Too young for big things? Think again. Meet Arshi Gupta, the 9-year-old prodigy achieving what no racer in Asia ever has

Faridabad may not immediately spring to mind as a breeding ground for racing prodigies, yet for Arshi Gupta, geography has proved no obstacle.

At just nine years old, Arshi has carved her name into Indian motorsport history. She became the youngest national karting champion after clinching the 2025 Indian National Karting Championship in the Micro Max category (ages 8 to 11). In doing so, she also emerged as the only female karting champion in Asia in a mixed-gender format, a rare distinction in a sport where boys and girls compete on equal terms.

Karting, by design, offers no concessions. Drivers line up together, visors down, engines revving. Performance alone determines the result. In Arshi’s case, talent, combined with discipline, has spoken decisively.

A demanding routine behind the trophies

Her rise may appear swift, but the groundwork has been anything but effortless. As Arshi told TOI, “I wake up at 5 am, have breakfast, and I’m on the track from 8.30 am to 4 pm.”

Such hours are not occasional; they are routine. Before leaving for the UK to train, she intensified her schedule further. Her relatives told TOI that she maintained the demanding rhythm simply because she enjoyed the process.

Arshi began karting at the age of seven. Within two years, she was standing atop the national podium, her progress built on discipline, sacrifice and relentless preparation. During the 2025 national season, she secured multiple victories, including commanding performances in Chennai and Bengaluru, and excelled on neutral tracks where all drivers are given equal practice time.

“Neutral tracks bring out pure skill,” her father, Anchit Gupta, told TOI. “That’s where Arshi performed exceptionally well.”

Taking Indian karting global

Recognising the limitations of India’s relatively short racing calendar, the family sought international exposure to sharpen her competitive edge. Arshi trained intensively in the UAE for five months, immersing herself in a high-performance environment.

The decision bore fruit. She secured a third-place finish at the IAME UAE Championship, becoming the youngest Indian to stand on an international karting podium. She followed this with a fourth-place finish at the Asia Pacific Motorsports Championship in Sri Lanka, competing against older and more experienced drivers.

In the UK, too, she adapted quickly, steadily narrowing the gap to seasoned front-runners within weeks.

Inspired by Max Verstappen

Arshi draws inspiration from former Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen. As she told TOI, “He trains very hard, and he is really professional in the way he prepares for races.”

It is a standard she clearly seeks to emulate.

Balancing track and textbooks

Despite a punishing travel and training schedule, academics remain firmly in focus. “I study on flights after races or whenever I have time. My mum teaches me,” she told TOI.

Her efforts have not gone unnoticed. She has been awarded her school’s principal’s gold medal for excellence in academics and co-curricular achievements, a testament to her ability to balance sport and study.

Composure beyond her years

Perhaps most striking is her calmness under pressure. “I don’t get nervous. I just enjoy the sport and give my best,” she said, a mindset rare for a nine-year-old and invaluable in a discipline where fractions of a second determine victory.

With her selection to the F1 Academy programme, which will support her development through 2026, the road ahead appears promising. At nine, Arshi Gupta is not merely competing against drivers twice her age; she is racing against time, expectation and history.

And, for now, she remains comfortably ahead.