16-Year-Old Shriya Lohia is Driving Towards Her Dream by Becoming India's Youngest Female F4 Driver

In India, where the legal driving age is 18 years, this girl became a Formula 4 racer at the age of 16. Don’t get that wrong, the legal age for becoming a F4 driver is 15 years because it is driven in closed circuits. The point is that 16 is still a tender age for someone to achieve this remarkable feat. Shriya Lohia, a young and ambitious girl from Himachal Pradesh is the youngest female F4 racer from India. Sharing her excitement with Local Samosa on this stupendous achievement, Shriya says, "It feels extremely proud to add another “first” to the list of my achievements after years of hardships and hard work."

At just nine years old, Shriya experienced her first go-karting session—a moment that would change her life forever. "It was just something I tried, and I really ended up liking it, and I decided, I want to do this for the rest of my life," she recalls with excitement. That single ride ignited a passion that would drive her journey from recreational karting to professional racing.

With no prior knowledge of motorsports in her family, Shriya and her father embarked on a learning journey together. They discovered training academies and participated in programs, and within months, The young girl was competing in her first championship at barely 10 years old. She trained with the international karting team Birel ART before joining the Indian team M Sport, gradually building her skills and reputation in the racing world.

Defying Odds in a Male-Dominated Sport

Breaking into motorsports in India posed unique challenges for young racers. "Motorsports can be quite expensive," she explains, highlighting the financial hurdles her family faced without a substantial budget. However, one of the most striking parts was her position as one of the female drivers in a male-dominated sport. "When I just joined, I was quite young and the only female. I didn't see a lot of females around," the 16-year-old shares. Despite all the odds, Shriya started preparing for her dream. For her, the transition to F4 came after years of honing her skills in karting as there was no proper infrastructure in Himachal Pradesh for racing she often had to travel to other states just to practise and polish her skills. 

Now racing with Hyderabad Blackbirds in Formula 4, she dedicates approximately 80% of her time to the sport, balancing physical training, mental preparation, and track study with her education. "In motorsports, it's actually a combination of a lot of different types of fitness," Lohia explains. Her regimen includes cardio for endurance, weight training for handling heavy brake pedals and steering wheels, and specialised neck exercises to withstand the G-forces experienced during races. Beyond physical preparation, she works on reflex training and maintaining mental clarity under pressure.

Getting Sponsors in India for Motor Sports is Almost Impossible...

“Once you clear all these hurdles and are ready to step into the professional world, it's almost impossible to find sponsors for your racing career because they're either committed to cricket or they don't see the point," she explains. This reality makes her achievements even more impressive, as she has secured support from JK Tires, Hyderabad Blackbirds, and Virtual Racing Hub, which provided her with a customised simulator.

Among her most treasured achievements are performing in a racing show in Srinagar that earned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appreciation and receiving the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar award directly from him – "a big honour for us and for motorsports," she says proudly. Apart from this, Shriya has a vast gallery of awards and accolades where she was 3rd overall in Meritus Cup 2022 - Open, the only woman selected in JK Tyre Motorsports Scholarship Program, 1st place in Rotax Max Karting Championship India Round 2, the first woman in India to win in Rotax Max Karting Championship and many more. 

Looking ahead, Shriya's dreams remain ambitious. "My main goal obviously is to hopefully someday be able to race in Formula One," she shares. She also hopes to explore various disciplines within motorsports while continuing to climb the formula ladder and represent India at the highest levels of racing.

From training primarily in South India's racing circuits to competing internationally, Shriya's journey represents not just a personal triumph but a path-breaking example for young Indian women in motorsports. She carries the weight of her family's sacrifices and her country's hopes as she races toward her dreams, one circuit at a time.