NEED FOR SPEED: South African teen has Formula 1 seat in her sights

When Gianna Pascoal first climbed into a racing kart at 11-years-old, many of the drivers she would eventually come up against had already spent years behind the wheel honing their skills. She had a lot of catching up to do.

But with a passion for the sport and a strong support system behind her, Pascoal was determined to close the gap. “They’d all been racing for eight years when I joined. I’d been racing for eight weeks at that point,” she said.

Five years later, the South African teenager has risen from a newcomer at her local karting circuit to one of the country’s most promising young motorsport talents. The 16-year-old is now taking the next step as she transitions from karting into Formula 4 (F4) racing, with the ultimate ambition of reaching Formula 1.

But Pascoal’s journey into motorsport did not begin with a lifelong obsession with racing. In fact, she was a competitive diver and looking to qualify for the Junior Olympics. However, in February 2021, Pascoal’s father had taken her to the Formula K track in Benoni after he had gone with her cousins and was instantly hooked. Unlike her father, Pascoal’s love of the sport was not instant, but she kept returning because she enjoyed spending time with him.

“I know I’m meant to say I really loved the sport straight away, but I didn’t,” she said. “I enjoyed spending time with my dad. But as we started going to the track more and more, I started to feel that need for speed and I just found my passion for it.”

Just three months later, Pascoal entered her first race.

Rapid ascent

Trained and coached by four-time world karting champion Wesleigh Orr through Worr Motorsport, Pascoal quickly established herself as a frontrunner in ROK and Rotax karting championships, before moving into international competition.

She has represented South Africa internationally, become the first South African woman driver selected for the FIA Karting Academy senior category and earned a place in the prestigious More than Equal Driver Development Programme. Yet of all her achievements, it is the speed of her progression that makes her most proud, and her support system has been central in making it happen.

Alongside Orr, Pascoal’s parents Lisa and Jony have supported her in balancing online school with the demands of elite racing, which included getting that valuable initial seat time. “My dad used to take me to the track five days a week and I used to set 150 laps a day,” said Pascoal. “And they had to be really, really good laps in a kart and that’s how I caught up so quickly.”

With karting having laid the foundation, the natural next step was transitioning to single-seater racing, starting with F4. Recently, Pascoal has joined the Investchem MSA4 Series, a branch of single-seater formula racing in SA that is considered to be the first major leap from karts to cars.

“Karting is the start of it all,” said Pascoal. “It’s where you learn the basics of driving; it’s where you learn how to press a brake, how to accelerate, how to take the corner properly, what an apex is.”

F4, on the other hand, introduces a new level of complexity, requiring greater control and a more detailed understanding of engine and race data.

In switching to the single-seater, Pascoal found the clutch and gears to be the most trying adjustments. “I’m 16. I don’t drive a road car,” she laughed. “So the first time I was in that car, I was like, what the heck? Can someone please teach me how to use this clutch?”

Despite the initial obstacles, climbing into the cockpit with the seat moulded to her body and hearing the engine rev for the first time remain the most exhilarating experiences, said Pascoal.

More than Equal

Helping Pascoal to navigate the transition has been the More than Equal Driver Development Programme, of which Pascoal is one of six drivers globally to have been selected.

More than Equal is a global non-profit initiative focused on finding and developing female talent that could one day produce the first woman F1 champion. It was cofounded by former F1 driver David Coulthard, and is also the official driver performance and research partner for the F1 Academy. In short, this is about as significant a step as Pascoal could take on the road to F1.

The programme includes physical assessment camps every three months in Manchester, simulator sessions and driving programmes across Europe. “It’s just to make sure that every single time we go out on track, we are improving,” said Pascoal. “We’re not just focusing on getting a faster lap time. We’re focusing on how we improve that lap time.”

In her pursuit of that lucrative F1 seat, Pascoal’s next goal is to compete in the F4 circuit as well as secure a spot in the F1 Academy, the all-women racing series established to help develop young women drivers for higher levels of motorsport. It is currently run by Susie Wolff, a former professional racing driver and wife of Toto Wolff, team principal of F1 team Mercedes.

“What Susie Wolff has done in the F1 Academy is such a great thing because everyone can see the talent that these women actually have, and the exposure that they’re getting for their talented driving is incredible,” said Pascoal.

Although men and women compete together throughout much of motorsport, women remain significantly underrepresented at the highest levels of the sport. Lella Lombardi remains the last woman to start and compete in an F1 race, in 1976.

“The F1 Academy and the More than Equal programme are trying to create these opportunities for women drivers because at the end of the day, Formula 1 is open to men and women, but we’re only seeing men,” said Pascoal.

Flying the flag high for South Africa, creating space for women in motorsport and mastering gears and a clutch before she can even get her driver’s licence may seem like a lot for a 16-year-old, but with her drive and passion, Pascoal is well equipped for the challenge. DM

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