Zayn Sofuoglu has lived every five-year-old boy’s dream at the Qatar F1 Grand Prix.
The Turkish youngster has enjoyed access-all-areas in the paddock, spending time with heroes including Sir Lewis Hamilton, world champion Max Verstappen and McLaren star Lando Norris. But despite his young age, Zayn already has plenty in common with some of motorsports’ biggest stars – and even holds a world record of his own, after driving his dad’s £500,000 Lamborghini Revuelto at 312kmph (194mph) earlier this year, making him the fastest child in the world.
Zayn’s passion for speed shouldn’t come as a shock, as the son of five-time motorcycle racing world champion Kenan Sofuoglu – with the youngster looking set to follow in his father’s wheel tracks, lifting the Turkish Supermoto Championship this year, whilst also competing on four wheels in kart racing – the route taken by all 20 drivers on the F1 grid.
In fact Zayn already has an Instagram following some on the F1 grid can’t match, with more than four million followers – all tuning in to watch the youngster drift and race a host of exotic cars, including driving an exclusive Ferrari SF90 at the age of just three years and 10 months. Zayn’s page, which is managed by his parents, also features clips of him carrying out daring tricks on mini-motos, racing bikes and go-karts and flying around on jet-skis.
Dad Kenan, who is also a member of the Turkish Parliament, has faced criticism for the stunts – but insists that they are carried out safely, and he can usually be seen riding shotgun with the youngster when he’s at the wheel of his fleet of stunning supercars. Whilst Zayn, who says his hero is Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, dreams of returning to the F1 paddock in the future – but as a driver, with fans in the UK able to see him in action from 2025.
Speaking to the Anadolu Agency in his homeland, Kenan explained that Zayn will enter the British Karting Championship in the new year, saying: “He will be competing against eight-year-olds in England when he is six-years-old. If he shows awareness in England, Zayn will be one of the top candidates for Formula 1.”