00:00We're all taking this risk before we get in the car every time.
00:07Anything happening at those high speeds will not be good.
00:11In my whole life, I've actually only raced against male drivers.
00:15I'd like to create my own path.
00:17My name is Shriya Lohia. I'm 16 years old.
00:20And I'm a professional Formula 4 driver.
00:30In Formula 4 cars, we are restricted to just a certain view.
00:43That's what, by definition, is tunnel vision,
00:46where you can only see a certain amount.
00:48And you have to work with that.
00:51That's where your very thorough vision comes into play.
00:54To look at your other competitors and see what else is on track
00:57and look in your mirrors.
00:59Making sure that we're able to process the right things at the right time.
01:04My experience, such a bigger run in that it just felt like my calling.
01:13I discovered my passion for racing.
01:15The moment I stepped into a go-kart, I was nine years old.
01:19I was having a lot of fun under the helmet and taking in every moment.
01:23It was just something that came so naturally to me
01:26when I first drove my few laps.
01:28It was like the universe was telling me this is meant for you
01:31and you're meant to do this for the rest of your life.
01:33It was Shriya's interest so we, at that time we started supporting her.
01:42She joined this professional academy.
01:44Shriya was the youngest racer at that time.
01:47She was the only main racer.
01:49After one or two months practice, she participated in the first championship.
01:55She came fourth.
01:58I felt the thrill of competition.
02:00I knew I wanted to be on the top step of the podium.
02:03Maintaining physical health in motorsports is quite important because you're racing at ridiculous speeds and there's a lot of impact on your body.
02:15Neck training is very important in motorsports because the G-forces you feel on your neck can impact you a lot during a race.
02:22Make sure they're quick and we're able to react to things on time on the racetrack.
02:27The steering wheel and the brake pedal can be quite heavy at times.
02:31So it's quite important to ensure you have good endurance in the car for such long durations with a lot of different weather conditions.
02:39Spend a bit of time on the simulator to get acclimatized to the tracks.
02:45You're allowed to experiment with the different types of cars that you want, the different types of weather conditions that you want.
02:51You kind of get an understanding of the racetrack as well as racing conditions before you actually get a drive on it.
03:00A racing simulator is very important.
03:04It helps you mentally and helps you maximize your potential on the racetrack, having already replayed it all in your head.
03:11There's a lot of people who still have a stereotype that women can't drive on the roads.
03:20Being the only female in a male sport, you're going to be scrutinized a lot.
03:23I've had lots of criticism throughout my career.
03:26To be a woman in this profession, it takes a lot of guts. It takes a lot of mental resilience.
03:31The best way for you to excel in what you're passionate about is to focus on what you need to do and not on what other people have to say.
03:38So that someday it'll be a normal thing. It'll all be equal.
03:45I had to spend a lot of time prioritizing my studies as much as I did my racing.
03:50Studies teach you so much that you can implement in racing, especially being a physics student.
03:55My mom is always helping me.
03:56I try to cover up her syllabus as much early as I can do so that she can be free throughout the year and she can concentrate on the racing.
04:07You can't ignore the studies. If racing didn't work in future, then you should have a backup plan.
04:12Quite important to pursue academics alongside sports.
04:15My family has done a lot for me. They're ready to sacrifice their schedule to come and help me out emotionally, mentally, physically or even at the racetrack.
04:26My sister, she's my best friend. Being an athlete herself for a few years, she knows what the pressure feels like.
04:32What it feels like to live up to your 100%.
04:37There's so many tough times you have to get through and sometimes you just can't do it alone.
04:42They're always there for me. If I ever need any mental support, it's been a great experience.
04:48My main goal is to get to Formula One someday.
04:51To show everyone that India can also be a country for motorsports.
04:55India can develop a great motorsport athlete.
05:03My favourite has been Michael Schumacher.
05:06For his resilience, for his fighting skills,
05:09for even his presence of mind and moments when things get tough.
05:14Just the way he kept pushing to the limit inspires me a lot.
05:17The ideal roadmap would be doing a season of European Formula 4, getting some good results.
05:28Move up to Formula 3, then 2 and then to my final step.
05:33My idea of success is making a name for a country, making a name for a family,
05:40inspiring a lot more people to take up the sport and inspiring people to follow their dreams.
05:45To get a few podiums in Formula One would obviously be great.
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