The world is waiting for a new Formula One sponsor but China is waiting for a new F1 driver.
Everything at the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix, held Sunday in Shanghai, was as smooth as a well-oiled engine.
On the track, there was a drama-filled race, complete with blown tires and crashes but nothing dangerous enough to ruin the race at the packed 150,000-capacity circuit.
Off the track,
Shanghai was in the global spotlight, evidenced by the fact that one-fifth of the potential 200,000 spectators were from the overseas.
China, a new market with huge potential, is seen as a catalyst for Formula One, which has been facing saturation in Europe.
"China is a big market and has many, many, many Ferrari fans," said Ferrari team principal Luca Montezemolo after Sunday's victory.
But the Jaguar team has been put up for sale by Ford, which announced it will quit the sport next season. The move threatens two small teams, Jordan and Minardi, to which Ford provides engines.
For F1 to capture a really large chunk of the China market, it would do well to find a Chinese F1 driver. The popularity of motor sports is still confined to a niche market and the emergence of a new national hero on the F1 track could turn that around.
Many, including International Automobile Federation President Max Mosley, have no doubts about the country's potential to foster an F1 driver.
"The soaring ratio of car ownership in this country means more people will drive and when they drive they would start to think about competing. The enormous population in this country means the potential is always there," the world motor sports boss said.
"There is probably more than one Michael Schumacher walking around the streets of
Shanghai who has never driven a racing car," he said, only half joking.
It is no wonder that young Chinese drivers like Cheng Congfu, Jiang Tengyi and Dutch-born Tung Ho-pin were pursued by Chinese auto fans as much as the sizzling F1 drivers.
Having graduated from the Formula Racing Development (FRD) School, a
Hong Kong company that gets up-and-coming Asian drivers spotted internationally, 20-year-old Beijinger Cheng is in training with the McLaren F1 youth program and competing in British Formula Renault Championships, a prerequisite to entering F1.
Cheng's childhood friend Jiang, a 19-year-old
Shanghai native, is considered another top contender. He is now racing in the Italian Formula Renault Championships, but with no official link to any Formula 1 team.
The 22-year-old Tung is the first-ever ethnic Chinese to drive an F1 car. He tested with William F1 BMW24 last December and is now racing in Germany's F3, a step closer to F1.
"I'm focusing on F3 now. I've developed my career a lot," said Tung. "If I come to F1, I'll be very competitive and try to be the first winning Chinese F1 driver."
"I am trying to become a test driver or even a real F1 driver in the next two years," said a confident Cheng. "I believe it will happen although I need to improve a lot."
For China's immature motor sports and auto making industry, European aid is almost a necessity. The three contenders have all depended on Euro-based training and racing.
That is not only the feeling of the Chinese potential drivers, but also the suggestion of the successful F1 drivers and team principals.
"Asia does not have a great motor sports history; we just started now," said BAR's Japanese driver Takuma Sato, the only Asian driver on the F1 circuit at present.
"It's possible for China to have its own F1 driver, but they need to travel to Europe to gain experience," said Jenson Button, the runner-up in yesterday's
Shanghai GP.
Chinese officials think that the industry will not thrive on F1 drivers alone.
Putting aside the clear PR purposes of F1 teams who want a slice of the China market, the appearance of Chinese faces is somewhat less important than the discovery of the sport.
"Having an F1 driver would be fantastic for China but I think it is more realistic for us to focus on the basic development of China's overall motor sports," said Shi Tianshu, president of the China Federation of Automobile Sports (FASC).
Shi and his colleagues are looking for steady and organic growth in the motor sports industry behind Shanghai's hosting of the F1 race. Shi sees getting a driver into F1 as the end result of a long-term development project.
He calls it the 10-Year Plan.
"We plan to spend 10 years on the basic build-up of China's motor sports, like organizing more training opportunities and overseas races for local drivers," Shi said. "But for the sport, we need to foster a native star and I think Chinese are smart enough to be F1 drivers."
There is one small glitch, however. The cost for running a full season Formula BMW Championship, a junior racing event, runs up to US$250,000 a year, while the country's per capita average disposable income for urban residents barely touches US$1,000.
With the interest already piqued, professionals suggest that the best way to nurture budding drivers is through go-karting.
"For sure the best way to start racing is go-karting," says Tung, who got his own start that way. "Just go with some friends to have fun at first and when you find you're better than them and you really like it, you could try the junior Formula racing and at last F1."
