Sarno (Italy), February 9 Indian racing sensation Atiqa Mir excelled in challenging conditions, jumping as many as 16 places from the back of a world-class grid to finish a creditable 16th in a thrilling Round 2 of the WSK Super Master Series held at the famous Circuit di Napoli here.
The 11-year-old, making her second appearance in the junior category (age 12-14), demonstrated impressive speed and maturity beyond her age in qualifying, setting the sixth fastest time in treacherous wet conditions.
What made her qualifying effort special was that this was her first time ever driving in wet conditions in the junior class, and that too on one of the toughest and fastest tracks in the world.
This was a remarkable display of Atiqa's rare talent, following in the footsteps of her role model and four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen, who is known for his dazzling speed in wet conditions. It is worth noting that Atiqa is the first Indian to be supported by the F1 Academy.
The qualifying performance was the highlight of the weekend, as the races proved to be challenging, with Atiqa enduring two DNFs and four penalties that led to the loss of valuable points for the finals.
However, Atiqa put all the setbacks behind her to make the most of the opportunity in the finals. Starting in a lowly 32nd position out of a field of 42 world-class drivers, she stormed through the field with remarkable aggression and precision, gaining as many as 16 places to finish 16th. A post-race penalty saw her drop to 18th in the final classification.
Speaking after an exhilarating weekend, Atiqa said: "That felt amazing. I enjoyed the Final and gave it my all. I wish I had started higher so I could have mixed it up at the front.
"But I've learned a lot this weekend, especially driving in the wet and cold conditions. It's so slippery driving at 130kmph. The team (Modena) has been flawless as always. I look forward to a clean weekend. Big thanks to my sponsors RAISE for supporting me."
Atiqa's father, Asif Mir, a former National Karting champion, felt that the final result did not reflect the actual gains made during the week.
"Atiqa showed a lot of brilliance this weekend, even though the results don't reflect that. The performance in the wet conditions is encouraging for the future. That Final was entertaining, watching her tear through the field in only her second weekend was special," he said.