‘Always Remember to Dream Big’ – What the Chinese GP Means To Me?

“You have to dream big. Just because no-one has done it yet, doesn’t mean you can’t do it.”

As a Hong Kong native, Katrina Tse always found it hard to imagine herself working in motorsport.

“We definitely see ourselves as outsiders to motorsport. Opportunities in that part of the world are limited,” says our Graduate Performance Engineer.

Dreams have become a reality over the past three seasons, however, and Kat is now embarking on her first full season at Lauda Drive in 2026, having started in Brackley as an Industrial Placement (IP) student between 2023 and 2024.

Kat’s passion for Formula 1 had been ignited a couple of years earlier, when she joined the Formula Student team at Cambridge University.

Not that F1 had been the reason behind becoming a member of the club.

“I started watching F1 at 17 and joined Formula Student because all my friends were doing it, not because of the engineering,” Kat say.

“I started in chassis design, but it wasn’t long before I realised how groundbreaking and first-rate everything was.

“Suddenly there was more to engineering than airplanes and rockets, so I decided to give it a go and join the race to break into F1.”

It was a race not often entered by Hongkongers, hardly surprising considering the lack of motorsport connection to the country. Formula E had briefly visited in its infancy, but top-level racing was rarely seen on those shores.

Hooked by the thrill and drama of the sport, Kat’s interest in the sport peaked further when learning more about F1’s annual visit to Shanghai and the Chinese Grand Prix.

“It’s not quite home, but it’s the closest you get,” says Kat.

“It is close enough, and there is a big cultural connection. It’s one of those tracks that leans into its culture, having the layout resemble a Chinese character.

“That makes it very special. Above all it’s knowing that it is something that is not necessarily so far away from where you come.”

_{Kat spent the 2024 season on placement in Brackley, and was trackside for Kimi's first F1 car test in Spielberg, Austria.}

When F1 visited China before the Covid pandemic in 2019, Kat was just getting to grips with everything the sport had to offer.

On its to Shanghai in 2024, Kat was in the thick of the action of the Grand Prix weekend on duty in our Race Support room.

“For every engineer, their home Grand Prix means something more to them,” says Kat.

“Shanghai is not home, but the people you see make you feel like you are. So, I remember that 2024 weekend very clearly.”

Months later, and Kat was trackside, not for a Grand Prix, but a very important test, Kimi’s first in an F1 car.

Kat’s first taste of F1 as a fan watching on TV came at the age of 17. Now she was taking her first steps in motorsport at the same time as another 17-year-old.

Both were surrounded by years of experience in the sport.

“Bono [Head of Race Engineering, Peter Bonnington] is an engineer I really look up to,” says Kat.

“Not because of who he works with, but because of how he is. He can always keep his cool in very stressful situations.

“Being an IP with the team was very rewarding experience. Getting to work with the best of the best like Bono and Ricci [Musconi] was invaluable for someone as young as me starting their career.

“Mercedes was the only team I applied to join because they came across as so welcoming, and that is exactly what I found when I started.”

Working with such a talented team has given Kat an awful lot of experience and provided her with some unforgettable words of wisdom.

“The best advice I have ever received has come from this team of engineers,” Kat says.

“They always tell me to remember two things. Dream big. Just because no-one has done it before it doesn’t mean you can’t.

“And you also need to remember that you’re here for a reason and that you can bring value to a team. That is sometimes easy to forget.”

And what of the future? From our family to hers, Kat is considering making a trip to Shanghai for the Grand Prix, not just for work, but perhaps a family outing.

“My Dad has always watched F1, and he still does. Now my Mum is getting into it because it’s basically my life!

“They are still based in Hong Kong, so we have talked about going to Shanghai, it’s close to home.”