In a sport long dominated by speed, bravado, and men, Vivian Siu has carved her name into history by becoming the first female Formula 4 driver to ever complete a race at the Macau Grand Prix — one of the most demanding and prestigious street circuits in the world.

A banker by day and a racing driver by passion, Vivian first captured public attention through her bold leap into motorsports. She entered competitive racing with no prior professional background and had only six months of preparation before lining up on the Macau grid. Her story, which was later chronicled in the documentary “Zero to Macao” directed by Jonathan Finnigan, quickly resonated beyond the racing community, turning her into a symbol of possibility for a new generation of dreamers in Hong Kong and across Asia.

But Vivian’s journey is far from a simple ready-set-go narrative. It’s one marked by bumps along the way, unexpected pit stops, detours that tested her resolve, and fast-and-furious moments that demanded courage well beyond the driver’s seat. Racing on one of the world’s most unforgiving circuits while balancing a full-time career in finance, she has had to navigate fear, self-doubt, and scrutiny — often under the glare of both media and cameras.

In her exclusive interview with The Beat Asia, Vivian opens up about the adversity that shaped her drive and the purest moments of joy she’s experienced on the track, regardless of results. She also spoke candidly about the vulnerability of letting cameras into her most challenging moments, the unexpected reactions the documentary sparked, and how growing recognition has reshaped her sense of purpose in motorsports and beyond.

Chasing Wildest Dreams Against the Odds

More than a racing story, our conversation with the racer is about resilience, ambition, and what it truly means to chase a dream, no matter how unlikely the starting line.

Vivian never planned on entering the world of racing, even though she’d loved cars from a young age. For much of her life, she said things unfolded without a clear plan, feeling as though she’d been dealt “bad cards” early on. She lost her parents as a teenager, dropped out of high school, went through periods of homelessness, and entered university later than most.

Through it all, she found steady support in her grandmother, who stayed by her side during her hardest years. Rather than letting those setbacks define her, Vivian slowly rebuilt her life on her own terms. Building her career from the ground up in Hong Kong, she’s become proof that a late start and a tough past don’t mean the end of the road... Sometimes, they’re just the beginning.

“I would say a lot of the adversity that I've faced in my past definitely shaped my personality today. Just because a lot of it was life-changing. All of these very intense and super volatile upbringings just build grit, I would say. A will to not give up is in me because of everything that I've gone through. It shaped me into someone who's very positive in terms of the opportunity or the situation that I'm in. No matter how hard things get, I always just try to look at the positive side of it and try to tough it out.”

Unlike her competitors, who had years of training, Vivian didn’t have the luxury of pursuing racing early in life. But her journey is proof that it doesn’t matter where you start. It's simply a matter of taking a leap of faith to go after what you really want. When asked what made her decide to finally pursue racing, she revealed that it was less an intense moment of wanting to win, but more embracing an opportunity to get behind the wheel.

“It's literally just something I wanted to try. Not out of the blue, because I always liked cars when I was a kid. But when I was growing up, I was in a very difficult situation. I didn't have the luxury to try a sport,” she told The Beat Asia.

“It was really late in life. I worked in finance for six or seven years, then COVID happened in Hong Kong for three years, where we could not travel. There’s no racing in Hong Kong, so you have to go to China. When the borders reopened, that was when I thought, 'If I don't do it right now, when am I going to do it?' So I went for an experience day. I really thought that was going to be my first and last time in a car. But then, miraculously, I drove pretty okay for someone with zero experience or exposure in anything. That's kind of how this crazy idea that maybe I can actually compete came along.”

The racer expressed how she was so excited to get behind the wheel the first time, and how “foreign” it felt to finally be in a situation she had only been dreaming about before. “I was just so excited! I could not sleep the night before because I still could not believe that I would get a chance to be inside a Formula car. I’m not thinking about going fast. I'm just thinking about enjoying the moment because I have the opportunity to do it.”

After getting a taste of being on the track, Vivian simply couldn’t stop there. She wanted more. The racer revealed that while the decision to continue was hers, it was influenced by the people around her — specifically her racing team, T-1 Racing, who had encouraged her to take it further.

“What really motivated me to take it further was their faith and their belief in me because they are very experienced drivers and they know what they're doing. They just saw something in me, and they believed I could do it. They sacrificed so much of their own time and themselves to invest in me. Even though this entire racing journey seems like it was all me, it was really my racing team who motivated me, who gave me faith, and who comforted me.”

Being part of the Macau Grand Prix was more than a testament to Vivian’s skill— it carried deep personal meaning. She shared that crossing the finish line was an emotionally charged moment, not just because of the achievement itself, but because it connected her to her late father, with whom she had a complicated relationship. It was reported that her father did not move with the family when Vivian emigrated to the U.S. with her mother.

“There’s a lot of emotional turmoil and trauma that I didn’t get to resolve with him when he was still alive,” Vivian said. “So, it added many layers of meaning for me.”

