Alex Sawer arrived in 2025 carrying quiet momentum rather than expectation. At 17, the Vietnamese single seater racer had already lived through the swing of early promise and disappointment, coming off a difficult 2024 FRECA season that left him uncertain about his next step. What followed instead was a year that reintroduced him to himself. By the time the Formula 4 South East Asia Championship wrapped up, Sawer was the drivers’ champion with Evans GP, a title built on wins, poles, and a steadiness that had once felt elusive.
The defining moment came on the streets of Bangsaen. A heavy crash the day before, triggered by contact with a teammate, threatened to unravel the rhythm he had built through six wins from six races earlier in the season. “Mentally, I lost a lot of the momentum I had built up before the weekend,” he said. What mattered more was the response. Winning the next day was not about points or optics. “I was able to prove to myself — most importantly — that I could continue to perform without letting something like that get in the way,” he said, pointing directly at the mental gaps that had troubled him the year before. It was a personal correction as much as a sporting one.
That confidence carried into unfamiliar territory. Two weeks later, a phone call pulled him into Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia at Inje, replacing an injured driver with almost no preparation. The jump from Formula 4 to a closed cockpit GT car was abrupt. “Jumping into the deep end, managing the weight and immense power was difficult at first, and almost crashed as soon as I got out of the pits,” he said. Yet adaptation came quickly, with a P4 qualifying effort in semi wet conditions. “Overall, I really enjoyed the weekend,” he added. Without saying it outright, Sawer hints that this debut shifted his thinking about the direction of his career.
Another door opened through the Porsche Asia Talent Pool. Applying on impulse, he found himself immersed in the Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific operation, driving the Cup car and receiving guidance from engineers and Sascha Maassen. “From that point, I had already made up my mind about where I wanted to go and what my goals were for next season,” he said.
Sawer insists the championship was not the target. “I came into the season with zero expectations,” he said. What he wanted was consistency, and the discipline of process. “We are what we repeatedly do, so do what you’re supposed to do. And do it well.” As the off season begins, his focus narrows to family, school, and reflection. Whatever comes next, possibly Formula 3 or further GT racing, the grounding feels permanent. The results, as he puts it, were simply a consequence.
