Jun
It’s hard to keep up with friends, but I’m not complaining. I’d rather lead my life than a normal life
Like father, like son The deafening roar from the race cars greeted us at the Macau Grand Prix – and so did the racers themselves. I was given the chance to talk to F3 racer Tom Blomqvist, from the Red Bull Junior Team. It seems a racing career was written in the stars for him, as his father, Stieg, won the World Rally Championship in 1984. Tom was 15 when he entered the Formula series and became the youngest-ever to win the Formula Renault UK Championship in 2010 aged 16. “I was surrounded by [racing] all the time when I was growing up, so it was inevitable,” explained Tom, who will be 20 on Saturday. “I also just love it. The thrill, the adrenaline, and so many emotions going through your body.” The thrill may not be the only fuel that drives this young man. “I broke my back in a racing crash in 2011,” Tom recalls. “That didn’t throw me off. I just moved on; these things happen in racing.” Tom’s passion and focus seem to be a must for racers, who travel around the world for most of the year. “You have to make sacrifices,” admits Tom. “I’m away from my family a lot. It’s hard to keep up with friends, but I’m not complaining. I’d rather lead my life than a normal life.” The life of a racer is certainly far from ordinary, but it does have its challenges. Earlier that day, Tom’s car stalled in the qualifying race, meaning he had to start at the back in the final race. However, he did not let that dampen his positive attitude. Yasmin Subba