Ma Qing Hua

Ma Qing Hua is one of the most popular racing drivers from China. He participated in few world's premier racing competitions, including Formula One, in which he was a test driver for HRT F1 Team in 2012 and for Caterham in 2013.

He spent two seasons (2014, 2015) in the FIA World Touring Car Championship with Citroen and recorded seven starts in the Formula E Championship with two teams (Aguri and Techeetah).

Ma Qing Hua - the first Chinese in Formula 1 and the first Chinese to win the FIA-sanctioned race

Early career

Ma Qing Hua was born on December 25, 1987, in Shanghai. At the age of 8, Ma began racing karts and over the years progressed through the national ranks and became Chinese champion four years later. In 2004, he moved to the single-seaters, he raced in the Asian Formula Renault Series and immediately won the title, which secured him a place with the Team China in the 2005-2006 season of A1 Grand Prix.

In the meantime, he moved to Europe and debuted in the Italian Formula 3000 with the Team Astromega. With the same team, Ma Qing Hua in 2006 raced in the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Series but failed to score notable results.

Formula 3 episodes

After sitting out the 2007 season, Ma Qing Hua in 2008 moved to Spain to compete in the Spanish Formula 3. He managed to score two podium places in the Cup championship and finished 7th in the final standings. It seemed like his career was moving in the right direction but the following two years were again relatively poor.

Ma Qing Hua, Team China, Superleague Formula

In 2009, Ma raced part-time in the British Formula 3 National Class. Two races for Team China 2010 Formula Superleague followed but again without too much success, so Ma decided to try his luck in other racing categories.

Ma Qing Hua was China Touring Car Champion and first ever Chinese in Formula 1

Ma Qing Hua entered 2011 China Touring Car Championship 1600 cc class with the Beijing Hyundai team and that was one of his best seasons so far. He won the title with 3 race wins and scored a total of 116 points.

Ma Qing Hua, Hispania Racing Team

Next year, Ma became the first driver from China who earned a place in Formula 1. He became the test pilot for Hispania Racing Team and in the Italian Grand Prix, he made a debut during the Friday’s practice, replacing Narain Karthikeyan. Later that year he was also given a chance to test the car in Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and US Grand Prix.

Ma Qing Hua, Caterham Racing, GP2 Series

HRT collapsed at the end of 2012 and Ma moved to Caterham Racing F1 Team. He was again the test driver but appeared in only one Friday session, at Shanghai International Circuit. That year Ma Qing Hua also debuted in the GP2 Series, racing in the feature race in Singapore, finishing at the bottom. After a while, Caterham released Ma from the duties.

Good results in the WTCC

In the middle of 2014 campaign, Ma joined strong Citroen WTCC team and again moved to touring cars which turned out to be a good decision. He won the second race in Russia and became the first Chinese driver who won the FIA-sanctioned event. Ma appeared in four rounds that year and finished 2nd in the opening race in China.

Ma Qing Hua after winning the WTCC race at Moscow Raceway

Citroen retained Ma’s services in 2015 and he did really well. With more confidence and experience, he raced the full season and again scored one victory – in the main race in Portugal. He also had five podiums and eventually finished 4th in the championship, behind his teammates Jose Maria Lopez, Yvan Muller, and Sebastien Loeb.

Ma Qing Hua moves to Formula E in 2016

After Citroen decided to reduce its presence in the WTCC, Ma had to leave the team. However, he found a new engagement in the fast-growing FIA Formula E Championship. He signed with the Team Aguri for the last four races of the year but failed to pick points.

Chinese driver stayed in the series for the 2016-2017 campaign. Team Aguri was sold to China Media Capital and renamed to Techeetah. Ma participated in the first three rounds but after that he was replaced by Esteban Gutierrez.

In 2017, Ma spent a season in the FRD LMP3 Series and recorded one-off return to the FIA WTCC, driving a Citroen C-Elysee for Sebastien Loeb Racing at the streets of Macau.

Ma Qing Hua next to Techeetah Formula E car

Double programme in Formula E and WTCR

In 2018, he raced occasionally in different competitions, most in the WTCR - FIA World Touring Car Cup, driving a Honda Civic Type R for Boutsen Ginion Racing in three rounds.

In the 2018-2019 Formula E season, he joined the NIO FE team in two races, in Paris and New York, and then signed for the team as a full-time driver in the 2019-2020 FE season.

In the meantime, he spent a season with Mulsanne Racing in the WTCR - FIA World Touring Car Cup, driving the #55 Alfa Romeo Giulietta. The highlight of the season was a victory at Slovakia Ring in May 2019.

In 2019, Ma Qing Hua spent full season in the WTCR

Photo: Florent Gooden/DPPI, fiawtcc.com, speedsport-magazine.com, f1fanatic.co.uk, autosport.com, evperformance.co.uk