This month, in honour of the upcoming debut of the all-female F1 Academy, we are shining a light on some of the fantastic female drivers coming through the ranks at Larkhall Circuit. One of the rising stars we spoke to is Caitlin Seabrook, who is working hard towards achieving her dream of becoming an F1 driver.
Caitlin only started karting in January of last year but is already making a name for herself with her natural talent for racing. Starting out on indoor and outdoor tracks across Scotland, she quickly realised that she had both a love and a knack for the sport. “All the marshals seemed shocked to find out I had only just started karting. This boost of confidence gave me the incentive to work extremely hard to improve my driving skills,” she says.
With her Junior Rotax kart called Turbo, Caitlin is now progressing her motorsport career. Having recently joined racing team LMMotorsport, she is working hard towards achieving her dream of one day racing in Formula 1: “12 months ago I would never have thought I would be racing in Rotax, so I’m excited to see where these next 12 months will take me! In the future, I see myself as a professional driver, racing in F1 (hopefully with Lando Norris as my teammate).”
With her ambition of making it to Formula 1, Caitlin is part of a new generation of female racers who are aiming for the top level of motorsport. Despite feeling like it’s still a male dominated sport, she has no doubt in her mind that her place is in a kart. “It’s no secret that karting is dominated by males and females are a rarity. But that is changing and there is absolutely no reason why I can’t compete on a level playing field as a girl in motorsport. I would tell girls to follow their dream if they want to pick up karting, just like I did. I have received nothing but help and support on my journey, and I’m sure other girls would be welcomed into racing in the same way I have.”
Caitlin has now driven at circuits across the UK and Europe, so what is it that she finds so special about Larkhall Circuit? “I love the challenge of the circuit layout, as it really pushes me to learn every aspect of driving, not just how to drive fast in a straight line! The mix of fast and slow corners and changes of gradient really help me to develop my driving. I know if I can progress at Larkhall Circuit, then I can take that experience and confidence to any other track and do well.”
“For me, racing feels like an escape from reality. When I’m in my kart and my visor’s down, all the worries and stress in my head just disappears. That’s what I love about karting, it’s really a feeling like no other.”
