Hamda al-Qubaisi is Abu Dhabi-born driver who won three rounds of the 2020 UAE F4 championship.
After a short period of international karting in Rotax Max, she began her senior racing career in 2019, in Formula 4. She competed against her older sisterAmna al-Qubaisi in the last rounds of the Italian F4 championship at Red Bull Ring and Monza. Her best finish was 21st at Monza. Both sisters were driving for the Abu Dhabi Racing team.
She did better in the UAE F4 race that supported the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, qualifying third and finishing fifth in her first race, which Amna won. Hamda ran into problems in the second and was eleventh.
The GP support was a non-championship prelude to the UAE F4 series, which Hamda entered with the Abu Dhabi team. She was on the pace straight away, picking up pole position for the first race at Dubai Autodrome. She could not hold on to the lead on a wet track and finished sixth, although she fought back in Race 2 to second. The terrible weather was partly to blame for her DNF in Race 3 and the fourth race was cancelled due to track flooding.
She earned another two podiums at Yas Marina, both second places, although she was still not quite able to capitalise on her qualifying pace and suffered a couple of offs. She also admitted later that her race starts were not the best. The second Abu Dhabi round began with another pole position, but this weekend she managed to turn it into a win in the third race, after two more seconds She crossed the line for her victory ten seconds ahead of her nearest rival, set a fastest lap and an F4 track record.
A straight run of podiums at Dubai followed, then a four-race weekend bookended by two wins for the season finale, also at Dubai.
She was fourth in the championship.
Hamda intended to race in Europe for the rest of the 2020 season but the global coronavirus pandemic has put a stop to motorsport for the first half of the year at least.
Her father is Emirati sportscar racer, Khaled al-Qubaisi.
(Image from khaleejtimes.com)