Full throttle: Meet Pakistan’s only certified professional F1 driver

Saad Ali urges govt to invest in the sport; advises young fans to get in the game

ISLAMABAD:

“If you’ve lived your dream, you’ve accomplished your purpose in life.” This is the motto 27-year-old Saad Ali — the only certified professional Formula One racecar driver in Pakistan — lives by.

Ali dropped out of university, where he was enrolled as an undergraduate student in business administration, during his first semester in 2006 to pursue his passion for motorsports. The thrill for speed, adrenaline and to experience “life on the edge” is what inspired him to become a professional open-wheel racecar driver.

“Speed has always played a dominant role in my life - it makes me come alive,” said Saad, who started racing when he was 18. Most of the extreme sports practiced by adventure-lovers around the world have either speed or height as the prime ingredient, he added.

After finishing on the victory stand at his very first race in Bahrain, Saad realised that racing came to him naturally. His performance and lap-time greatly impressed his trainer who strongly advised him to pursue racing as a career. Ever since, he has participated in racing competitions in a number of countries including Abu Dhabi, Malaysia and Bahrain, where he has won several awards.

“Formula One is the pinnacle of auto racing and one of the world’s greatest sporting spectacles. The fact that it’s the highest level of racing that there is on four wheels inspired me to experience it,” he said. “Racing is not merely a competitive sport; it provides an excellent opportunity for people who love speed driving to have a go on a secure track.” It actually promotes road safety and minimizes the risk of mishaps, he added.

Saad believes that racing is a sport in which younger participants must start training as early as 5 to 7 years of age in order to develop and work on quick reflexes — necessary instincts and the skill-set required for this sport. Racing can severely strain the body and one can lose up to 5 kg of fluids per race. Endurance and stamina-building is an essential part of the training, and this only becomes more difficult as one grows older.

However, not many younger people are pursuing the sport in Pakistan today. This is due to the fact that racing is an expensive sport and Pakistan does not have the required infrastructure for its training which subsequently has to be acquired from other countries that offer specialized courses. It was only in 2013 that Pakistan’s first karting track was built in Lakeview Park in Islamabad. “The government should consider building a world standard racing track while the corporate world needs to start looking into auto racing from investment perspective because it’s an extremely profitable business worldwide,” Saad explained.

And if there’s one piece of advice Saad has for avid racing fans and motorsport enthusiasts: start as early as possible and understand the challenges and limitations associated with the sport in a developing country like Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2014.