| Ma Qinghua Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 7 in |
| Weight | 64 kg |
| Date of Birth | December 25, 1987 |
| Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Ma Qinghua is a Chinese professional racing driver who won the China Touring Car Championship – 1600cc class in 2011. He has competed in major championships across single-seater, rally, and touring car categories including the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), A1 Grand Prix, Formula E, and the World Rallycross Championship (WRC). In 2014, he became the first Chinese driver to win an FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) World Championship race when he won race 2 of the 2014 FIA WTCC Race of Russia. He has also participated in the premier Formula One World Championship for 2 seasons (2012, 2013), as a test driver.
Born Name
Ma Qinghua
Nick Name
Ma
Sun Sign
Capricorn
Born Place
Shanghai, China
Residence
Shanghai, China
Nationality
Education
Ma Qinghua, after his high school and college graduation, in 2008, had moved to Britain to attend the Loughborough University to attain a 2-year degree in sports technology.
Occupation
Professional Racing Driver
Car Number
- 30 – World Touring Car Championship
- 33 – Formula E
Formula One Teams
Ma Qinghua has raced for –
- HRT Formula 1 Team (2012) (Test Driver)
- Caterham F1 Team (2013) (Test Driver)
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 7 in or 170 cm
Weight
64 kg or 141 lbs
Race / Ethnicity
Asian (Chinese)
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Lean physique
- Side-parted, overgrown hair
- Sports a Mullett
- Clean-shaven look
- Affable smile
Ma Qinghua Facts
- He was added to HRT Formula 1 Team‘s driver development program in April 2012. When he was selected as the team’s test driver later that year, he became the first China-born driver in history to sit in a Formula One car at an FIA-sanctioned event.
- Later that year, he became the first Chinese driver to participate in an F1 Grand Prix race weekend when he replaced Narain Karthikeyan in the first Friday practice session of the 2012 Italian Grand Prix.
- At the 2013 Chinese Grand Prix, he was asked by Caterham F1 Team to replace Charles Pic in the Free Practice 1. This made him the first Chinese driver to participate in a session at his home Grand Prix. However, his performance left him so far behind other competitors that soon after the event he was replaced by Alexander Rossi at the team and he never managed to compete at the F1 level after that.
- In the final stages of the Sepang leg of the 2013 GP2 Series, his debut race in the competition, his lap time started to drop by 2 minutes each lap and he finished in the last place in the feature race. It was later revealed that he was suffering from a massive bout of gastroenteritis that had caused him extreme dehydration. He was deemed medically unfit to even participate in the subsequent sprint race.
- In 2018, when he had finished in 7th place in race 3 of the of China-Wuhan leg of the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR), he became the first Chinese driver to score WTCR OSCARO points.
Featured Image by Ma Qinghua / Instagram
