talking about the FUTURE with RACER KAREEN KAUR

The average Singapore teenager would probably be fretting over impending national exams, but Kaur isn't like most teenagers.

- LUCY LAURON

At 15, she’s already clocking speeds on racetracks that most adults can only dream of. Besides multiple podium finishes at international karting competitions, she’s currently Singapore's fastest female driver in the senior category as well as our nation’s first female driver to race in Formula 4, or F4. In fact, her debut race in the entry-level open-wheel racing series will take place this month in India. Now what are her plans as she strives for Formula 1, or F1 - the pinnacle of motorsport racing that has seen only five female drivers in its history, the last of whom qualified in 1976? Gear up for her first fashion feature ahead!

HI, KAREEN! MOST GIRLS YOUR AGE WOULD BE FOCUSING ON THEIR GCE O LEVELS. HOW DID MOTORSPORT BECOME SUCH A BIG PART OF YOUR LIFE?

"Racing has been a part of my life since I was nine. I discovered my love of speed when I was trying out fun karts at the now-defunct The Karting Arena with my father. There, I was noticed and signed by a now-defunct Italian racing team. This probably happened because I had beaten some of the adults who were also racing on site. There was no turning back after that. It has taken me years of hard work to get to where I am now, but I've never wavered under pressure or given up in disappointment simply because I'm passionate about racing."

DO YOU SEE F1 RACING AS A CAREER IN THE LONG RUN?

"Absolutely. Being able to race in F1 is my ultimate dream and a long-term goal. At the same time, I'm very realistic. My ambition is to have a successful professional career in top-tier motorsport. Right now, that means focusing entirely on doing well in F4, then proving myself in the successive tiers that lead up to F1, which means Formula 3 and then Formula 2. My focus is on being in the present with a clear goal to the top."