Hugo Huxley

Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong

**Hugo Huxley** is a retired Hong Kong racing driver, turned journalist.

## Early Life

Hugo Wai-seun Huxley was born in 1979. His father, Finn Huxley, is a wealthy British expatriate, and his mother, Liwen Cheung, was a minor fashion designer in Hong Kong. Hugo became interested in racing when his father bought him a model of the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34 on his 4th birthday. Soon, a childish interest became serious, and his family moved to Saitama in Japan to support his racing career when it was clear that the confined space and limited resources in Hong Kong were not enough.

Hugo recalls that he was always a fan of Benetton and Renault from a tender age. When he was 15 years old, he visited the paddock at the 1994 Japanese Grand Prix and told boss Peter Sauber that he would "race for [Sauber] one day." He became one of Sauber's proteges in the 90s as he ascended his junior career.

## Junior career

Hugo began racing karts at age 12, after initial resistance from his parents. He seemed unspectacular at first, with no notable awards before a big break, winning a championship in 1993. He moved to Japanese Formula 3, where he developed a reputation for being a clean but quick racer, using very aggressive throttle management to get the best exit off of corners. He developed a very rear-biased driving style, often running higher rear wing angles than his competitors at the expense of the front wing.

Hugo would eventually graduate to Formula 3000, coming close to winning the title in 2001. The next year was a massive slump, with Hugo taking only one win and one other podium all season. 2003 would prove to be a redemption year. He fought back from a large points deficit to win the F3000 title in 2003, attracting the attention of teams like Sauber and BAR.

## Racing Career

### **Formula One**

#### 2003 Formula One season

Hugo would make his debut at Sauber alongside teammate Saskia Kloden. Saskia scored 28 points to Hugo's six, including a podium at the US Grand Prix. At that race, Hugo was on course during qualifying to set a front row time when he lost the rear at the exit of Turn 12, shunting the car and forcing him to start 10th. During the race, his luck failed him and he retired with just three laps to go, having ran in 12th after a poor start.

Hugo became known within the Sauber team for being exceptionally hardworking, often staying up with engineers to analyse data and refine his driving style. However, his tendency to overthink often led to costly errors, like the aforementioned qualfying shunt. Because of this, it was not until the 2003 Italian Grand Prix that Hugo scored his first points.

##### First points and impressive drives

At this point, Hugo's job was in doubt, with many calling Hugo a "slow learner" with "unrefined" pace. However, with his continued work on his tyre management and safety, he had began to see an upturn in pace as he closed the gap to teammate Saskia.

At the Italian Grand Prix, Hugo qualified in a lowly 15th, with Saskia in 14th. Sauber put Hugo onto a risky hard-soft strategy, and Hugo's excellent start put him 10th after lap one. After most cars had pitted, Hugo was 3rd. The Williams of Tatsuno Takamori looked set to come out of the pitlane in front of Hugo when Hugo divebombed Tatsuno into the first corner, staying ahead and earning a middle finger from the reigning champion before holding him up for six laps. Hugo locked up and went into the runoff at turn one on the 7th lap of the battle and pitted for fuel and tyres before climbing back up to 9th, earning his first Formula One points.