WION Exclusive: 'Becoming the first female on the Indian F4 podium was really special,' says Australian teen racer Annabel Kennedy

At first glance, Annabel Kennedy carries a softness, an almost understated calm. Dressed in a black Sparco fireproof top, her posture is composed, her expression steady. But her eyes tell a different story. There’s a spark in them, a focused intensity that reveals the competitor within. It is the look of someone who knows she belongs in the cockpit of a race car, someone who is quietly rewriting expectations before she’s even finished high school.

Only 16, the Queensland-born racer is already carving out a place in motorsport history. In 2025, she became the first woman to step onto the Indian F4 podium, marking a milestone not only for her but for every girl who has ever imagined herself behind the wheel. This breakout season follows a decorated karting career in Australia, a national title, and representing her country in Europe, an ascent powered less by noise and more by sheer, disciplined fire.

Racing with purpose

Annabel’s journey began when she was 11, after a day at a hire-kart track in Brisbane. She was scared at first, she admits, but speed has a way of revealing a person’s truest self. As she got faster, she found something exhilarating, something she wanted to chase. What stands out about Annabel is her clarity. She understands the sport’s demands and meets them head-on. Whether it’s the heat and humidity of India (“You just have to suck it up”) or the precision of feedback loops with her engineers, she approaches everything with maturity and poise.

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She’s also witnessing, and becoming a part of, a shift in the sport. Across Australia, Europe, and now India, she’s seen more women on the grid, more support systems forming, and more young girls daring to enter the paddock with dreams as big as any boy’s. “I’ve been racing with more females than ever,” she said while speaking exclusively to WION during 28th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship. “It’s giving girls confidence because there’s so much more support now.” For someone who already mentors younger girls back home, the idea of one day opening an academy doesn’t seem far-fetched. “Maybe in the future,” she says, “I’d love to help more girls get into motorsport.”

Eyes on the apex, eyes on the future

Her routines are surprisingly grounded. Before a race, she listens to house music to channel her focus. Lately, she’s taken to doing word searches, something simple that keeps her present and stops the overthinking that can crowd a driver’s mind before a high-stakes session. When asked what a “perfect lap” means to her, Annabel doesn’t hesitate:
“Being fast with no mistakes. Everything comes together when you do that.”

Her immediate goal is clear: earning a place in the F1 Academy, the global platform dedicated to developing female racing talent. And beyond that? Her dream is Formula 1, but her love for racing is big enough to embrace any path that keeps her on the grid. Among her growing collection of memories, one stands above the rest: Chennai, Round Two of the Indian F4 Championship. Race One. Third place. A podium that no woman had ever taken before her. “It was really special,” she says. Special because it was early in her Formula career, and special because she did something historic.

Annabel Kennedy may speak softly, but her trajectory is anything but. Behind her calm exterior is a racer who knows exactly what she wants, and is driving straight toward it with unshakeable focus.