IN A sport where no woman has raced in Formula 1 since 1992, 11-year-old karting prodigy Atiqa Mir understands both the scale of the challenge and the weight of history while chasing the pinnacle of motorsport. Competing in one of the most male-dominated sporting arenas in the world, the young Indian racer believes in breaking stereotypes rather than being intimidated by them. In an interview with PTI after a successful international karting season, Atiqa spoke at length about her blossoming motorsport journey and the challenges she gleefully accepts along the way. “I think it's because of all the stereotypes and stuff and also it being a mixed gender sport and being male dominated, that's why many females are not in Formula 1,” Atiqa told PTI. “And I think my confidence and belief in myself is going to take me there one day,” she said.

 

Atiqa’s rise through the karting ranks has unfolded on grids where she is often one of the only girls competing against a bunch of ‘bullying’ boys, and she doesn't shy away from bullying them back. “Well, basically, I'm one of the only few girls on the track and all the boys are there and obviously they don't like getting beaten by a girl. So they obviously bully me a lot on the track, but then I always bully them back,” she said. The behaviour, she explained, goes beyond hard racing. “Well, sometimes they turn on me. Sometimes they brake check me, which is normal for everyone, I guess nowadays, because there's no penalty in karting for a brake check. But sometimes they also hit me, but I think I learned how to deal with it over time.”

 

Rather than allowing such incidents to derail her focus, the teenager says she has learned to use them for her growth as a racing driver. “What goes through my mind is that I just try and learn from what I could from the session and the rest automatically finds its place,” she said. Motorsport runs in Atiqa's family. Her father Asif Mir is a former national karting champion and Formula Asia vice-champion, but she insists her career was not shaped by obligation or expectation. “I didn't start because of my dad. And like, there was no such thing as like, having a dream to race in Formula One,” she said, underlining that her journey began organically. Her introduction to Formula 1 itself came relatively late. “I didn't really know about Formula One and stuff until like 2021. And I think the first race I actually watched on TV was the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021,” she recalled the epic last lap title showdown between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. “And I remember seeing that overtake (from Verstappen). And it was so good. And it's still in my mind. So I really get motivated by that”. That moment cemented her admiration for Verstappen, now one of her two role models alongside her father.

 

“So basically, I really like his aggression and ability to drive with the car even if it's not like top one pace,” Atiqa said. “He's gotten loads of poles and he's basically been a great like person in this season when the car wasn't good.” On track, her own performances are steadily strengthening her case. Competing in Europe for the first time this season, Atiqa finished inside the top nine in the RMC Euro Trophy, one of the toughest karting championships on the calendar. “Since it was my first season competing in Europe, I think it's gone pretty well,” she said. “I did the top nine finish in the wet, which I was kind of learning how to drive on,” she said, noting that highly competitive nature of racing in Europe exposed her to new tracks, climates and driving styles. Atiqa has also received the coveted backing from the F1 Academy, becoming the first Indian to be supported by the programme. Asked whether motorsport is especially tough for women, Atiqa acknowledged the early struggles. “For the first one and a half years, really, it is because no one knows you and they just expect you to be one of those random girls driving for fun,” she said. “But now it's getting better because of my speed, and my determination to win,” she summed up.