Arshi Gupta: The Nine-Year-Old Prodigy Racing Into F1 Academy
While most children her age are engrossed in cartoons or playground games, Arshi Gupta discovered her passion for speed at the tender age of seven. By seven years, five months, and eighteen days, she had secured a racing license, earning a place in the India Book of Records and hinting at an extraordinary talent emerging from Faridabad's narrow lanes.
Early Signs of a Racing Phenom
"When she was young, maybe 3 or 4 years old, we noticed that she liked speed and she had decent control over it," revealed her father, Anchit Gupta, in an exclusive interview. "When she was with her toy cars or tricycles driving around our home, we noticed that she had good control, and she had speed that she loved."
That innate love for velocity has now propelled her onto one of motorsport's grandest platforms. Last week, Arshi, now nine, became the youngest driver ever selected for the F1 Academy's Discover Your Drive program. This global initiative is specifically designed to identify and nurture young female racing talent worldwide.
From Toy Cars to Professional Circuits
Long before professional karts and international circuits entered her life, Arshi's playground consisted of toy cars and tricycles. Anchit, a Formula 1 enthusiast who never pursued racing professionally himself, recognized something unique in his daughter's fearless approach.
His search for a legal venue where a child could drive led him to a modest karting track in Gurgaon. "She started going there every week, and she became one of the fastest on that track in that five-month period," he recalled.
The track owner, former Formula 4 racer Rohit Khanna, recommended she experience professional racing conditions. By late 2023, Arshi was gaining firsthand exposure with a proper racing team. "Rohit told me that he's taking his team for a testing programme to Bangalore, and he would like Arshi to join the team and just experience professional cars and see if she likes it or not. So that's how it started," her father explained.
Navigating India's Motorsport Vacuum
By conventional standards, India is not where Formula 1 dreams typically originate. The country lacks a grassroots development ladder, a dense racing calendar, and a thriving junior pipeline. This structural gap explains why India has yet to produce a top-level racer.
"The biggest challenge has been the fact that there really is no motorsports ecosystem in North India," Anchit stated frankly. "Even if you go to Bangalore, Chennai, the ecosystem is nothing compared to what we see in the UAE or in Europe or in the UK."
When Arshi commenced training, India possessed only one professional karting track. Traveling from Delhi to Bangalore for practice felt as cumbersome as flying to the Middle East, prompting the family to choose the latter option.
International Training and Triumphs
Between October 2024 and February 2025, Arshi was based in the UAE, competing in the IAME Series and Rotax Max Challenge. She secured her first podium in January 2025 and consistently placed in the top ten against experienced international competitors.
"That gave us confidence," Anchit noted. "So we spoke to different people in the industry, and we were informed that training in the UK is the best. The UK has some of the best drivers in the world."
Seven weeks of intensive training in Britain followed, after which she returned to India to participate in the National Karting Championship. She emerged victorious, becoming the only female national karting champion in Asia and the youngest champion across both boys and girls categories.
The F1 Academy Breakthrough
In January 2026, Arshi's racing credentials were submitted to the F1 Academy selection panel. This highly competitive process, segmented by age categories, supports only a select few girls globally each year.
"She was selected," Anchit declared with evident pride. "Being part of the Formula One Academy driver programme, it is going to give her the right platform and the right guidance."
Notably, she stands as the sole Indian karting license holder in her cohort. Through the Discover Your Drive program, Arshi will receive support in the British Champions of the Future Academy program, racing across four rounds in the UK against some of the world's strongest junior drivers.
Balancing Racing with Childhood
The glamour of motorsport often obscures the relentless grind. For Arshi, childhood has become a whirlwind of airports, highways, and homework squeezed between racing laps.
"There’s a lot of struggle in terms of travel, late nights, early morning flights," Anchit acknowledged. "But that has not deterred her at all."
According to her father, she would race on weekends, endure five-hour drives to the next circuit, consume meals in transit, and sleep in the back of the car. "She would be eating whatever she can get in the car, sleeping in the back of the car and doing her studies," he described. "She’s an A-plus student. She would study on the flight, she would study on the track, but we’ve never seen her complain."
Ironically, her only grievance arises when she is not racing. "If you are in India and we’re not taking her to the track anywhere, that is a complaint for her," Anchit chuckled. "She says, 'Why are we not on track?'"
Family and Institutional Support
Behind Arshi's meteoric rise is a close-knit family unit. Anchit works in renewable energy investments, while her mother, Deepti Gupta, is a medical doctor. Her younger sister completes the family quartet.
Her school, DPS Faridabad, has flexibly adjusted schedules and examinations around her extensive travels. "We’ve been very clear with her that you cannot compromise on your studies," Anchit emphasized. "She has learned to prioritise and manage time."
A Testament to Talent and Tenacity
Arshi Gupta's ascent is more than a heartwarming narrative; it serves as a pointed critique of Indian motorsport's structural deficiencies. Her journey necessitated relocating to the UAE and UK, competing internationally, and cultivating a global network before reaching ten years of age.
Yet, as she prepares to race in Britain this year, backed by the F1 Academy and competing against the world's premier junior drivers, her story powerfully illustrates what Indian talent can accomplish when provided with appropriate support and opportunities. Her path underscores the potential waiting to be unlocked within India's young sporting aspirants.
