Hong Kong driver Adderly Fong refusing to give up on Formula One dream
26-year-old will be competing at Circuit of Americas in Pirelli World Challenge this weekend – rather than in October at the US Grand Prix
Most people would be delighted to be handed the keys to a Bentley, but as Adderly Fong Cheun-yue gets behind the wheel of his this weekend, it might feel a little bittersweet.
The Hong Kong driver will be in action at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas for the first round of the Pirelli World Challenge – but would much rather have been going there in October in a Formula One car.
Twenty-six on Wednesday, Fong’s chances might be receding in the rear-view mirror, but he’s adamant there’s still time to live the dream of becoming F1’s first Chinese driver.
“I was fortunate enough to be given opportunities to test in Formula 1, and I hope more of these will come,” said Fong, who will also race on the GT Asia series this season with Absolute Racing.
The dream will never be abandoned, unless I cannot physically race any more
“My goal is to be a top driver in the world, no matter what I race in.
“[But] the dream will never be abandoned, unless I cannot physically race any more.”
Fong was second (jointly with teammate Keito Sawa) in last season’s GT Asia campaign, just four points behind fellow Hong Kong driver Darryl O’Young. He’s out to go one better this term, as well as impress on unfamiliar territory in the World Challenge.
“As with any driver, the goal is simple: to win,” he said. “Not only races, but the championship in both [the US] and in GT Asia.
“This will be different [though]. This will be my 10th year racing. I have raced all over Europe and Asia and can confidently say I know most of the tracks very well.
“I have never raced on the American continent, so I know none of the tracks apart from simulations. The format is different as it is an hour-long sprint race with one driver, again a format I am not familiar with.
“The entry list has not been confirmed yet, but rumours are, there will be between 60-80 cars all with top drivers starting the race, a grid size I am also not used to. I have also very little experience with the Pirelli GT Tire, so making this work with the Bentley Continental GT3 will be for sure one of the challenges.”
Fong’s car is one of only 19 in the world. They’re all named after Queens of England, with his Philippa, after Edward III’s wife in the 14th century. We’re not history buffs, but she probably didn’t have a twin-turbo four-litre V8 engine.
Fong will escort Philippa around famous tracks such as Long Beach and Laguna Seca, but there’s not one in particular he’s looking forward to.
“I tend not to have favourites, unless it’s the Nurburgring or Macau – if you have favourites, then there will also be tracks which you don’t like. Racing is as much mental as physical, so if you have preferences, generally you won’t do as well on the tracks you dislike.”
And with F1 perhaps becoming ever more unlikely, Fong says he’s just focused on the present rather than the future.
“To be honest, I haven’t thought that far ahead, as the future hinges on what I can achieve now, so my main focus is to dig deep and do as well as I can this season,” he added.
“The better I do, the more doors it will open for the future. If this season leads my career path into the sportscar segment, instead of Formulae, then I believe the 24 Hours of Le Mans would be the big cake. Let’s see. “
