Singaporean driver Christian Ho steps back from racing to enlist in NS: 'Not the announcement I wanted to make'

Singaporean racing driver Christian Ho has gone on an indefinite hiatus from competition as he prepares to enlist in National Service (NS), he said in an Instagram post around midnight on Thursday (Sept 10).

"Hi everyone, not the announcement I wanted to make but I have decided not to race the last round in Madrid as I am preparing to enlist for my mandatory national service in Singapore," the 19-year-old wrote. 

Ho participated in the Fia Formula 3 Championship (F3), which began in March in Melbourne, and is set to end on Sept 13 in Madrid.

Formula 3 has 30 cars racing, and sits two rungs below F1, the premier category of the motorsport. 

"This also means that I will likely not be racing for the coming years," he added. 

Ho raced in F3 for DAMS Lucas Oil in 2025 and Rodin Motorsport in 2026, and has been racing since he was five, beginning with go-karting. 

He admitted that the campaign this year has been "underwhelming", explaining that it clashed with his GCE A-levels from May to June.

The thought of having to stop his racing for NS also impacted his performance, Ho said.

He is the first Singaporean to race in F3 and is also the 2024 Eurocup-3 champion — but is currently lying 25th out of 34 drivers with only two points after eight races.

Britain's Freddie Slater leads with 141 points.

Ho also wrote: "Nevertheless, I want to thank everyone that's been a part of this journey, I've learnt many life lessons and certainly have had a lot of fun along the way."

Thanking his family, sponsors and coaches, he shared that he has no plans to race at present and intends to go to university after NS.

However, he intends to keep doing "some stuff" related to racing, although he did not specify what that would be.

He also expressed his gratitude towards New Zealand motor racing team Rodin Motorsport for the support and the car.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com