Indian racing prodigy Atiqa Mir produced a special recovery drive to finish sixth in the opening race on her FIA Karting World Championship debut at La Conca in Italy, on a weekend reported on 9 November 2026. The 11 year old, the first Indian to be backed by the Formula 1 Academy, competes in the 12-14 age category for Kart Republic.
Qualifying setback left her 83rd of 87
Atiqa suffered a heavy setback in qualifying, where two drivers who had crashed blocked her while rejoining the track and ruined her hot lap. She qualified 83rd out of 87 drivers, leaving her with a long recovery through the heats. The setback made her sixth place finish in Race 1 all the more remarkable, as overtaking through such a large field is rarely seen at this level of the championship.
Overtaking masterclass in the heats
In a recovery rarely seen in the championship, Atiqa made up 16 places in Race 1 to finish sixth, which was also the highest finish by an Indian this weekend. She then jumped 10 places in Race 2 and four places in Race 3, gaining 30 places across the three heats. She was up by an overall 43 places across the weekend and ranked 40th out of 87 drivers in a productive debut. Her P6 in Race 1 came in a world class field and underlined her reputation for giving more experienced drivers a run for their money.
Super Heat ends in a crash
In the Super Heat on Sunday, Atiqa started 14th on the grid and made up five places quickly before a crash dropped her down to 16th place in difficult weather conditions. The incident ended a weekend that had already delivered the headline result in Race 1.
A first for Indian karting
Atiqa is the first Indian to be backed by the Formula 1 Academy, and her debut at the FIA Karting World Championship marks a new step for Indian karting on the world stage. Her recovery from 83rd on the grid to sixth in Race 1 was the standout Indian performance of the weekend at La Conca.
