Meet China’s first Wild Card F1 ACADEMY™ driver
Judy Hsu and Jean Lu from Standard Chartered join driver Shi Wei to discuss the surprising overlap between finance, female empowerment and F1 ACADEMY™.
As the new season of Formula 1® gathers momentum , women are increasingly stepping into this traditionally male-dominated high-performance sport – whether as strategists behind the scenes or drivers on the track.
Eighteen female drivers from around the world, including Chinese driver Shi Wei, recently competed in the Shanghai round of the all-female F1 ACADEMY™ series, showcasing the growing power and presence of women in motorsport.
Standard Chartered is the Official Wealth Management Partner and the Official Corporate and Investment Banking Partner of Formula 1® and an Official Partner of F1 ACADEMY.
Through this partnership, we aim to help encourage more women drivers to participate in the sport – in the cockpit and beyond – while leveraging our global connections to empower women to explore new opportunities across multiple fields.
Recently, Fortune China spoke to three women: Shi Wei, China’s first wild card driver, who returned for her second event with F1 ACADEMY at the FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN CHINESE GRAND PRIX; Judy Hsu, CEO, Wealth & Retail Banking and CEO, ASEAN, South Asia, Greater China and North Asia at Standard Chartered; and Jean Lu, CEO and Vice Chair of Standard Chartered China.
Join them to step inside the world of F1 ACADEMY and explore journeys that bridges motorsport, finance, and female empowerment.
The power of partnership
Fortune (Chinese edition): Motorsport has grown rapidly in popularity in recent years, with films about racing attracting widespread attention. How does the world of F1® portrayed in movies differ from reality? What makes motorsport uniquely compelling?
Shi Wei:In reality, the world of racing is far more complex –and far more disciplined – than what the films portray.
Drivers constantly push their bodies to physiological limits. For example, at Turn 7 of the Shanghai International Circuit, we take the corner at nearly 200 km/h. In that instant, the centrifugal force on your neck feels as if someone has suddenly hung several kilograms of weight from your head.
Beyond intense physical conditioning, drivers must also understand vehicle engineering and aerodynamics, communicate closely with engineers about car setup, adapt to changing track conditions, manage tyre strategies, and work seamlessly with the team. Racing is not a lone hero’s story –it is a highly engineered and deeply collaborative sport.
I’ve tried many extreme sports, and they all share one thing in common: you must remain calm at the limits of nature or machinery. Racing, however, has something particularly unique –it is one of the sports with the highest concentration of speed, technology, and decision-making.
With heart rates reaching 160 to 180 beats per minute and cockpit temperatures climbing to 40–50°C, drivers must make complex decisions within fractions of a second. Over several kilometers of track, every corner becomes a pursuit of tenths of a second – balancing braking points, throttle control, tyre grip, and racing lines –while constantly sensing the car’s condition and the position of competitors around you.
That ability to maintain rational judgment at extreme speed is what makes racing so fascinating. Through my own journey, I hope more people can see that racing is not just about speed –it is also an intensely intellectual sport. It requires courage, but even more importantly judgment, discipline, and long-term self-management.
50°C
Cockpit temperatures can climb to 40-50 degrees Celsius.
180bpm
Drivers’ heart rates hit 160-180 beats per minute.
200kmh
Drivers take Turn 7 in Shanghai at nearly 200 kilometers an hour.
Fortune: Formula 1® represents speed and excitement, while finance emphasises stability and risk management. What kind of synergies do you see in this cross-industry partnership? What new experiences and value do you hope to create for clients around the world?
Judy Hsu: At first glance, F1® and banking may seem worlds apart. But at their core, both are about performing at the highest level – combining speed with discipline, and ambition with control.
The best F1® teams don’t win by taking reckless risks; they win through precision, teamwork and making the right decisions under pressure. That mindset resonates strongly with us at Standard Chartered.
The global footprint of Formula 1® also closely mirrors our own cross-border network. It allows us to engage with a global audience of over 800 million fans, many of whom are internationally minded, entrepreneurial and globally mobile – very much aligned with our Wealth and Corporate & Investment Banking clients.
Most importantly, it enables highly differentiated client experiences. From premium hospitality to truly money-can’t-buy moments, it gives us a platform to connect with clients in a more personal, memorable and meaningful way – beyond traditional banking conversations.
Fortune: In this partnership with F1®, Standard Chartered is also supporting the efforts of the F1 ACADEMY to encourage and develop female drivers. What does this initiative mean for the bank? Beyond the race track, how can we encourage women to explore new possibilities?
Jean Lu: Since its inception, motorsport has been a highly technical field long dominated by men. We are delighted to see the emergence of the F1 ACADEMY, which allows more young women to imagine themselves in the highest levels of motorsports. Although this career path is undoubtedly challenging, simply seeing the possibility is the beginning of change.
We also hope to use the global attention surrounding the sport to spark broader conversations about women’s growth, career development, and the courage to break boundaries. The career journey of Chinese driver Shi Wei is a powerful example of the inspiration behind the F1 ACADEMY.
Whether in finance or motorsport, success requires discipline, professional mastery, and long-term dedication. It also requires a diverse and inclusive environment where people can step beyond traditional boundaries and have space to try, learn, and grow.
Diversity and inclusion have long been central to Standard Chartered. Our network spans Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, and our employees and clients represent a wide spectrum of religions, cultures, languages, and social backgrounds. Inclusion and diversity are part of our DNA.
In China, empowering women has also been a key focus of our community investment initiatives. Women account for more than 60 per cent of the beneficiaries of our community impact programmes in the country. Through initiatives supporting girls’ education, university training, and women’s entrepreneurship, we aim to give more women the confidence and courage to pursue their passions.
