Abu Dhabi- Indian racing prodigy Atiqa Mir stormed to a historic pole position before finishing third on the podium in the opening round of the Formula 1 Academy backed COTFA UAE karting series here.

The 10-year-old is the first Indian to be supported by Formula 1. Already part of the Champions of the Future Academy (COTFA) international series, Atiqa last month was picked by Formula 1 Academy for the two-round COTFA UAE championship.

With more eyeballs on this championship, there was additional pressure to deliver and Atiqa did not disappoint.

She clinched the pole position, becoming the first-ever female in the world to achieve this feat in COTFA mini class before adding a Heat win to a successful weekend.

She capped off a memorable week by finishing third in the final.

Atiqa was coming into the weekend after a stellar October when she secured multiple podiums across championships including a race win at the RMC Championship.

“It was a great weekend for me speed wise, I got pole in qualifying. I wanted the win in the final but came away with 3rd, I will learn from this weekend and try and improve,” said the fast learning racer from Jammu and Kashmir.

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