DOHA: Marit Stromoy (pictured right) of Team Azerbaijan is eager for her maiden win in the UIM F1 World Championship when action kicks off on the Corniche today.
The 33-year-old is the odd one among the group of drivers competing for the top prize here in Doha: she is the only female driver in the all-men field.
Team-mate Jonas Andersson is currently leading the drivers’ standings in the Championship.
Stromoy had a good performance in China this year, where she recored the best qualifying timing of her F1 career. She started the race from 7th position and defended the position during the race, but after about 35 laps her boat flipped. However, she is keen to have a decent result against her name in Qatar, a place where she made her Formula One debut in 2007 and has also featured in the President’s Cup in 2002.
“A lot of things have changed in Qatar over the years. When I first came to Qatar, I was the centre of attraction, being the only female driver in the competition, but now, people have got used to seeing me in action,” Stromoy told The Peninsula yesterday.
It will be also the first race where she will be competing after the death of her father, who passed away four weeks back.
“It is a strange feeling; he will not be there for me. He was my race manager till four weeks back.”
Stromoy, who is also the owner and team manager, owes her induction into the water sport racing career to her father who raced in different competitions from the 1960’s till the 1980’s.
Continuing the family tradition, she made her debut on the race course in 1989 and gradually pushed her way to the top into the Formula One racing.
Being the only female competition does not bestow upon her any privileges. “It’s a level playing field. I have got used to competing in the all-men field,” she added.
The singer at Wallmans Salonger, Copenhagen, Stromoy is unfazed by the attention she is getting for being the lone female driver on the race course and likes to be known more for racing then the tag of being ‘the only female competitor’. Besides her racing exploits, she is known in the racing circles as the ‘blonde girl who sings’.
“I love racing and earn my living as a singer. I have performed in 25 musical concerts this year at the different race circuits while competing in the F1, F2 and Endurance championships. Beside I have also done some 150 concerts in Denmark and Norway last year. This year, I have done some 100 odd concerts, away from the racing circuits,” she said.
She has reached the Norwegian final in Melodi Grand Prix twice and has worked with some well known names in the Scandinavian record industry such as A-ha, Lisa Nilsson, Tommy Körberg, Trine Rein and Jørn Hoel.
The Team Azerbaijan driver is lying in the twelfth position in the 24-driver field. For her, singing is one way of relaxing her tired body which goes through the daily routine of weight and fitness training, to cope with the demands of the racing circuit.
She counts on three things for success in the F1 races—physical fitness, mentally toughness and the craze factor. She has suffered a few accidents but that has not deterred her from shying away from the competition.
“Accidents are part of this sport. The safety measures are of the highest standards. Racing demands that the driver react quickly and remains alert all the time from start to finish, a second’s relaxation can result in an accident,” she said.
And, she has no retirement plans. “I have not given it (retirement) a thought. I am enjoying life, racing and singing.”
She is hoping that more girls join the F1 circuit.
“Yes, I am looking forward to more girls racing alongside with me in the competition,” she added.the peninsula
