Children learning how to walk have to take baby steps first. And our authorities have to take baby steps, too, if Singapore is to have its first-ever Formula One driver. The authorities in question are the relevant departments of the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) and the Ministry of Education (MOE).
We can laugh at the past race performances of a certain Mr Yoong from Malaysia, but at least our neighbours to the north can lay claim to having an ex-F1 driver. We have none.
To get into the big league, our search needs to start from the schools, with karts. What do Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso have in common? They all started racing in karts when they were very young. Schumacher won his first championship when he was only six!
Karting needs to be introduced in local schools as a CCA (co-curricular activity), like football and choir. Currently, only a few Singaporean kids have access to karting, because most parents see it as a waste of time and money.
SSC and MOE should put their heads together, free up some funds and get the wheels rolling. And who knows? We could be cheering our first F1 podium winner at the 2020 Singapore Grand Prix!
