‘Not because of my dad’: Indian girl racer and F1 aspirant Atiqa credits Verstappen for inspiration

India’s 11-year-old karting prospect Atiqa Mir has delivered a striking debut season in the fiercely competitive European junior circuit, exceeding expectations after stepping up to race against older drivers, according to a release.

Fast-tracked from the mini (8–12) class into the OKN-J (12–14) category due to her evident talent, Atiqa has quickly drawn attention in the paddock with her pace. The Dubai-based racer, originally from Jammu and Kashmir, has emerged as the best-performing Indian karter on the global stage, regularly outperforming a majority of the male field in grids of up to 40 competitors.

She opened her campaign with a strong second-place qualifying finish at the WSK Super Masters and followed it up with a podium — classified third — at the European leg of the Champions of the Future Academy series in Valencia earlier this month.

Despite racing in a male-dominated sport, Atiqa has shown resilience in intense on-track battles. Boys older than her often attempt to “bully” her during races, but she has matched them in wheel-to-wheel contests.

Battling stereotypes and on-track aggression

“Motorsport being a mixed-gender sport and being male-dominated, that's why many females are not in Formula 1 but belief and confidence will take me there one day,” said Atiqa, who is currently racing in Italy.

The aggressive nature of racing does not faze her. She says she has adapted to the physicality and tactics seen on track.

“Well, sometimes they (boys) 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,” she said.

Inspired by Formula 1, aiming for the top

Atiqa’s long-term ambition is to reach Formula 1 — a level where no woman has competed since 1992. She idolises four-time world champion Max Verstappen, crediting his aggressive racing style as a source of inspiration.

Coming from a racing family, her father Asir Mir is India’s first national karting champion and a former Formula Asia Vice-Champion. However, she insists her journey into motorsport was self-driven.

“I did not start because of my dad. And like, there was no such thing as like, having a dream to race in Formula One,” she said.

“I did not 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. 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,” she added.

While her Formula 1 ambition remains a long-term goal, Atiqa is already making a mark, taking on the sport’s male bastion one series at a time.