Tatiana Calderón has been walking the walk for a long time. She’s put in the work. And now, the Colombian motorsport driver seems stuck waiting for the world to catch up to her. Remezcla talked to Calderón about pushing herself as a woman in a sport some people don’t even consider a sport, proving that she can compete with men, and why it’s time for F1 to have a woman driver.
“In motorsport, we don’t have like a female division, it’s all united,” Calderón told us. “So, it’s even more clear that there’s been this lack of support for female athletes in general.” That has been slowly changing, as has Calderón’s approach to it. “Before I was this girl that was like very quietly doing what she loved doing, and being able to be in a way trailblazer in many series that I have had the pleasure of competing in. But I’ve now understood the importance of showcasing, just because otherwise the next generation is not coming through. Sometimes you have to see it to believe it.”
Calderón, who grew up with Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya as her idol, and didn’t have women she could look up to, is willing and ready to be that for the next generation.
“It’s [about] breaking those barriers that have been in our culture and in the way we’ve been told to do stuff. I remember when I was growing up in karting, and I went to the track with my dad and with my sister, the parents would tell the boys that they could not be beaten by a girl, that that shouldn’t be happening.”
That’s one of the reasons Calderón wrote her own book, La Niña Más Veloz que el Viento (The Girl Who is Faster Than the Wind), to try to change those stereotypes. “All the funds go directly to a foundation called Corporación Juego y Niñas, to build a program and teach girls and boys about the importance of just being able to do what you love, no matter your gender or where you are from.”
But Calderón still has to fight against a sport that doesn’t always seem to believe women can make it at the highest level. “I’ve been competing against the F1 drivers of today, like Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Daniil Kvyat, and Esteban Ocon. A lot of the people that have progressed through to Formula 1 I’ve competed against in Formula 3 or Formula 2. And I never thought that I could not compete when I was given the same opportunity.”
Then there’s also the fact that the female fanbase of Formula 1 has grown exponentially in the past few years. So, why don’t we have a woman driving in F1? Calderón believes it’s time.
“I honestly believe we have everything it takes, it’s just up to the people who make the decisions. They got to believe, really. A lot of people have asked me ‘When are we going to see a woman in Formula 1?’ And I’m like, no, ‘When is Formula 1 going to be ready to give women a chance?’ Because we’re ready. It’s just we need that shot.”
And Tatiana Calderón is more than ready.
