AASHI HANSPAL & SHRIYA LOHIA Prove Indian F4 Isn’t Just a Boy’s Club Anymore

June 20, 2025

by WINS // from www.abc.net.au

GRRL! SUMMARY:

Meet AASHI HANSPAL and SHRIYA LOHIA, two teenagers who went from Barbie dolls to burning rubber and proving that India’s racing scene is finally waking up to what we’ve been saying all along – talent doesn’t have a gender. HANSPAL was the only Indian girl selected for the FIA Girls on Track program in 2020, while LOHIA made history as India’s youngest and first female F4 driver at 16. Both have represented India internationally in a sport where women make up just 1.5% of licensed drivers worldwide.
These women aren’t just fast – they’re resilient as hell. HANSPAL came back from a major crash in late 2023 that broke her hand after her suspension failed at high speed, while LOHIA describes race day as entering a tunnel of pure focus. They’re dealing with the pressure of being the only girl in a field of 20 guys, navigating infrastructure that wasn’t built for them, and fighting for sponsorships in a country that still sees racing as a “leisure sport” rather than a legitimate career path.
Both credit their families for massive sacrifices and their schools for academic flexibility, but they’re not sugar-coating the challenges. From having nowhere to change into racing gear while guys strip down anywhere, to constantly hearing they need to “beat the boys or be like the boys,” they’re calling out a system that’s slowly improving but not fast enough. Their dreams? LOHIA wants to race Monaco in F1, while HANSPAL studies Max Verstappen’s ruthless gap-taking skills. For girls watching them now, HANSPAL’s advice is simple: give it a proper chance, even if you don’t like it at first.