Key Takeaways
- Atiqa Mir was fastest in qualifying, won both heat races and took the final in the OK-NJ junior category in Thessaloniki.
- She is only the third driver in Champions of the Future Academy history to win all four sessions in a single weekend.
- She is the first Indian and first Asian female selected for the F1 Academy’s “Discover Your Drive” development programme, one of only three girls globally.
Four Wins in Two Days
A Champions of the Future Academy round spans a full weekend. Drivers set the grid through qualifying, then compete in two heat races. Heat results decide starting positions for the final — the main race of the weekend.
Mir took pole with a 56.77-second lap. She won heat one. She won heat two. She won the final. No driver challenged her lead at any stage.
She races in the OK-NJ class, for drivers aged 11 to 14. Most of the grid carried more experience. This is her first season in the category.
Crash to Four Wins in 24 Hours
The day before this performance, Mir’s previous final had ended in a crash. She returned the next day and dominated every session.
Her father Asif Mir told The Daily Pioneer: “I was surprised by her pace, aggression and professional approach all weekend. She was very upset from Day 1 after the crash in the Final. I think that drove her to give such a commanding performance. A proud moment for Indian Motorsport.”
F1 Academy Pioneer
Mir is the first Indian and first Asian female racer ever selected for the Formula 1 Academy’s “Discover Your Drive” programme. She was one of only three girls chosen globally.
The backing provides technical and financial support, covering her COTFA campaign and extending to other competitions including the UAE national karting championship.
A Record-Building Career
The Greece win is the latest in a string of firsts.
In 2021, aged six, she became the youngest Indian female to win an FIA International Championship, taking the IAME Bambino National Day Cup.
In 2024, at nine, she became the first female racer ever to win the Rotax Challenge International Trophy — joining a winners’ list that includes F1 champion Max Verstappen.
In 2025, she became the first Indian female to compete in the World Series Karting (WSK) Championships. That same year, she posted the highest-ever COTFA qualifying finish for a female driver with fourth place, became the first Indian to finish in the top 10 of the Rotax Euro Trophy, and ended the season as the most successful Indian karter internationally in her category.
2026 So Far
In January 2026, Mir debuted in the higher OK-NJ class at a WSK event. She qualified second — the first Indian ever to do so in the category on debut. She is the only female competitor on a 37-driver grid.
June brought the weekend where she won all four sessions in Greece. She stood on the podium and heard India’s national anthem play, 11 years old and unbeaten across a full championship round.
Racing Roots
Her father Asif Mir was India’s first National Karting Champion in 2000 and later became Formula Asia Vice-Champion. Atiqa is the youngest driver from her region to join a professional development programme, having signed with UAE-based AKCEL GP Academy. Her family roots are in Jammu and Kashmir.
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