Salva Marjan could be the first female F1 racer from Kerala
The 25-year-old from rural Kozhikode has defied several odds to shine in the F4 circuits in India and the UAE
Salva Marjan
Nearly a decade ago, a schoolgirl from Perambra in rural Kozhikode was fascinated by racing drivers Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton and regularly had goosebumps watching the videos of rally driver Ken Block. She wanted to seek the thrill and trained for it. Come January 2025, that little girl could be the first woman from Kerala to participate in the Formula 1 Academy organised by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) .
At 25, Salva Marjan began her journey in formula racing with Formula LGB racing in India. She took part in the F4 Indian championship in 2023 and the F4 UAE championship the same year. She has completed 150 laps in F4 so far and succeeded in 119 of them. Having started her career only in 2018, her passion compensated for her inexperience making her one of the top drivers in the F4 circuit in India. She moved to the United Arab Emirates recently for better training and opportunities and is now preparing for the F1 Academy.
Salva is a self-made racer. The expense of the F4 training held her back from her dream for a long time. A business management graduate, she took several jobs and became an entrepreneur only to have enough savings to support herself as she trained.
“My parents did not even know I was going through the training until I showed them the videos of me racing,” she says.
Salva’s family, comprising her father Chembra Panachingal Kunjamu, mother Subaida and siblings Sahla, Sinan, and Sabith, has always been supportive of her. However, her parents had to face some backlash for allowing her to go after her dreams. “They were lectured on how to bring up girls, how girls were not supposed to take up such risks or be so independent. But my parents never differentiated between us based on our gender. Neither did they set any limits for me,” Salva says.
She says women need to put in double the effort to excel in motor sports compared to men. “Our body types, functions and energy levels are different. It makes a difference in the endurance capacity. Inside a racing car, the temperature is often 40°C. The breaking pressure required in curves is 60 to 100 kg. One loses around 4 kg of body weight during the races,” she says. “A racer should have the same physique of a fighter pilot, including quick reflexes,” she says.
Salva has encountered several setbacks since she started racing. “I have had some bad spins and a few crashes. I performed badly in some races. I thought about giving it up several times. But my passion did not let me. I learned from my experiences and corrected myself,” she says.
Salva is the brand ambassador for Next Level Racing, the brand that partially supports her training expenses. “If I qualify from the F1 Academy, I will not have to look back or worry about sponsorships as the FIA has a policy of supporting women racers,” she says, sharing her goal of representing India in the F1.
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