Jack Aitken, A Reserve Racing Driver For The Williams Team In Formula 1

Our chat with 25-year-old British-Korean Jack Aitken, a reserve racing driver for the Williams team in Formula 1.

- Yimin Huang

This was the month when the Singapore Grand Prix was supposed to roar into life around the city streets (3 October); sadly, for the second year running, it’s not to be. But the sport is motoring on! One up-and-coming name is Jack Aitken, a Williams Racing Formula 1 Reserve who debuted impressively in the F1 race in Bahrain last year, and hopes to become a full-time F1 driver. He also races for Lamborghini in the GT World Challenge. Jack’s ultimate dream? To put Korean motorsport firmly on the map at the top level. And there’s no doubt that a win on the Marina Bay Street Circuit in the future would do exactly that.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your career to date.

I was born and raised in London but now live in Oxford. My father is Scottish and my mother is South Korean, so I have a mixed heritage. I’ve been racing Go Karts since I was seven – I started for fun as my younger brother was also racing. At 13, I began taking it more seriously, competing in international competitions.

I started racing cars at 17. They were single-seaters like Formula 1 but obviously less powerful and smaller. I moved up the categories and have been in a couple of drivers’ academies to Formula 1 teams. I’m now a reserve driver for Williams; so, if a driver gets injured or is sick, I step into the car.

At the end of last year, I did my first race in Formula 1 in Bahrain. At the moment,

I’m working towards becoming a full-time race driver for Williams.

How did your initial experience with go karts prepare you for car racing?