FIA hails 11-year-old Kashmiri racer Atiqa Mir’s rising talent
Young driver from Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir is already challenging older competitors in European karting as she pursues eventual path to Formula One
SRINAGAR, Kashmir (MNTV) — Eleven-year-old Kashmiri racer Atiqa Mir has earned praise from world motorsport governing body FIA after a series of standout performances against older competitors in Europe, strengthening her reputation as one of the sport’s emerging young talents.
Mir, who is from Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, competes in the 12-to-14-year-old category in European karting despite being younger than the division’s standard age range.
She is also the first racer representing India to receive backing from the F1 Academy program, which seeks to develop female drivers and create pathways toward higher levels of motorsport.
The FIA said Mir’s recent performances demonstrated how young racers were “redefining the future” of motorsport and highlighted her progression from regional competition to international FIA karting events.
Mir has already represented India at the MENA Karting Championship Nations Cup and is now competing regularly on the European circuit, where she has produced several significant results this season.
In May, she swept the second round of the Champions of the Future Academy program in Greece. She followed that performance with another breakthrough in Italy, where she outqualified Mercedes junior driver Niccolò Perico to secure pole position during the third round of the series.
The FIA described her Italian performance as a standout result, noting that she secured pole position and set an event record against a highly competitive international field.
Earlier this month, Mir added another milestone in Sweden, becoming the youngest racer representing India to secure two top-10 finishes during a round of the FIA European Championship.
Those performances are particularly striking given Mir’s age. While she is still several stages away from professional single-seater racing, her long-term ambition is to reach Formula One, the highest level of international motorsport.
That path remains exceptionally difficult for female racers. No woman has started a Formula One World Championship Grand Prix since Italy’s Lella Lombardi in 1976. Giovanna Amati was the last woman to enter a Grand Prix, making three unsuccessful qualifying attempts in 1992.
F1 Academy was established as part of efforts to change that imbalance by providing young female drivers with greater competition, training and opportunities to progress through motorsport’s development system.
For Mir, karting represents the beginning of that pathway. Her recent European results have already put the young Kashmiri racer on the international motorsport radar years before she will be old enough to compete at its highest levels.
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
