A decade on from when she first launched her career in motorsport, beginning in karting before moving up to single-seaters, Emirati racer Amna Al Qubaisi is proud of the pioneering role she has played for Arab women in the sport.
The 24-year-old driver, who wrapped up her second and final season in F1 Academy by scoring points in one of the three races staged at Yas Marina Circuit last weekend, admits she almost walked away from the sport when she was younger, discouraged by the lack of female participation.
Al Qubaisi kept at it though, and spent the last two years competing for MP Motorsport in the female-only series founded by Formula One.
“I’m very proud with how I just kept on persisting,” Al Qubaisi told The National during the final stop of F1 Academy in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
“There were a couple of times that I didn’t want to be in the sport, that I started to hate the sport, because I was the only girl and I never really liked being around boys.
“But now, seeing how it progressed and seeing a lot of girls coming together and racing together, and women being, not just racing drivers but a part of motorsport, it really is an eye-opener, and it’s something that I’m forever going to be happy about and I really hope it just gets better and better.”
There are many obstacles a woman can face in a male-dominated environment and for Al Qubaisi, one thing she struggled with early on was feeling like she wasn’t being heard.
“When I had to express my opinion, it was very difficult to speak with engineers, as they would always listen to the male drivers that were my teammates, rather than me,” she recalled.
“So they never really took me seriously and they would always take feedback from my teammates. I think now with F1 Academy, they’re taking the girls very serious, they’re taking the championship very serious, and we’re proving to them that we are capable.”
After finishing the championship in sixth in 2023, Al Qubaisi had a tougher time on the track in 2024, which she ended in 15th place in the standings.
Thanks to a deal she inked with Red Bull’s academy programme this year, Al Qubaisi was running the Visa Cash App RB livery on her car throughout this campaign and had access to the team’s facilities at Milton Keynes in England.
“They kept me busy with racing simulator back in Milton Keynes, with media, a lot of media exposure from them, as well as the training programme they provided. So they really kept me busy this year. And it’s going to be a bit weird not feeling that busyness again,” she admits.
F1 Academy drivers must be between the ages of 16 and 25, and cannot compete in the series for more than two seasons.
Al Qubaisi has hit her two-season limit and has yet to figure out where she’ll be racing next year.
She believes F1 Academy is a “good stepping stone” for women drivers to transition into higher mixed-gender categories but laments the fact the opportunity is only open to participants for two years.
“What they have done so far is for sure provide the opportunity for us to race in extraordinary tracks, to be represented by a Formula One team, like with me, Visa Cash App RB, and the media exposure that we have,” said Al Qubaisi.
“It’s really helping us shape ourselves, shape our image, and try to find sponsors that way. It’s really going to build us as racing drivers.
“But I think the two-year rule is kind of limiting some drivers who already have the experience and the talent.
“Most of them that I spoke to they are telling me next year they’re not sure what they’re doing. So that’s one limiting factor that I think needs to have a solution.
“Always the focus is on younger female drivers, which should never be the case. They should also focus on drivers who already have the experience, who have the track time, to also focus on them and try to help them reach places in motorsport.”
This year, it was announced that the F1 Academy champion, Abbi Pulling, will receive a fully funded seat in the 2025 season of GB3 Championship.
Other graduates have not been afforded similar opportunities though.
“I’m just working really hard trying to find sponsors and the budget and hopefully maybe something [materialises] next year,” said Al Qubaisi about her future plans.
Reflecting on her challenging 2024, Al Qubaisi acknowledges she faced a lot of trouble with her car but never gave up on trying to gain positions at every race.
“The biggest takeaways is trying to learn from the losses,” she says. “There was a lot of bad luck for me throughout this season, and trying to always make up positions and trying to finish in the points.
“Sometimes I get pushed out, sometimes I get penalties, so for me this season is just to overcome that bad luck, do my very best, and for sure take full advantage of all the support from Red Bull and Visa Cash App RB.”
A silver lining for Al Qubaisi is that she got to bid farewell to F1 Academy at her home track, where she managed to score points with a P8 finish in Race 1.
“It’s something that I’ll forever cherish,” she says. “It’s a season that I’ve really met a lot of people and I was introduced to Formula One teams, I was getting close to everyone. And leaving it is going to be a bit heartbreaking, but for sure I would love to come around and see how the other girls are doing, and yeah, maybe a wildcard driver, who knows?”
Al Qubaisi’s younger sister Hamda, who was supported by Red Bull Racing during this campaign, finished the championship in P5, and secured two podiums from three races at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
