KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — For Alister Yoong, racing is not just a career — it is an obsession that never quite switches off.
The 23-year-old, son of Malaysia’s first and only Formula One driver Alex Yoong, has officially turned professional after signing with France-based Switch Racing for the 2026 season — the latest milestone in a journey more than a decade in the making.
Unlike many drivers who start almost as soon as they can walk, Yoong only entered the sport at 13 through karting.
Within two years, he was already winning races, eventually clinching the Formula 4 South-east Asia Championship in 2019 at just 15.
What followed was a steady climb through the ranks.
Yoong went on to become a multiple Formula 4 race winner, a former Proton R3 factory driver, and later claimed the Indian Racing League title in 2022.
He added the French Sports Prototype championship in 2023 and secured multiple wins in the Italian Sports Prototype series.
Yet, for all the talk of legacy, Yoong’s path was far from preordained.
Though his father made history in Formula One and his grandfather Hanifah Yoong won the Malaysian Super Saga in 1991, Yoong once considered a very different future — weighing up careers as a marine biologist or even a motoring reporter.
“Racing became an obsession as I pursued it more seriously over the years,” he said.
“I actually don’t fit in a race car well because I’m six foot two. So, I’m quite used to coming out of the car with bruises and spasms now — but I just can’t stop thinking about doing this.
“It’s like a switch that never really turns off.”
Building a career the hard way
Alister Yoong (right) with his father Alex Yoong (left), Malaysia’s first and only Formula One driver, during a racing event at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France in October 2022. — Picture courtesy of Alister Yoong
When the Covid-19 pandemic brought racing to a halt, Yoong adapted — stepping away from the driver’s seat and into the garage.
Between 2020 and 2022, he worked as a tyre mechanic, tyre performance engineer, and later as a Formula 4 engineer and coach, gaining a deeper understanding of the technical side of the sport.
The experience proved pivotal.
As an intern with Formula Regional, Yoong spent several weeks each year in the Middle East and was eventually offered a Formula 3 test driver role in 2022 — a sign that his persistence was paying off.
Much of his progress, however, came down to seizing unexpected opportunities.
In 2022, he was drafted in as a last-minute replacement for an injured driver in the Indian Racing League — and went on to win the championship.
A similar break came in 2025.
While working as a Formula 4 engineer across Dubai, Qatar and Abu Dhabi during a quieter racing season, a connection with a European mechanic led him to Switch Racing.
He was brought in at short notice for an endurance race in Portugal and went on to compete in four race weekends with the team.
By the end of the season, Yoong had debuted in the European Endurance Prototype Cup driving the Nova NP02 and claimed his first GT victory at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Focused, but grounded
Alister Yoong debuted in the European Endurance Prototype Cup in May 2025, driving the Nova NP02, as part of his collaboration with French-based Switch Racing last season. — Picture courtesy of Alister Yoong
Despite sharing the same profession, Yoong said his approach differs from his father’s.
“I remember not being able to talk to my dad in the days leading up to or during a race weekend because he would be so intense.
“Drivers of his era were super serious and super aggressive because the sport was also much safer now,” he said.
On race weekends, Yoong spends most of his time working closely with his team, studying data and mentally mapping out his performance.
“I sit down for about half an hour, planning the first ten laps of a race or the whole qualifying session, before going on the simulator.
“I like having a simulator on the track that I can jump on before I get into the car for real action.”
Now racing professionally, Yoong said he has achieved a long-held goal — making a living from the sport he has spent years chasing.
He continues to work as a Formula 4 engineer and coach, while setting his sights on a bigger ambition: becoming a world champion in endurance racing by the age of 30 in 2033.
Still, he remains cautious.
“I am not getting ahead of myself because I know how quickly things can disappear in racing.
“Every race is important because you never know when it is going to be your last one.”
