Ethan Brown becomes first Singaporean to be selected for Lamborghini's young driver programme
SINGAPORE – While some of his peers were still savouring the trackside high after last September's 2024 Formula One Singapore Grand Prix, young Singaporean race car driver Ethan Brown was making a dash from the Padang to Nee Soon Camp.
Brown, a full-time national serviceman then, had competed in similar cars in the Australian Formula 3 Championship in 2022 and being at the Singapore GP, which was won by McLaren's Lando Norris, inevitably sparked thoughts of his own motorsport career.
Fast forward to today, Brown who has completed NS, found himself back in the fast lane.
On July 16, the 20-year-old was announced as part of the 2025 Lamborghini Young Driver Program. He is the first Singaporean to be part of this initiative, and is one of only two Asian drivers selected, alongside Macau's Charles Leong.
The programme is designed to cultivate the next generation of motorsport talent by providing intensive training and competitive opportunities.
Brown, whose father is Australian and mother Singaporean, said: 'It's a dream come true, and I'm excited to learn from the talented staff at Lamborghini.
'I'm proud to carry the Singapore flag and hopeful to make my mark on the international racing scene.'
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He is one of 16 young drivers from the Lamborghini Super Trofeo – an international racing series with three regional circuits – selected to receive support, training, and evaluation throughout the season by Lamborghini.
Drivers were assessed by Scuola Federale ACI Sport's chief instructor Niki Cadei, as well as Lamborghini factory drivers Andrea Caldarelli and Marco Mapelli.
Participants will receive coaching in areas such as race craft, technical feedback, physical and mental conditioning, media and sponsorship skills and simulator development. They will also benefit from working closely with Lamborghini motorsport department's engineers and staff throughout the season.
Ultimately, the programme will act as a direct pipeline to Lamborghini's GT3 and factory racing opportunities. Scotsman Sandy Mitchell, the 2020 British GT Championship winner and Italian driver Leonardo Pulcini are graduates of the programme who have gone on to become factory drivers for the manufacturer.
As part of the programme, Brown could also be invited to a training camp at the carmaker's headquarters in Italy and a final shoot-out at Misano in November, where the top-performing drivers will compete for further support.
If he impresses there, he may receive factory backing from Lamborghini for the 2026 season, which will represent a major step towards a professional career in GT racing or beyond.
Brown added that this has fuelled his motivation for the ultimate goal of making a career out of racing.
He said: 'The dream is to become a factory driver for Lamborghini... As a factory driver, you're fully paid to race, you're a brand ambassador, you fly around and race for Lamborghini in races such as the World Endurance Championship, or at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.'
Currently racing in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Series as a rookie, Brown is in second place in the championship standings after three rounds, with three podium finishes in six races including a win in Race 1 at Shanghai in May.
The series features two drivers splitting driving duties for a team as they compete in identical, single-make Huracan Super Trofeo Evo2 cars across five rounds in top Asian circuits.
The next round will be held from July 18-20 in Inje, South Korea, followed by Sepang (Sept 5-7) and the final round on Nov 6 and 7 in Misano, Italy, where the Nov 8-9 World Finals will also take place.
The St. Andrew's Secondary School alumnus, who is now based in Australia, where he is pursuing a computer science and finance degree at the La Trobe University in Melbourne, said his racing journey started with go-karts at the age of six.
His father, who loves simulator racing, took him to Kartright Speedway, a now defunct go-karting track that was located in Jurong.
Brown said he was hooked almost immediately by the adrenaline rush and his father would take him to karting races in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia.
In 2019, Ethan moved to Australia to pursue his racing career and three years later he moved up from karts to the Australian Formula 3 Championship, where he had five podium finishes as part of the Tim Macrow Racing team in his debut season.
In 2023, he enlisted for NS, which mean that full-time racing was paused.
Now, Brown hopes to grab this opportunity presented by Lamborghini with both hands.
'Singapore is my home, and to have the Singapore flag on the car, representing the country in races around the world, I can't describe how proud I am to be able to do that,' he said.
'I want to keep growing in this sport and just as Joseph Schooling did with his swimming at the Olympics, I hope to continually put our flag on the racing map.'
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