Yevan David – the Sri Lankan future hope for Formula 1
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With F1 driver Mark Verstappen
It’s a cold February winter morning in Valencia, Spain. Amongst 55 European drivers stands a young Asian driver representing his motherland at the finals of the IAME Winter Cup 2020.
Reaching the finals in Europe was an achievement as only the top 36 drivers make it through. Against all odds Yevan David would start seventh of 36 drivers.
The start sees Yevan rocket into fourth position in a phenomenal first lap. Yevan had made the experienced European racing fraternity stand up and take note of the little Sri Lankan driver.
Take a step back to compare his beginning in the sport, taking his first taste of karting in Sri Lanka Karting Circuit in Bandaragama before continuing his passion with weekend practices in Singapore.
He was taking a path blazed by another driver from humble beginnings now a 7-time world Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton, as a outlier in the karting world, where the Sri Lankan flag had not flown in international circles at such a young age.
Competing in another race held in Valancia, Spain
Yevan went from strength to strength and won the Asian Cadet (Under-12) Championship in 2017 as he turned 10 beating the current Sauber Academy drivers to the title. In 2018 he won the Asia Cup Cadet title on home soil at the only internationally sanctioned kart race in Sri Lanka. The rest of the year saw him battling in Australia where he took provisional pole at the third round of the Australian National Championship.
In 2019 he moved into the competitive Junior Class, and finished runner-up in the Rotax Max Asia Championship, winning a ticket to represent Sri Lanka at the Rotax World Championships with fellow Sri Lankan driver Eshan Pieris.
During the pandemic he has spent time honing his skills on Sim (simulated) racing finishing third in the Semi-Pro Class of ERacing GP organised by former Formula 1 driver Alex Yoong. The path and passion was always clear, to be the first Sri Lankan in F1 and the first Sri Lankan world champion in F1.
With former FI driver Ralf Schumacher
The path however is volatile, expensive and inundated with multiple pitfalls that could derail a career, but Yevan has persevered and like Lewis Hamiltom has made the most of opportunities provided to him.
The next stage for Yevan is to compete full time in Europe in 2021 in karts, prior to moving into Formula 4.
“I now reflect back to Hamilton’s own start-up career, when he was a 13 year old boy. Thanks to Ron Dennis of McLaren sponsorship of this 13-year-old boy, he’s now perhaps the all time greatest world champion of Formula 1. Had it not been for this interaction who knows, he may have ended up as yet another race engineer and lost to the world of Formula 1 as champion driver,” young Yevan explained on his current focus.
Whether Yevan obtains the financial support to provide him the opportunity to reach F1 is a question but there is no doubt the strength, resilience and perseverance in his character provides him that extra factor to win if given the chance.
Yevan with his trophies at Macau
Yevan in action in his 266 kart at Rotax WC