'In that zone, I’m unstoppable': Meet teen Kabir Anurag, first Singaporean F1 development driver

SINGAPORE: When a fresh-faced Kabir Anurag first relocated to Italy one-and-a-half years ago to chase his Formula 1 dreams, he had to lose 9kg.

Not that he was overweight – the Singaporean teenager was perfectly healthy.

However, standing at 1.9m, he is taller than average – and even more so for a race car driver.

He needed to be leaner than most to race at maximum speed – as additional weight slows a car down – but his body must also have enough muscle mass to withstand the physical demands of the sport. Today’s F1 drivers weigh an average of about 70kg.

Kabir attributed his discipline in those early days to his manager Pavan Ravishankar, who used to wake him up in the wee hours to train.

“I have to be very slim (because of my height). Pavan was the one who really pushed me, those 7am mornings, just making me run. That also helped build a lot of character,” he told CNA.

His body fat percentage dropped by a whopping 15 per cent – from 23 per cent to 8 per cent.

His efforts paid off. Since then, the 16-year-old’s racing career has accelerated into high gear.

Last month, the Formula 4 driver became the first Singaporean to join an F1 development team.

He was just one of nine drivers to be recruited into the Alpine F1 team’s driver development programme, which nurtures young talents.

Kabir said the programme is the first major step towards his goal of becoming the first Singaporean F1 driver, adding he did not expect to make such swift progress in his fledgling career.

“Signing with the programme – you have recognition and you have the support of an F1 team that believes you could be F1 material in a few years. Of course, you need to keep on getting the results as you move up, but it is the most important first step,” he said. 

“I