Director Jonathan noted that the Macau scenes were among the most compelling moments in the documentary—not only because of the race, but because of what it represented for Vivian to compete in her father’s homeland.

“It’s the power of the reason behind it and what’s at stake,” he explained. “When you get to Macau and reveal why her relationship with her father wasn’t quite right, everything clicks. It makes her decision to race there even more powerful.”

Zero to Macao: Making History on the Track

It’s important to note that while most documentaries talk about a certain event after it has happened, “Zero to Macao” chronicles Vivian’s racing journey in real time.

Directed by award-winning British film director Jonathan Finnigan, the documentary showcased a raw and intimate portrait of the racer, going beyond the track and diving into the heart of it all: the highs, lows, and everything in between.

Vivian shared that they were introduced by one of her colleagues at a time when she had just decided to try her hand at racing, while Jonathan was searching for his next subject. The two met over coffee and agreed to document her very first race. The rest, as they say, is history. Jonathan quickly became captivated by the journey of a finance professional stepping onto the track for the first time.

“It was the storyteller as much as the story itself," he told The Beat Asia. "What’s struck me about her is just how expressive and unfiltered she was. What you saw was real. There was no glossing over it, no hiding it. Her emotions were laid bare, and she was just very open and honest. I just had this feeling the rawness of the emotion is going to come through, which is always a good thing when you’re telling stories.”

The film chronicles her journey to the Macau Grand Prix, which happened within six months. It’s something that can be akin to a blink in the motorsport world, considering how most racers have been training for this their entire lives. Vivian shared about the time she crossed the finish line, describing it as her biggest moment.

“I literally cried the second I got out of the car! Other than it being the most dangerous track in the world and being a world-class event, there's something more personal to it because my father was actually from Macau. There’s a lot of emotional turmoil and trauma that I didn’t get to resolve with him when he was still alive.”

Moreover, it was only the fourth race she had ever competed in, so there was a lot of uncertainty and self-doubt woven into the whole experience. “I wasn't even sure if I was going to qualify or be able to participate. There was just so much pressure and hardship that the moment my team and I finished, it was so emotional.”

The film captured the journey from start to finish, unfolding as a thrilling story of a woman who defied convention and pursued what many would only dare to dream of. Yet beyond the adrenaline of the race itself, the director notes that it’s the moments behind the scenes, the unseen struggles, sacrifices, and triumphs, that truly make the film worth watching.

“I think most of the emotional side outweighed the racing. My favorite scenes were not the racing scenes; they’re the scenes with grandma, snippets of scenes where you get the sense of who she is, the emotional moments, the highs and lows. I loved those scenes just for their simplicity and the subtext of what it's saying and what it means, even if it’s not emotionally charged. Those scenes are way more compelling than any racing scene, and give the film its heart,” said Jonathan.

As for the message it carries, “Zero to Macao” is more than a story about chasing dreams. It also lays bare the difficulties that come with choosing a path others might deem impossible. Vivian shared how she once had to juggle her work alongside pursuing her dream, a period she described as both exhausting and stressful. Still, she persevered, and it’s this quiet resilience that she hopes her journey will pass on to viewers.

“Just don’t give up. Try your best and don't compare yourself with others. Everyone has their own path to take. My biggest takeaway is to just always be grateful for the opportunity. Don't overthink too much, and just try your best when you can and with what you have. It sounds so cliché, but it's just like what I've been through: where there's this impossible dream that I had, which is to compete in the Macau Grand Prix in six months, which is not even unheard of, because no one even dared to think about that!” she said. “Racing is a small part of my life. It was only six months compared to the rest of the struggles that I've been through growing up.”

Her skills on the track may have been impressive to watch, but the true highlight of the film lies in its emotional aspect — the experiences, both good and bad, that had led her to this moment.

“The story of the sport itself is important, but I think the main point I'm trying to bring is that if someone with my background, who literally came from nothing, can achieve this, then anyone can achieve something great. That's also why it's called ‘Zero to Macao.’  I'm a nobody who came from zero.”

Jonathan also added how racing can be used as a “metaphor for thinking outside the box” and explained, “In terms of trying to operate out of the norm, she’s doing a sport where the facilities aren’t available in Hong Kong. Not everybody can do that since not everyone has the resources to spend money on race diving, but if you translate that into something smaller: just because the resources aren’t necessarily right in front of you doesn’t mean you can't have a go.”

Vivian shared how deeply heartwarming it was to receive positive messages from viewers of the film — many of whom told her they felt inspired by what she had achieved. While the racer revealed that she has no plans to return to competitive racing anytime soon, the journey proved transformative. It allowed her to grow emotionally, pursue a long-held dream, and show the world that no matter where you are in life, any starting point can be the right one.

“I think anyone can relate. It doesn't have to be as extreme as me, but anyone going through any hardship, I would hope that they could get something out of [the film],” she said. “I just really want to bring hope to the world.”

You can catch “Zero to Macao” on NOW TV and on all Cathay Pacific flights. Watch the trailer here. 

You can also stay tuned to Vivian Siu's journey on Instagram.