ATIQA MIR became the youngest Indian to record two top-10 finishes in a round of the FIA European Championship, one of the top levels of international karting.
The 11-year-old finished ninth and 10th in the heat races in the 12-14 age category in Round 4 of the championship in Sweden.
Mir, the first Indian to be backed by F1 Academy, qualified 11th, just 0.13 seconds behind the fastest driver.
Competing as a wildcard in only her second FIA event, Mir faced drivers as old as 14 despite being among the youngest competitors on the grid.
The Indian driver, who has Kashmiri roots, has already recorded race wins and pole positions in her career. She said the experience in Sweden had given her a better understanding of FIA competition.
“I’m super happy with my performance here. We achieved all our targets and we have a good technical understanding of these FIA events,” she said.
“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.”
Mir’s father, Asif Mir, India’s first national karting champion, said she had performed well against drivers with 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,” he said.
“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 on her hands.”
In May, Mir became the youngest Indian to finish sixth in Round 2 of the FIA European Championship in Spain.
The FIA, the governing body of international motor sport, runs the European Championship.
(with PTI inputs)
