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His uncle runs Hyundai Motor Group. Shin Woo-hyun just wants to race in F1.

Published: 20 Jan. 2026, 17:25 Updated: 20 Jan. 2026, 18:37

Shin Woo-hyun, also known as Michael Shin, is a Korean racing driver who is set to compete in the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship with Hitech TGR. [SHIN WOO-HYUN]

With his cropped hair, compact build and clipped cadence, Shin Woo-hyun came across as a sharp but likable soldier when the JoongAng Ilbo met with him on Jan. 13 at a cafe in Hannam-dong, a posh neighborhood in central Seoul.

That impression did not last long.

As soon as the 21-year-old racer began talking about driving at speeds of 300 kilometers per hour (186 miles per hour) and races decided by hundredths of a second, his demeanor shifted into a different gear. Shin is pursuing a singular goal: becoming the first Korean driver to compete in Formula One, the pinnacle of global motorsports.

“Because I started later than most, even trial and error and failure feel precious to me,” he said.

That late start came when he was 16. While studying abroad, he returned briefly to Korea and tried kart racing. The experience redirected his life almost overnight.

“Throughout my years abroad, I felt suffocated because I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Shin said. “At my lowest point, racing found me, almost like fate.”

From that moment on, he tuned both body and mind entirely to racing.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen leads into the first corner at the start of the race ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 7, 2025. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

He says he trains every day without exception, pushing himself until exhaustion. Most of his overseas rivals entered driver training programs before the age of 10, and Shin believes only volume and intensity can close that gap. His routine targets core strength and reflexes. It begins with cardio and weight training and extends to reaction drills and cognitive exercises.

“When I’m doing cardio and I’m gasping for air, almost on the verge of losing consciousness, I start doing mental arithmetic or pattern-recognition drills,” he said. “In an F3 car, it takes about 200 kilograms [441 pounds] of force to hit the brakes. In high-speed corners, breathing becomes difficult. Racing training prepares you to make rational decisions in extreme conditions.”

He also spends hours each day on racing simulators. In his words, he repeats sessions “until my eyes blur and I can barely see.”

Korean racing driver Shin Woo-hyun [SHIN WOO-HYUN]

To manage stress, Shin turns to other forms of exercise.

“In racing, variables like mechanical failures can happen regardless of how hard you try,” he said. “With training, the body responds honestly to the time you put in. That makes it the best way for me to release stress.”

When he is not training, he watches motorsport content on YouTube. He says his only hobby outside racing is studying French. That, too, serves a practical purpose: Many mechanics and officials at the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, one of the major governing bodies of motorsport, speak French.

Relentless effort has earned Shin a rare distinction. He is currently the only Korean driver competing in Formula Three. He secured a full-season seat and will race this year with Hitech TGR.

“F3 drivers don’t earn a fixed salary,” Shin said. “Yet we chase the dream of reaching F1 and end up flying around the world roughly 100 times a year. It’s an extreme job.”

He expects the punishing travel schedule to take a physical toll, but remains unfazed.

Korean racing driver Shin Woo-hyun [SHIN WOO-HYUN]

“It will be tough, but I see even that as a valuable experience,” he said. “I’ll adapt and overcome.”

In 2024, Shin survived a major accident in which his car rolled seven and a half times during a race. The vehicle was destroyed, but he returned to competition the following day.

“I made that decision so the crash wouldn’t become a trauma,” he said. “That’s how much I love racing.”

Shin is the son of Chung Yoon-yi, an adviser at Haevichi Hotel & Resort who happens to be the daughter of Chung Mong-koo, honorary chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, and sister of Euisun Chung, the executive chair of Korea’s second-largest conglomerate and one of the world’s largest automakers, making the conglomerate chief the F3 driver’s uncle. Some critics dismiss his career by pointing to his family background.

Shin does not deny receiving financial support.

Hyundai Motor Executive Chair Euisun Chung, left, shakes hands with Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda at Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Nov. 24, 2024. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

“I won’t deny the monetary help,” he said. “But racing is a sport where everyone competes under equal conditions. Survival comes down to skill alone. I want people to recognize the blood and sweat I’ve poured into evolving as a driver.”

In last year’s film “F1” (2025), Brad Pitt’s character experiences a sensation where time seems to slow near the end of a race. Shin says he has felt something similar, often referred to as “driver’s high.”

“When I reach an ultrafocused state, it feels like the car and I become one,” he said. “Even when my mind drifts, my body controls the car on its own. I once won a race in what felt almost like autonomous driving.”

Starting this year, F1 will reduce car weight and size while shifting the balance between internal combustion engines and electric motors from 80-20 to 50-50. Shin believes the changes will elevate the importance of driver skill.

This image released by Warner Bros Pictures shows Brad Pitt in a scene from ″F1 The Movie″ (2025). [AP/YONHAP]

“Car performance will matter less than before,” he said. “A driver’s ability, especially in controlling pace, will become more important.”

Personally, he favors the machines of the early 2000s.

“[Those cars] could make your heart race with engine sound alone,” he said. “But no matter how the environment changes, I’m confident I can adapt.”

Recently, Shin visited a karting circuit to film a TV variety show. He said he met several children who said they started racing after watching him.

“For those kids who see me as a role model, I want to stay the course,” he said. “By 2030, I want to reach F1 and see the Korean flag flying at the circuit.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SONG JI-HOON [[email protected]]