Amna Al Qubaisi knows all about living her life in the fast lane. As the first Emirati female racing driver, Amna is here to inspire women to continue to pursue their dreams.
Can you talk us through your career so far?
I’m a Formula 3 driver working her way up to reach Formula 1. While I’m still only at the start of my career, I’ve claimed many achievements such as being the first female and Arab to win an FIA F4 race in 2019, the first female Arab to win the RMC in 2017, the GCC Drivers Programme, and The Dubai O Plate in 2019.
Where did your passion for racecar driving come from?
It comes from my father, Khaled Al Qubaisi, he was a racing driver himself and he started in 2019. I took inspiration when he would come home and invite drivers over for dinner and they would talk about racing and their favourite tracks so I wanted to take part and I started karting when I was 14.
How has your father inspired you and what advice has he given you for entering the sport?
He always taught me how to be calm and focused in this sport. At first, it was very hard for me to focus due to the fact I get distracted a lot.
There’s also a lot of physical aspects that go into racecar driving. Can you talk us
through this?
We have to work on our necks due to the strong G Force when turning in corners and work on our arms and abdomen as the car does not have any power steer available. And finally, our legs for the strong braking we have to input through our legs.
What does it feel like to have accomplished so much at such a young age?
It feels amazing but I know I can accomplish more. I have made many mistakes that prevented me from reaching my potential but it’s all part of the journey.
Women are definitely underrepresented in motorsports. How do you hope to change that?
I feel like due to the fact we don’t get the same advantages as our male competitors it’s pretty difficult to compete with that. So, I think we just need to spread awareness.
You’re a leader for women in this region. What do you hope others can take from your example?
I hope other women could take the fact that you should keep on persisting despite what other people say about you. I’ve come a long way and I can’t quit now when I put years of hard work in.
What do you hope for the future of women in the UAE?
I hope I get to see more women in a male-dominated field in general not just in sports and breaking that stereotype. We can and we will.
What have been the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome, to date?
I’ve always had to deal with judgment and people criticizing me to this day. It’s still something new to others and I hope in time it will fade away.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, what are the key milestones?
For sure winning races and the biggest one was F4 in 2019. That was like putting a full stop to those that doubted me.
This is ‘The Renegade Issue’ – how would you define this?
I wouldn’t say it’s rebelling but more standing up for ourselves and be heard. We’ve come a long way and it’s time to become what we have always wanted to be.
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