Christian Ho to race for Formula 3 team DAMS this season, first Singaporean driver to do so

SINGAPORE: Motorsport prospect Christian Ho has joined French team DAMS Lucas Oil for the 2025 Formula 3 season, becoming the first Singaporean driver to compete in the series.

DAMS announced the 18-year-old as one of their drivers on Wednesday (Jan 15), alongside teammates Matias Zagazeta of Peru and Italy's Nicola Lacorte, as the team gears up for its F3 championship debut. 

F3 is a feeder race series two tiers below Formula 1 and has been a breeding ground for numerous F1 drivers, including the Williams pair of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, and Alpine's Pierre Gasly.

"I’m happy to be joining DAMS Lucas Oil and proud to be the first F3 driver from Singapore. DAMS Lucas Oil are a strong team and they have a lot of experience in racing, so I’m excited to be working with them and learning as much as I can," said Ho.

While DAMS are making their maiden appearance in F3, they have been a mainstay in F2 since 1989.

The likes of Gasly, Albon, Nicholas Latifi, Romain Grosjean and Kamui Kobayashi all cut their teeth at the Le Mans-based team before becoming F1 drivers. 

Ho is aware of the team's storied motorsport history - 31 international titles, with 173 victories across 14 different championships - but the teen is relishing the step up.

"It’s the first season racing in F3 for both myself and the team, and there will definitely be challenges or hiccups along the way, but I’m looking forward to it. I had a strong season in the Eurocup-3 last year and I hope to continue that form this year," he said. 

"We want to be competitive in the series, which is one of the toughest in the world, so we’re going to keep working hard and keep getting better to deliver the best possible results together."

DAMS team owner and former F1 driver, Charles Pic, believes Ho will fit right in. 

"His pace during the test days was impressive and he has a great racing CV. It’s amazing for him to be the first driver from his nation to compete in F3," said Pic. 

"We’re pleased to now have our 2025 line-up confirmed and we’ll continue working hard to be in good shape when we arrive in Melbourne.” 

The 10-race championship commences from Mar 14 to 16, before ending in Monza, Italy from Sep 5 to 7.

F1 ASPIRATIONS

Ho has been racing in Europe since he was 11 and he became the first Asian to win a race in the FIA Karting Academy Trophy when he was 12.

In 2020, he finished fourth in the 2020 FIA World Karting Championship - Junior and came third in the WSK Champions Cup, before making a move in 2022 to Formula 4 Spanish Championship. 

Last year, Ho competed in the Eurocup-3 series, earning six wins, to be crowned rookie champion.

Ho spoke to CNA last September about his aspirations of becoming Singapore's first F1 driver.

After becoming the first Singaporean to qualify for F3, the budding driver told CNA that his road to success looked much clearer but acknowledged there were tough challenges ahead of him. 

"I'm only two steps away from F1, and I am more motivated to try and win,” he then said.

"Basically, everybody there is really (among) the best drivers in the world. It will be really hard for me to make it, and I know how hard I have to work to become one of the best."

He added that it typically takes around three to four years to advance from F3 to F1, but it was his dream to follow the path taken by world-class drivers like four-time world champion Max Verstappen and Michael Schumacher, both of whom rose up the ranks.