Eleven-year-old Indian karting prodigy Atiqa Mir has made history by becoming the youngest Indian to achieve multiple top-10 finishes in the highly competitive FIA European Championship, signalling a bright future in motorsport.
Key Points
- Atiqa Mir, aged 11, became the youngest Indian to secure multiple top-10 finishes in the FIA European Championship.
- She achieved ninth and J10th place in the heat races within the 12-14 age category.
- Atiqa qualified P11, remarkably only 0.13 seconds off the fastest time, demonstrating her competitive speed.
- Her performance in Sweden exceeded expectations, battling effectively against older, more experienced drivers.
- Backed by F1 Academy, Atiqa aims for a full championship next year, showing significant potential in karting.
Racing sensation Atiqa Mir added another feather to her cap by becoming the youngest Indian to collect a couple of impressive top-10 finishes in Round 4 of the FIA European Championship, a marquee event in the world of karting.
Atiqa, all of 11, showed tremendous speed and fight to achieve a ninth and J10th place in the heat races in the 12-14 age category. Atiqa, the first Indian to be backed by F1 Academy, qualified P11, which was remarkably only 0.13 seconds off the fastest time, reflecting the intensely competitive nature of the grid.
Atiqa Mir's Impressive Performance
Driving as a wildcard in only her second ever FIA event, the Indian with Kashmiri roots battled hard with drivers as old as 14 despite being among the youngest on the grid.
Atiqa has got race wins and pole positions under her belt in a fast rising career but considering the challenge at hand in the FIA European Championship, which is dubbed as 'Formula 1' of the karting world, she was pleased with her performance in Sweden.
Young Prodigy's Ambitions
"I'm super happy with my performance here. We achieved all our targets and we have a good technical understanding of these FIA events. I've improved my driving as well and I feel with some more experience I can fight towards the front of the grid. I feel ready for a full championship next year," she said.
Father's Perspective On Atiqa's Potential
Atiqa's father Asif Mir, India's first national karting champion, felt she exceeded expectations with her performance against drivers with a lot more experience.
"Atiqa showed a lot of maturity far beyond her age. She was up against all star karters of the world including Formula 1 junior development drivers. Her speed in qualifying against them was very encouraging with only a tenth of a second separating her from the fastest time.
She still has a lot to learn and driving amongst the best drivers in the world gives her an opportunity to learn from them. We feel we will be in a championship fight next year. She is only 11 so she has time of her hands," said Asif.
Previous Achievements And Championship Significance
In May, Atiqa had created another record by becoming the youngest Indian to finish sixth in Round 2 of the FIA European championship in Spain.
The European Championship is the highest level of karting and is run directly by the sport's governing body FIA.
