Srinagar, Feb 13: India’s Atiqa Mir showcased speed and composure beyond her years as she charged from 32nd on the grid to gain 16 places in the final of Round 2 of the WSK Super Master Series in Italy, overcoming earlier setbacks during the weekend.
The 11-year-old, as per a statement issued, only in her second appearance in the junior category (age 12-14), showed speed and maturity beyond her age in the qualifying to set the sixth fastest time in treacherous wet conditions.
What made her qualifying effort special was that this was her first time ever driving in wet conditions in the junior class and that too on one of the toughest and fastest tracks in the world.
It was a remarkable sign of of Atiqa’s rare talent, following in the footsteps of her role model and four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstapen, who is known for his dazzling speed in the wet. It is worth mentioning that Atiqa is the first Indian to be supported by the F1 Academy.
The qualifying performance was the highlight of the weekend as races proved to be challenging with Atiqa enduring two DNFs and four penalties that led to loss of valuable points for the finals.
However, Atiqa put all the setbacks behind to make the most of the opportunity in the finals. Starting a lowly 32 in a field of 42 world class drivers, she stormed through the field with remarkable aggression and precision, gaining as many as 16 places to finish 16th. A post-race penalty saw her drop to 18th in the final classification.
Speaking after an exhilarating weekend, Atiqa said: “That felt like a rush. I enjoyed the Final and gave it everything. I wish I was starting higher so I could have mixed it up at the front.
“But I’ve learnt so much this weekend especially driving in the wet and cold conditions, it is so slippery doing this at 130kmph. The team (Modena) has been flawless as always. I look forward to a clean weekend. Big thanks to my sponsors RAISE for supporting me.”
Atiqa’s father Asif Mir, a former National Karting Champion, felt the final result did not reflect the actual gains made during the week.
“Atiqa showed a lot of brilliance this weekend even though the results don’t reflect that. The performance in the wet conditions is encouraging for the future. That Final was entertaining, watching her tear through the field in only her second weekend was special,” he said.
