Formula 1 Academy on Friday widened its scope of support for Indian racing prodigy Atiqa Mir by picking the 10-year-old for the newly launched Champions of the Future Academy Program (COTFA) UAE.
Atiqa will get the F1 Academy backing for the two-round national karting championship in the UAE, over and above the support she is getting for other competitions including the international COTFA series through the Discover Your Drive (DYD) programme.
Having won a race in the RMC Championship earlier this month, Atiqa is currently competing in the MENA Nations Cup in Qatar. She is the first Indian to be technically and financially supported by Formula 1.
"Since its launch in 2023, COTFA has made significant strides in increasing female participation, with the percentage of female drivers on the grid rising from 5 percent in its inaugural year to an impressive 30 percent in 2025, an incredible leap that reflects the growing impact that COTFA and F1 ACADEMY are having on the future female talent pool," said the F1 Academy in a statement.
COTFA has introduced two new national initiatives in the UAE and Britain with Atiqa selected for the former in the age 8-11 category. The opening UAE round will take place from November 7-9.
"It's incredible to see how quickly the level of female talent in this championship has risen. With everyone on the same specification equipment and a capped budget, it gives us a real sense of who stands out on merit alone," said former racer and F1 Academy Managing Director Susie Wolff.
"We're now extending our support to up to twenty-seven drivers across the international and new UAE and British series - reinforcing our commitment to growing the talent pool," she added.