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Sunday May 19, 2024

Meet world's first deaf Formula One driver in making

UK teen set to become World's first Formula One driver

By Web Desk
May 06, 2024
Caleb McDuff: UK teen who is worlds first deaf Formula One driver. Indtagram/@calebmcduff
Caleb McDuff: UK teen who is world's first deaf Formula One driver. Indtagram/@calebmcduff

The world's first deaf Formula One driver is going to be a teenager from the UK and despite his incapacity to hear, he wants everyone to know about him.

The native of South Wales, who lost his hearing at the age of two, has learned to feel the car instead of hearing it, according to Interesting Engineering.

As a baby, Caleb McDuff experienced frequent ear infections. But because of cochlear implants, he can now hear to a moderate degree.

Caleb's parents were told not to let their child play contact sports like rugby and football after he received cochlear implants. Ian, his father, started searching for other sports his son would be interested in.

Canadian deaf racer Kris Martin served as an inspiration to Ian. Caleb was five years old when Ian gave him a go-kart for Christmas and started helping him with his new interest, which Ian had also been into for a long time.

“Until last year, Caleb wasn’t able to comfortably wear his cochlear implants under his helmet, which meant taking them out and driving in complete silence. However, he said that this challenge has made him the driver he is today,” reported the BBC.

“I think it helped me focus more on what’s ahead of me than what’s surrounding with the sound,” said Caleb “It makes me a unique person, because people will be like, ‘how do you race in silence?’, and I’m like ‘that’s just me.”