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Abu Dhabi: In an effort to encourage female drivers, UAE’s Hamda Al-Qubaisi has been selected to take part in the Formula 3 test at Magny-Cours, France, on September 16.
As part of a campaign offering women to compete in FIA single-seaters, 20-year-old Formula 4 and regional driver Al-Qubaisi will do a full day of testing to introduce her to the cars and different setups in the F3 category.
The Emirati racer made her first podium finish in the 2021 Italian Formula 4 Championship, becoming the first and only woman to do so.
Al-Qubaisi said: “I am delighted to have been invited by the FIA F3 promoters to take part in this high-profile test. It is a recognition of female drivers, it is a very strong message and I would personally like to thank Bruno Michel for giving me this opportunity.
“It means a lot to be recognized for my efforts and achievements in motorsport and to be given the opportunity to test this amazing machine,” she added. “It’s a natural progression of my career and if all goes well, I’m eager to win this title next season.
“More importantly, I’m looking forward to experiencing and feeling the car, which has more power and downforce than the car I’m currently racing. I’ve been working hard on my fitness to handle the extra g-confidence , I can handle it well.”
Al-Qubaisi is considered an outstanding global talent. She comes from a racing family that includes her father Khaled, an accomplished and respected figure in UAE motorsport, and sister Amna, who competes in Formula 3 and is part of the championship PREMA team. The trio represented the Abu Dhabi team in this year’s Formula Asia Championship.
“I am very happy that a lot of women in the UAE have been asking me about racing,” said Al-Qubaisi. “I want to continue to inspire young women everywhere and set a positive example for them. If you’re determined, focused and focused on something, you can really do it.”
Starting in karts, she moved to single-seater racing in 2019, with podium finishes in 2020 and 2021. In addition, she has two successes in the F4 Emirates Championship with six wins (the most of any women in global F4) and multiple pole positions to her name, in addition to two wins in the series 4th place.
Bruno Michel, chief executive of FIA Formula 3, said: “It is very important to us to ensure that more and more women drivers join our championships. Diversity is one of our main discussions about the future of motorsport Last year, we launched these dedicated F3 tests with Nerea Marti, Doriane Pin, Irina Sidorkova and Maya Weug, and they all said how beneficial the one-day test was for them to understand the demands of our championship. This year we have selected four New riders, because we’re not only keeping a close eye on the W-Series, but also female riders in other categories.
“The purpose of this test is not to compare their performances, but to give them the opportunity to understand all aspects of what is required of an F3 driver so that they can be ready for the challenge as they advance to our championship, hopefully in the near future.”
Khaled Al-Qubaisi, daughter’s manager, said: “Hamda has a bright future in motorsport. I am very proud that my daughter is an Emirati female driver who races professionally and provides women in the region Inspiration. With Hamda racing at this level, she is taking the family’s racing heritage to the next level. It’s an incredibly positive message from the UAE, the region and the Arab countries. I truly believe Ha Muda is becoming a strong role model for a new generation of racing drivers.”
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