At just 25, Salva Marjan might become the first female F1 racer from the Indian state of Kerala. Born in Kozhikode, Marjan could soon be participating in the Formula 1 Academy organised by the Federation Internationale de l’automobile (FIA) in January 2025.
According to reports, Marjan mentioned that her fascination with racing began as a young child when she watched racing legends like Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.
“From an early age, I have been driven, self-confident, and fully dedicated to honing my skills and taking my career to new heights,” she said on her official website.
Marjan began her career as a F1 driver in 2017. She began competing with Formula LGB Racing in India (2018) -- a single seater, open wheel class in Indian racing. She then went on to participate in F4 Indian Championship in 2023 and the F4 UAE Championship in the same year, which was certified by the FIA.
It was Marjan’s performance that made her one of the top drivers in the F4 circuit in India. She completed 150 laps and succeeded in 119 of them.
However, none of this came easy to the racer, as she and her family faced their own set of hurdles.
According to the Indian daily newspaper, The Hindu, Marjan said, “My parents did not even know I was going through the training until I showed them the videos of me racing.” However, despite her family being supportive of her dreams, they faced backlash.
“They were lectured on how to bring up girls, how girls were not supposed to take up such risks or be so independent. But my parents never differentiated between me and my siblings based on our gender. Neither did they set any limits for me,” she added.
While Marjan continued to pursue her dreams, she realised how expensive the F4 training was and held back her dreams for a bit. That was until she began working several jobs and even became an entrepreneur to have more than enough savings, all the while continuing her training.
Marjan shares how motorsports can be challenging physically for both men and women. “Our body types, functions and energy levels are different. It makes a difference in the endurance capacity. Inside a racing car, the temperature is often 40 degrees Celsius. The breaking pressure required in curves is 60 to 100kg. One loses around 4kg of body weight during the races. A racer should have the same physique of a fighter pilot, including quick reflexes,” she said according to Indian business-focused daily newspaper, The Economic Times.
She is currently the brand ambassador for Next Level Racing, a brand that partially sponsors her training expenses. “Representing my country in formula racing is my ultimate goal, and I am determined to compete at the highest levels, from F4 and F3 to F2 and, eventually, F1,” she said on her official website.
“As a female athlete, I am particularly motivated to challenge the norms and make a significant impact in a field that has historically been male-dominated,” she added.
According to Marjan, if she qualifies from the F1 Academy, she will not have to worry about sponsorships as the FIA has a policy of supporting women racers.
The motorsport has four different levels, with F1 being the highest tier of formula racing, followed by F2, F3 and F4 which are the feeder series for F1. It(F1) is also known to have the fastest and most expensive cars, while F4 have the opposite.
