Chinese racer Gerrard Xie talks BYD, fashion, and F1 dreams

This interview originally featured in Jing Daily and Cart Dept’s Cars & Culture newsletter — a bi-weekly digest of global luxury automotive branding that champions culture. Subscribe here. At just 19 years old, Gerrard Xie (谢咏霖) is steering his way into the global spotlight as one of Asia’s most promising fast racing talents. Hailing from Shenzhen, Xie is currently competing in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Hitech TGR, where he has already proved his potential, clinching both the Chinese F4 Championship and the Formula Renault Super Challenge in his debut season. Named after British soccer star Steven Gerrard, the young driver’s rise coincides with a pivotal moment for China’s luxury car sector — a market valued at $154.67 billion and forecast to climb to $181.49 billion by 2029 according to Mordor Intelligence, with Gen Z expected to drive much of that growth. As automotive culture becomes an arena for personal expression and brand identity, drivers like Xie are reshaping what influence looks like. Formula 1 stars such as Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton have long illustrated the growing convergence of motorsports and fashion, appearing in Vogue and on Met Gala red carpets. Ferrari, under Rocco Iannone, has turned Milan Fashion Week into a celebration of performance couture. In this exclusive interview, Jing Daily sits down with Xie to discuss his early victories, the growing intersection between racing and luxury, and what Chinese car culture means to him. Jing Daily: What's your earliest memory of being into cars and racing? Gerrard Xie: I’ve always loved cars. I can remember every car from when I was younger. Even now, I just very much love cars. Firstly, for racing. My dad took me to a car test and I really enjoyed it and I was quick from the get-go. So from there, I started racing and I also just loved competing. JD: If you could race any Chinese EV on the track, which would you pick and why? GX: The Yangwang U9 from BYD. Pretty much all the EVs are performing at good straight line speed, but the shape of that car looks like it’s more engineered for performance. What strikes me on the circuit is what separates a fast car from a true driver’s car. I think racing the U9 will be the ultimate test of its aerodynamics. A challenge for my racing career. JD: What's something surprising that no one tells you about pursuing a racing career? GX: Firstly, the amount of time you have to work under the radar is incredible. I think now, every fast driver is always training. Training as hard as we can to try to perform our best on the track, and also for me, it’s always quite far from home. Physically and mentally, I have sacrificed a normal teenage life for this dream. Yeah, the surprising part is not the sacrifice, but how I learnt to find a new family, and find the positive perspectives in every new city and every new challenge. This makes it worth it, and at the same time, I have really enjoyed it. JD: What are your thoughts on car x fashion brand collaborations? GX: They are quite cool. A fusion of two worlds. It’s about experiencing a lifestyle. What you wear off the track is an extension of your personal brand, and seen as an extension of the driver. So this type of collaboration makes car culture more accessible and digestible. It’s a really smart way to celebrate culture and performance. JD: Does “Made in China” still carry a performance stigma in racing? GX: That’s definitely in the past. For anyone I know, “Made in China” is considered very reliable and very nice to use. The cars in China evolve pretty quickly — the new Yangwang U9 is just a fast electric supercar compared to other European brands. It’s quite cheap in comparison as well. The first Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, the first thing they did was take it to the Nürburgring track [in Germany] to set a record, which is quite cool. They want to compete with the best straight away — this brand is earning respect by showing up and posting incredible times. JD: How would you describe Shenzhen’s car culture? GX: Car culture in Shenzhen is not necessarily as good as in Europe, but it’s getting better and better. The new technology is quite cool. The performance of Chinese EVs is improving. On the road, you see a lot of supercars from Europe. If you’re lucky, you can see some very rare hypercars. There’s not really a car culture in Shenzhen — it’s less about vintage classics and more about the future. JD: Do you have any exciting future plans you can share? GX: My first season in Formula 3 just ended, but despite this we are training very hard, so continuing to practice. For now, we’re unsure what 2026 looks like. But at the same time, my focus is smashing days in the gym and looking forward to what’s next. In the end, I’m trying to climb up the Formula ladders and try my best to reach F1.

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Chinese racer Gerrard Xie talks BYD, fashion, and F1 dreams