Atiqa Mir impresses on FIA Karting World Cup debut

Indian racing prodigy Atiqa Mir delivered a promising performance on her FIA Karting World Cup debut in Viterbo, Italy, showcasing impressive speed and racing skills against some of the world’s best young drivers. The 11-year-old recorded the fastest time in a practice session, secured a top-five finish in the heats and emerged as the best-performing female driver in the 117-competitor junior category.

Atiqa shines in practice and heat races

Atiqa began her campaign by setting the fastest time in the third practice session before finishing second in the final practice.

However, traffic during qualifying prevented her from maintaining that momentum. She finished 12th in her group and 48th overall.

The young Indian bounced back strongly in the heat races, securing seventh, ninth and fifth-place finishes, along with two fastest laps.

Strong recovery in final race

Atiqa continued her competitive performance in the super heats, finishing 11th.

In the final, she displayed impressive overtaking skills, passing eight karts to finish 16th on the road in a field of 117 drivers.

The event marked her first major assignment with Kart Republic Factory Race Team, owned by veteran Dino Chiesa, who has helped develop several Formula 1 drivers, including seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Atiqa is also the first Indian driver to receive support from the Formula 1 Academy.

Young racer reflects on World Cup performance

Reflecting on her debut, Atiqa acknowledged that difficulties during qualifying affected her overall result.

She said she was just two-tenths of a second behind pole position, highlighting the competitiveness of the field.

The young racer expressed satisfaction with her performance and experience with Kart Republic while thanking Raise, JK Tyre and JM Group for their continued support.