Asian F1 Drivers Across History
Despite Asia being the world’s most populous continent, there has never been an Asian Formula 1 driver standing on the top step of the podium. Asian F1 drivers represented various nations and religions. There were some Indian F1 drivers, the only Muslim F1 drivers came from Asia, and one of the two Buddhists in F1 comes from Asia. Despite the diversity, most of the Asian F1 drivers came from Japan, which had a total of 21 drivers in Formula 1.
Some Asian drivers have still managed to achieve success in the elite open-wheel racing series. Here are the 3 best Asian F1 drivers in history:
3. Takuma Sato
Japanese driver Takuma Sato competed in Formula 1 from 2002 to 2008 for teams like Jordan, BAR, and Super Aguri. In 90 starts, he scored a total of 44 championship points with his best finish being 3rd place at the 2004 United States Grand Prix.
Sato was known for his aggressive and risky driving style which sometimes led to spectacular overtakes but also some major crashes. He had a great chance to fight for victory in the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix, but on the 10th lap, he tried pulling a move, which had no chance of success, and as a result hit Jarno Trulli, reducing the chance of winning for either of them to 0.
Although Sato never came close to winning in F1, he achieved success in IndyCar racing in the U.S. He won the Indianapolis 500 twice, in 2017 and 2020 cementing his popularity among Japanese and American racing fans. Sato took part in 221 races in IndyCar series, winning 6 of them, and taking the podium a total of 14 times. So although he didn’t have much success in Formula 1, he showed the capabilities of being a great driver.
2. Kamui Kobayashi
Kamui Kobayashi is regarded as one of Japan’s most talented F1 drivers of all times. He competed from 2009 to 2014 for Toyota, Sauber, and Caterham scoring a total of 125 championship points.
His best result came at his home 2012 Japanese Grand Prix where he finished 2nd, ending a 22-year podium drought for Japanese drivers in Japan. He also had two 3rd place finishes in his career.
Kobayashi was known for his aggressive overtaking manoeuvres, especially late braking moves. Although he often struggled with an uncompetitive car, he consistently scored points for midfield teams like Sauber.
He became popular among fans for his exciting driving style but eventually lost his F1 seat due to lacking sponsorship backing. He later found success in sports car racing, winning the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours race.
1. Alex Albon
Alexander Albon is arguably Asia’s most successful F1 driver so far, and the only of the Asian F1 drivers who can fight for the race victory with a competitive car. Racing under the Thai flag, he started with Toro Rosso in 2019 before being promoted to Red Bull mid-season where he failed to deliver and was sent to the shadow realm by Helmut Marko. Albon had to take a small break from F1, and came back to the sport, joining the backmarker Williams team.
In 2020, Albon achieved a milestone by becoming the first Thai driver to score an F1 podium with 3rd place in Tuscany. He followed it up with another podium in Bahrain, the first Asian driver to score multiple podiums.
Although replaced at Red Bull for 2021, Albon returned to a race seat with Williams in 2022. Despite driving uncompetitive car right now, he has consistently scored points with excellent race craft, and showed that he belongs in much better team than Williams.
Still only 27 years old, Albon has shown the talent and potential for greater success. As the only current Asian driver in F1, he carries the hopes of making history as the first Asian race winner, as well as joining the hall of fame of Buddhist athletes. Albon is the second Buddhist F1 driver in history of the sports, and a great ambassador of the religion, openly admitting to it, and promoting it across the world.
Future for Asian Drivers in F1
One of the best Asian F1 drivers, who didn’t make the list is Yuki Tsunoda, who’s currently driving in VCARB, a Red Bull junior team. He has a potential of scoring a podium with some luck, but the team doesn’t seem to be able to compete for any podiums in the near future, and the driver himself seems to be a bit stuck, unable to progress to a better team, or have the VCARB improve significantly.
Another of the Asian F1 drivers on the grid currently is Zhou Guanyu, who is the first Chinese F1 driver, but he never finished higher than 8th, and it seems that his 3rd season in Formula 1 will be the last one. Even the money from Chinese sponsors will not be able to convince Sauber to keep him on board.
There are also no promising Asian drivers in F2 or F3. There are a few drivers such as Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak or Ritomo Miyata, but neither of the driver showed any potential in the 2024 season, and it’s unlikely either of them will join Formula 1 in the future