Hyderabad: Meeting your favourite Bollywood star is a dream for many, and 11-year-old karting sensation Atiqa Asif Mir got to live that dream. The young racer met Bollywood superstar Salman Khan at his Galaxy Apartments residence in Mumbai, where he congratulated her on becoming the first Indian and Asian female racer to be selected for the Formula 1 Academy’s prestigious Discover Your Drive programme.
Sharing pictures from the meeting on Instagram, Atiqa wrote, “Thrilled to meet @beingsalmankhan today. It was so exciting and so much fun. Thank you for all your encouraging words of support. Gives me so much motivation to work even harder and bring laurels to the country 🇮🇳.”
Who is Atiqa Asif Mir?
Raised in Dubai, Atiqa Asif Mir is an 11-year-old karting prodigy from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, and one of India’s brightest young motorsport talents. She is the daughter of former Formula Asia Vice Champion and India’s first National Karting Champion, Asif Nazir Mir. Currently training in Dubai under the guidance of Narain Karthikeyan, Atiqa has already become one of the world’s highest-ranked female kart racers.
The youngster has created history by becoming the first Indian and Asian female racer selected for the Formula 1 Academy’s Discover Your Drive programme and the first Asian female to be signed by the F1 Academy. Among her biggest achievements are winning the Rotax Max Challenge International Trophy at Le Mans, becoming the first Indian and Asian female to qualify for the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals, and recording the highest-ever finish by an Indian driver in the WSK Euro Series with a runner-up finish.
She also made headlines in Greece after completing a rare clean sweep by taking pole position and winning every race during a round of the Champions of the Future Academy Program.
