Viterbo (Italy), July 15: India’s 11-year-old racing prodigy Atiqa Mir gave another compelling example of her precocious talent by out-qualifying two Mercedes F1 junior drivers for pole position in the Champions of the Future Academy Program Round 3 here.
Despite no testing on a rather technical Leopard Circuit, Atiqa, the first Indian to be backed by Formula 1 Academy, set sizzling pace in qualifying of the karting series.
She beat established Mercedes F1 Junior drivers like Niccolo Perico of Italy and Devin Titz of Germany for pole position besides setting an event record, earning the plaudits from one and all in the paddock.
Atiqa’s special performance in qualifying came after she swept Round 2 of the COTFA series in Greece last month.
Post the stellar pole position, Atiqa secured P2 and P3 in the Heats after engrossing battles.
In the final, Atiqa started P2 and passed Niccolo for the lead. However, due to an engine mis-fire, she couldn’t hold on to the lead and lost places finally before recovering to finish P6.
The results don’t reflect Atiqa’s sensational speed but she did make a mark with the audacious move for the lead on Lap 1 against Niccolo after outpacing him in qualifying.
On Day 2, Atiqa was hit by engine trouble and qualified 27th. The organisers were quick to change her engine but the damage was done by then.
A recovery drive followed and she charged through the field in every heat to start the final 18th on the grid.
In the Final, Atiqa passed as many as nine karts in only one and a half laps before a fellow driver forced her out of the race with a collision from the side. The errant driver was duly penalised.
Reflecting on a rollercoaster weekend, Atiqa said: “A bittersweet weekend for me, but I was able to show my pace against the world’s best and beat them. I feel confident in the kart every time I am on the track but the engine and equipment let me down this weekend.
“It could have easily been another couple of podiums but they weren’t meant to be. Motorsports can be harsh sometimes. I am happy with my performance and couldn’t have done anything more”
Atiqa’s father Asif Mir, who is India’s first national karting champion, said her daughter did all she could considering the sequence of events.
“Atiqa had a stellar weekend and set the event record at Viterbo. The results don’t show the true picture. The DNF in Final was heartbreaking but she is a strong girl and will recover soon,” he said.
Atiqa will next be seen racing in Sweden later this month. (PTI)
