FORMULA One reserve driver Tung Ho-Pin gives fans another reason to cheer for Renault this Sunday. Dutch-born Tung is the first Chinese ever to make it to F1. Ma Yue revs up.

He holds a Super License, the permit to drive Formula One; he attends all the 19 F1 season races; his skills behind the wheel of the world's most advanced car are widely acknowledged - and he is of Chinese origin.

When Dutch-born Tung Ho-Pin was appointed F1 team Renault's third and reserve driver last December, the 27-year-old made history by becoming the first-ever Chinese driver in the motor world's elite stage.

"I practice the element called speed," he proclaims on his official Website.

His very presence, though not behind the wheel, will give local fans more to cheer at this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, now in its 7th year.

Tung, whose parents immigrated to the Netherlands in the 1960s, was born in Velp, a small town in the east. He looks like other Chinese, of course, but he speaks better Dutch and English than Chinese. He also speaks some French, German and Greek and Latin.

"I've always been referred to as Dutch-born Chinese and I'm proud of my double background. I'm happy to have fans on both sides (China and the Netherlands) and friends all over the world. It's a nice situation," Tung tells Shanghai Daily in an exclusive chat.

Neither of Tung's parents were interested in fast cars, but he is passionate about speed and started his career behind the wheel at the age of 14 in 1997 - a late start. He moved on from Go Karting to Formula Ford and Formula BMW. He entered Formula 3 in 2004, represented China in the 2006-07 A1 Grand Prix season, and then landed a seat in the GP2 series.

Breaking into Formula One, Tung is slowly moving toward the pinnacle of motor sports.

"You have to seize opportunities," he says.

Third driver

Opportunity came when Tung tried out for Renault last December and won the third-driver slot. He follows the team at every race and every testing. If one of Renault's racing drivers (Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov) is unable to race, Tung takes the wheel.

Kubica joined Renault this season while Petrov is still a rookie - meaning Tung needs to be patient before he gets a shot at Renault's R30, the 2010 season car.

"It's a pity, I'd like to be behind the wheel, but I know it's my job," he says.

Tung has tested the R29, Renault's car for last season.

"F1 is top level, and the whole environment in which you are working is very different. More people working and more information being collected to improve performance," he says.

"There are mechanical changes to be made while driving. It's not easy, especially in the beginning. You need a lot of understanding to cope with it."

There's no leisure for a reserve driver on a racing weekend.

"I do the same work as the regular drivers, apart from actual driving," he says. He goes to all team meetings. Since a third driver doesn't have a private working team, he's in close touch with engineers for both Kubica and Petrov.

While his teammates are flying laps on the circuit, Tung helps read and analyze the driving data sent wirelessly to the team's computer. "It's very interesting to see the data. It's a learning process. My translations of the data for the engineers benefits the team and I get experience from both the engineering and the driving side."

Meanwhile, as part of Renault's F1 driver program, Tung will race in the GP2 support series starting in May with DAMS team in Renault colors.

Tung is enthusiastic about his team.

"They're only the world's best racing drivers in F1, and the level between the two isn't significant. So the whole team package is very important.

"The driver is able to motivate the team, to help to make the right steps forward. Robert is technically strong and exactly indicates to the team what he wants from the car.

"I consider F1 a team sport and there's a very good atmosphere within the team, not only between drivers. It's incredible the way the team pushes forward to continuously improve performance."

Renault has given a promising performance in the first three races in 2010, standing fifth in the constructor standings after Kubica's runner-up in Australia and fourth-place finish in Malaysia.

Tung won't predict Renault's final standing, but cites a lot of progress since testing. The team has bought many new parts and is taking "an aggressive approach."

"Everybody is pushing really hard. I'm quite confident we will be able to catch up with the front runners during the season," he says.

The Sunday race is unpredictable and the forecast calls for showers and low temperatures.

Nobody has yet won the Chinese Grand Prix twice since its inauguration in 2004. Shanghai International Circuit has witnessed six different winners, the last being Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, who took home a 1-2 finish together with teammate Mark Webber last April - there was another 1-2 earlier this month in Malaysia.

Tung does predict a double this year, and his favorite for Sunday is defending champion Vettel. But he expects his teammate Kubica to give Vettel a good fight.

Tung was very close to racing on the Shanghai International Circuit in 2007 when he pulled out of the A1GP Shanghai round to make himself available for GP2.

"Shanghai circuit is a difficult technical track with long turning corners requiring stability," he says.

Tung may not have the chance to race in Shanghai, but he's confident in Renault's performance. "We have a very strong car and new updates for this race, which should help us to move up a bit."

China introduced Formula 1 in 2004, and Tung says motor racing is potentially very popular in China.

"If you have a local racer in a high level, it attracts young people into the sport," says Tung. "Few people in Spain were interested in Formula 1 before Fernando Alonso joined. Very few people in Poland watched F1 racing before Robert Kubica became successful."

Tung is setting his sights on becoming a Yao Ming on the track.

"I am a sportsman and a sportsman always wants to achieve the highest possible. For me, the highest possible in racing is Formula 1, winning races, and a championship.

"I've been working hard in the past few years to improve myself."