HOW LOSING MAKES A WINNER

- YEVAN DAVID

- By Tahaan Jayewardene

It all started when a 6-year-old child got into a go-kart at the Bandaragama karting track in December 2013. Every year his family, living in Singapore at the time, would visit Sri Lanka. This holiday was different. His father took him to the karting track for fun, being passionate about cars and having been a racer in Sri Lanka himself.

"This time we tried go-karting in Bandaragama and it just so happened that it was [going to] change my life forever because I fell in love with driving," said now 18-year-old Yevan David.

12 years after that first drive, at just 18 years old, Yevan David will be the first Sri Lankan to race in Formula 3, having been confirmed for the 2026 FIA Formula 3 season. F3 is known to as the proving ground for formula 1, the pinnacle of motor racing and the highest level any motor racer can hope to compete in.

David has already become the first Sri Lankan to compete in the 2025 Euro Formula open, finishing second place in the overall championship, and taking home the Rookie Championship title.

The first experience was clearly a life changing one. Although he did explain that he felt like any child would, having fun just turning the steering wheel. Him saying, "the wind blowing against your face and you're going faster and faster every lap, and more importantly you can win and be faster than anyone else,” caught my attention, and his too.

"I fell in love with that feeling."

Taking this new passion with him, young David and his family returned to Singapore. They bought a go kart and he started practicing every weekend.

The Turning Point

One of the biggest moments in David's racing career was moving to Italy during the pandemic in 2021. He went from living with his parents, going to school as a normal kid, and racing on the weekends to living with his coach in Italy. "Because it was Covid, I didn't see my parents for pretty much the whole year," he adds.