“You can work out as much as you want, but to actually improve, you just have to keep on driving”, explains Atiqa Mir, responding to a question on how she withstands the physical toll of racing.
You’d think interviewing an 11-year-old would be tricky. Kids don’t understand nuance at that age, and the ability to articulate themselves is, understandably, also a challenge.
Not with Atiqa. She started racing at 5. And in the six years that followed, she has not only competed on the global motorsport stage, but has fundamentally reshaped it.
The confidence that comes with it is there for everyone to see.
Born in Jammu & Kashmir but now based in Dubai, the youngster, who is supported by ‘Momentum by Raise’, recently turned heads with a spectacular wildcard debut at the FIA European Karting Championship in Valencia, widely regarded as the absolute pinnacle of world karting.
Speaking exclusively to Read, Atiqa Mir shared insights into her fearless approach to racing and life on the international karting circuit.
The Spanish experience
Going head-to-head against 92 older and more experienced drivers in Valencia, Atiqa secured a phenomenal P6 finish in Race 2 and clocked the fastest lap in Race 5.
“The grid is much more competitive in the FIA than in any other karting championship. You have to be at your best every time you go racing there”, said a beaming Atiqa.
What makes Atiqa’s achievements truly monumental is her age as well as her audacity. At just 11, she has voluntarily fast-tracked her career into the tougher OKJ and OK-NJ junior categories, typically for ages 12–14.
This means training and competing in karts that are 30kg heavier, with three times the horsepower and intense G-forces.
This fearlessness has propelled her to become the world’s highest-ranked female kart racer in the FIA International Kart Ranking (IKR) and the first Indian driver supported by the Formula 1 Academy.
The mentor behind the Maverick
Behind this meteoric rise is a powerhouse mentor, her father, Asif Mir.
As India’s first-ever national karting champion, Asif provides deep technical expertise and trackside guidance. Crucially, his coaching philosophy is anchored in merit and simplicity.
“The best advice he ever gave me was to drive flat out. You can’t take it easy because you are winning, because someone is going to come from behind and overtake you”, Atiqa says about his father’s role in shaping her headspace during races.
“Even if you are the fastest in a lap, always know that you can do more.”
By throwing her into the deep end against older competitors, he has helped foster the resilience required to conquer male-dominated grids.
The endgame
A huge Formula 1 and Max Verstappen fan, Atiqa’s ultimate goal is clear: becoming the first female Formula 1 driver on the starting grid since 1992.
“I really want to become an FIA World Karting Champion, and I also want to become a Formula 1 World Champion”, she elaborates, with her steely resolve peeking through.
In a sport traditionally starved of Indian representation, her breakthroughs at such a tender age prove that if you are fast enough, you are old enough. And Atiqa understands the pressure that comes with competing on a global stage.
That clarity of thought comes through when she says, “Limits are just barriers that people set in their minds that can easily be broken.”
Put your seatbelts on. India may well be looking at its next global racing icon.
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