Trinec (Czech Republic): Atiqa Mir, the 10-year-old Indian racing sensation, added another first to her name by securing a creditable top-10 finish in the Rotax Euro Trophy, a major international karting series. The Akcel GP-backed driver Atiqa Mir finished ninth in the Rotax Euro Trophy Round 2 staged at Steel Ring Circuit over the weekend. 

Atiqa, the first Indian to get financial and technical support from Formula 1, had a strong qualifying, finishing seventh in her group. She had the misfortune of having two bumper penalties, but despite that, she finished in 10th place after the heats.

In the pre-finals on Sunday, the heavens opened up, and with no prior experience of driving in the wet on this track, Atiqa showed her exceptional natural talent and fought hard with the best drivers in the world. She qualified for the final and was 10th on the grid. The final was held in even more treacherous wet conditions, and Atiqa was in top form again. After dropping four places at the start, she fought back to finish ninth.

Atiqa ended as the highest-placed Indian and Asian in the highly competitive field.

Reflecting on the weekend, Atiqa said, "That was an amazing weekend, I learned so much driving with the best drivers in the world. I had a very good pace in the dry, and my progress in the wet was good.

"The team and my mechanic, Adam, did a really good job this week, and I’m thankful to them, my parents, and all the people back home,” she said.

The Rotax Euro Trophy (often called RMCET) is a major international karting championship for drivers who race using Rotax MAX engines, which are some of the most popular kart engines globally.

The Formula 1 drivers who have raced in this series in their formative years include reigning world champion Max Verstappen, George Russell, Lando Norris, and current championship leader Oscar Piastri. (IANS)