Ladies, start your engines as we spotlight Amna Al Qubaisi, the UAE’s first female F3 driver and the first Middle Eastern woman to participate in the motorsport test programme for Formula E in 2018. She inherited her love for car racing from her father, Khaled Al Qubaisi, the first Emirati to compete at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France, claiming two class podiums, and who played a significant role in Amna’s success by supporting and coaching her.
Amna took her first steps in the racing world at the age of 14, starting with karting and ranking up to compete regionally and internationally, representing the UAE and the Arab world. She was the first female Arab to participate in the Rotax Max Challenge Finals in 2014, the first female to win the GCC Drivers Academy Programme competition in 2017, she also won the Italian F4 in 2018.
It is not surprising that a woman breaking stereotypes and forcing her place in a male-dominated industry would face some bumps along the road, “It’s quite difficult to be a girl in the racing industry because I compete with men, and they are very aggressive on the track. They do not like a woman being ahead of them! I’ve been pushed out many times because of my gender, so it’s quite difficult, but when I get pushed, I push back and get the respect I deserve.” Amna mentioned in an interview with aeworld.
Amna’s ultimate goal is to compete in Formula 1, and with her confidence and persistence, we are optimistic that she will continue to climb the ladder to reach her dreams and have the time laps speak for her. The Emirati racer hopes to pave the way for other Arab women to follow their ambitions and to have more presence in the circuit.
