Aussie junior ace Hugh Barter might have been nervous about the prospect of racing in front of a sold-out home crowd at the Australian Grand Prix if he hadn’t already been drawing public attention for his racing prowess since he was four years old.
In the era of drivers starting their careers younger than ever, Nagoya-born, Melbourne-raised Barter hadn’t even made it to primary school before his need for speed was capturing attention.
“We went to Phillip Island and there was this simulator,” he tells Fox Sports. “At four years old I’m not even a metre tall, and I was begging my dad to get onto the simulator.
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“He was like, ‘What are you going to do on the simulator? You can’t reach the pedals, you can barely see over the steering wheel, so what’s the point of getting on?’.
“But I begged him and he finally gave in. He asked the guy if he could do the pedals and I just steered.
“And I was actually not bad! Okay, I wasn’t anything special, but for a four-year-old I was okay. I got off and there was a bit of crowd behind me — it was quite something!”
It was the first realisation of a passion that had in retrospect clearly been building subliminally since he was still in nappies.
“I was interested in general mechanics and racing when I would have been in Japan, two years old, one year old. I would always use a screwdriver to work on my little car toys and stuff. Even though I knew nothing about what the screwdriver did or nothing about mechanics, it was an interest that was there.
“Then I actually came to the [Australian] GP in 2008, so I was two years old, and it kept on growing. We didn’t miss a GP after that. I have all the race programs from 2008 until 2020.”
The 2023 program is sure to feature highly in his collection. He’ll be in it.
“It’ll be cool,” he says as if it doesn’t signify the biggest step in a young life targeted directly at Formula 1 and rocketing along a steep trajectory to its destination.
He spent his entire year as a four-year-old on a simulator his family bought him after his exploits at Phillip Island, and at five years old he was cutting laps at an unsanctioned karting club that allowed him onto the track despite being below the minimum age.
At seven he got his first racing licence and by 14 he had his first championship.
Then it was straight to Europe to test his mettle against the best.
“For me it was not a big decision,” he says of the move from suburban Oakleigh to continental Le Mans. “When I saw F1 was in Europe I started to have to think about it. I had to make the step sometime; it was just a matter of when that was going to be.
“I had no hesitation to take the full opportunity.”
French Formula 4 was his first destination in 2021, his maiden season racing cars.
It was right into the deep end. French F4 has no team structure, with all drivers — most of them French — sharing a handful of French engineers between them for the entire season.
“So you speak to your engineer for 10 minutes and then it’s really up to you to figure out what you want to do with your time and how you want to prep for the event,” he says. “So you’re very alone and you have to do your own preparation.
“But I think that’s good. I think that builds a strong basis for you.
“You really have to be on top of your game at all times, because the moment you slack off, there’s no-one there to tell you.”
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But the language barrier and new environment were no impediment to success. He won in his first round and finished a close second in the championship.
He came back in 2022 and would’ve easily swept to title glory but for a rule that docked him points because he was also competing in Spanish F4 simultaneously. The hectic schedule saw him cram 42 races into just 30 weeks, but he finished as vice-champion in both.
Things were really accelerating now. His results were impressive enough that he got the nod from high-profile management firm All Road Management, run by Nicolas Todt, son of former FIA president and Ferrari principal Jean Todt. It counts Charles Leclerc on its books as well as former F1 racers Felipe Massa and Daniil Kvyat.
“It’s a big privilege,” he says. “Obviously you can really sell it — you can say, ‘I’m managed by the same company as Charles Leclerc’ and everyone’s eyes light up!
“But they’ve been a big help so far. They help me with not just finding sponsors but also training and getting me prepared mentally and physically, for the media, as well as for how I handle myself through the weekend and how to manage expectations — just small things that help you as a driver.”
It’s the kind of edge Barter will need making the jump to Formula 3 just 24 months since he started racing cars.
Imagine your local karting club and then picture the F1 paddock. Not only are the vehicles light-years apart, but there’s a massive difference in professionalism. That huge gap is bridged in only around four or five enormous steps.
The leap into F3, which travels with F1, is arguably the largest. The cars are faster and rely more on aerodynamic performance than the lighter classes, but the stakes and pressure are higher too. A few hasty moves can seriously dent a reputation, but take too long to find your feet and the F1 door will close long before you had a chance to knock.
Most drivers reach F3 via the intermediate Formula Regional European Championship to smooth their development curve. But Barter has backed himself to go straight into the main game.
“I think the atmosphere in F3 is completely different to the F4 atmosphere,” Barter says. “I don’t think people are wrong when they say it’s a big jump.
“But I think people are scared to say it’s a possible job. There’s much stigma around jumping from F4 to F3 because you have Regional there, but it’s definitely possible.
“It’s just a matter of having confidence in yourself to do so.”
His first round in Bahrain was strong but with mixed results. He was a stunning fifth in qualifying, finished just outside the points in the sprint and then had his feature race undone by a puncture, dropping him to the back
But it would have been more than enough for rivals to take notice. The affable under-the-radar Aussie with just two years of car racing behind him has started building a reputation.
Now he can bring it home to Australia for his first home race since his karting days.
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Barter hasn’t been Down Under since he left for Europe in 2020, and at 17 years old, he’s done plenty of growing up in the meanwhile — so much so that his homecoming has been something of a culture shock.
“When I first got here it was the first time I’d heard the Australian accent in two years. It was a bit of a shock, honestly!” he laughs. “You could hear and understand everyone around you — and on top of that, you can’t talk about whatever you want, because everyone can understand you!
“But it’s nice to be home, that’s for sure. I’m really excited for [the race] and I’m really excited to see friends, family and to see the atmosphere at the track.
“But I don’t I don’t want to that to affect too much how the weekend goes and affect my performance. I still want to perform as best I can.”
Australia, after all, is just one round in a 10-round season.
“I obviously have high expectations after Bahrain. I want to score some points — that’s always the most important thing across the season — and just be consistent.
“I think if we can show the pace again, then that will boost the confidence once more and then hopefully that just carries on for the season. So that’s the aim.”
Pull it off and this won’t be Barter’s last appearance in the race program at the Australian Grand Prix.
