Even as the entire global motorsports community descends on Abu Dhabi this weekend to attend the Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit, two Emirati sisters are preparing to make history by being a part of the races. Sisters Amna and Hamda, daughters of the UAE’s international motorsports star Khaled Al Qubaisi, will be racing in the supporting F4UAE series on the sidelines of the F1 Grand Prix.
Following the footsteps of their father, who claimed a podium finish in the GTE-Am class at the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans, the girls started off with karting before graduating to more serious racing. Amna broke into single-seaters in 2018, becoming the first Emirati female racing driver to reach that level in the process. She also raced in the Italian F4 championship and followed that up by testing a Formula E car for Envision Virgin Racing in the days after the inaugural Ad Diriyah ePrix last year. The latter was a significant achievement as Amna was one of nine female racers to take part in the test which came just a few months after women were legally allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia. This year, the 19-year-old attempted to join the newly created W-Series, an all-female championship aimed at increasing participation in motorsport, and had second season in Italian F4.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Hamda is still in its early stages, having made two appearances alongside her sister in Italy this year. Both of them will race as teammates this weekend for the Abu Dhabi Racing team at Yas Marina Circuit.
You can read an exclusive interview with Amna Al Qubaisi here