Fortune: More women are showing interest in motorsport. Last year you founded the all-female racing team “ShePower Racing.” How is the project progressing? What are your plans and ambitions in motorsport going forward?
Shi Wei: The original idea was quite simple –I wanted more women to have real access to motorsport, rather than simply viewing it from a distance or treating it as a hobby. For many people, racing feels distant and expensive. That is partly true, but if no one builds platforms to lower the barriers to entry, the industry will struggle to attract new participants.
One of the key goals of ShePower Racing is to show women that this path exists – through training camps, race participation, and content sharing. On one hand, we are nurturing young drivers; on the other, we are trying to build a community for women in motorsport. For any sport to truly develop, it needs not only top drivers but also a broader ecosystem of participants, supporters, and industry partners.
Personally, I will continue to challenge myself at higher levels of competition. Motorsport is ultimately about pushing your limits and constantly striving to improve. At the same time, I hope to serve as a connector –bringing more resources, opportunities, and visibility to women in racing.
If, in the future, more Chinese women step onto international race tracks, that would mean even more to me than any personal result.
Women in motion
Fortune: You began your career in music and entertainment before transitioning into finance and eventually becoming an industry leader. As someone who has successfully crossed disciplines, what advice would you share with people seeking to do the same?
Judy Hsu: Careers today are increasingly non-linear, and individuals should feel empowered to pursue paths that align with their passion. In today’s environment, adaptability, curiosity, and passion are just as important as technical expertise when navigating cross-industry transitions.
If you were to ask me, my advice would be to follow what genuinely motivates and energises you. For me, that has always been about working closely with clients – understanding their needs, developing thoughtful solutions, and delivering exceptional service. Equally important has been the opportunity to build and lead teams, and to foster a culture rooted in collaboration, innovation, and execution excellence.
What I have also learned is that advancement opportunities often arise when you least expect them – especially when you are focused on doing meaningful work, continuously learning, and contributing with purpose.
Fortune: What challenges might women face in the financial industry, and how can they overcome them and leverage their strengths?
Jean Lu: Across many industries, women often encounter similar challenges—from social expectations and leadership stereotypes to unequal access to opportunities and resources. For example, women are sometimes labeled as being “more cautious” or “less suited to high-pressure environments,” which can cause them to miss out on key opportunities for growth. In reality, when multiple pressures converge, anyone –regardless of gender –can feel as if they are competing in an intense race.
What matters most is the courage to follow your passion and the resilience to overcome obstacles, and drive for meaningful changes over time.
Just like FORMULA 1, finance is not a sprint –it is more like a long season. Long-term success is determined not by a single moment of performance, but by accumulated judgment, resilience, and the ability to make sound decisions in complex environments.
In today’s environment, external volatility has become more pronounced, making resilience and composure more critical than ever for the financial industry in navigating uncertainty. In the face of such challenges, the FORMULA 1 spirit – defined by unwavering focus and the courage to push forward—remains just as relevant.
Fortune: How do you view the label or identity of being a female driver? What does it feel like to compete in motorsport – particularly in F1 ACADEMY? Do extreme sports tend to diminish traditionally feminine qualities, or can they instead bring more female perspectives and influence into the sport, helping to drive innovation, inclusivity, and diversity?
Shi Wei: In fact, I rarely define myself simply as a “female driver.” On the track, we are drivers first – gender comes second.
That said, in a field like motorsport that has long been dominated by men, the presence of women naturally attracts greater attention.
For me, that represents both pressure and opportunity. The pressure comes from the fact that people sometimes view the performance of a single female driver as evidence of whether women are suited to racing.
The opportunity, however, is that as more women enter the sport, those stereotypes gradually begin to fade.
Traditionally, racing has emphasized strength, speed, and direct competition. But as more women become involved, we are also seeing different strengths come to the fore –such as more nuanced feedback on vehicle dynamics, steadier pace management, and stronger long-term concentration. These are all essential qualities in professional motorsport.
As the number of female drivers grows, racing will no longer be perceived as a “male world with a few women in it.” Instead, it can evolve into a more inclusive and diverse competitive environment.
That shift is meaningful not only for women, but also for the sport itself, making it richer and more vibrant.
Unlocking opportunity
Fortune: As an international bank with more than a century of history, how does Standard Chartered gain insight into the needs of female clients and address their increasingly personalised wealth management goals? At the same time, how does the bank leverage its cross-border network to connect different markets and cultures –and how does this connectivity help empower women to seize opportunities on a broader stage?
Judy Hsu: Our understanding starts with listening. Female clients often take a more integrated view of wealth – linking personal aspirations with family responsibilities, entrepreneurship, and long-term impact – rather than treating wealth purely as a financial outcome. That insight shapes how we advise them.
Innovation for us is less about creating ‘women-only’ products, and more about delivering genuinely personalised advice. We focus on portfolio-led advisory that reflects different life stages, cross border needs and the growing intersection between personal and business wealth.
In a more complex and fragmented world, Standard Chartered’s role is clear – we connect. Our strength lies in combining a global network with deep local understanding, helping clients move confidently across markets and cultures. That connectivity allows us to link capital, ideas and opportunities across borders, supporting growth that is more inclusive and sustainable, particularly across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
For women entrepreneurs, a strong example is the Standard Chartered Women’s International Network, or SC WIN. It supports women-led SMEs with access to financing, expertise and global peer networks, helping them scale beyond their home markets. Since launch, SC WIN has extended over USD540 million in financing to women owned businesses across our network.
Our Formula 1® partnership
We’re an Official Partner of Formula 1®.
SC WIN
SC WIN supports women-led businesses with access to funding, expertise and connections.