the simulator and going through a rigorous physical training regime.

"HRT is proud to have a Chinese driver. They think that makes the team special," said Ma. "As for me, I'm just happy I get along with the 80-odd team members."

China has hosted a grand prix since 2004 but, with motor racing still in its infancy here, is yet to provide a local for the fans to get behind.

Dutch-born Tung Ho-pin was the first ethnic Chinese to be involved in a Formula One team's line-up when Renault, now Lotus, named him as an official reserve in 2010. He was a test driver last season, but wasn't able to move beyond that stage.

Ma won the Chinese national karting championship at the age of 12 and claimed the Asian Formula Renault title in 2004. Last year, he won the Chinese touring car championship.

"Only persistent pursuit can make your dreams possible - everybody around me told me it's only a fantasy to drive F1 before I signed the contract with HRT, but I did it," said Ma.

shiyingying@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/17/2012 page24)