Despite competing in a male-dominated sport, Atiqa has shown remarkable resilience. Racing against older and more experienced boys, she has not only held her own but often outperformed them on packed grids of up to 40 karts.
Atiqa Mir (Photo Credit: IANS/X)
At just 11, Atiqa Mir is already making waves on the highly competitive European karting circuit, taking on older and more experienced rivals with remarkable confidence and composure.
Fast-tracked from the Mini (8–12) category to the OKN-J (Junior) class, Atiqa has quickly established herself as one of the most promising young talents on the global stage. Backed by the F1 Academy, she has consistently impressed in packed grids featuring up to 40 drivers, often outperforming much of the field.
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Her performances this season underline her rapid rise. She began with a stunning P2 in qualifying at the WSK Super Masters and followed it up with a podium finish in the European leg of the Champions of the Future Academy series in Valencia.
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Competing in a male-dominated sport, Atiqa has also had to navigate aggressive on-track battles. But the young racer has shown maturity beyond her years in dealing with such challenges.
“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.”
Despite these challenges, her focus remains firmly on improvement and long-term goals. Atiqa has her sights set on Formula One, the pinnacle of motorsport, where no woman has raced since 1992.
“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.”
Interestingly, her journey into motorsport was not driven by family pressure, even though her father, Asir Mir, is a former national champion. Instead, her inspiration came from watching Max Verstappen during the dramatic Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021.
“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. 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. And it was so good. And it’s still in my mind. So I really get motivated by that.”
With belief, resilience, and undeniable talent, Atiqa Mir is steadily carving her path in international motorsport—one race at a time, and one step closer to her Formula 1 dream.
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