Meet our very own Mika Abrahams is a 17-year-old racing driver from Johannesburg. His love for racing started from a surprising and unsuspecting place, an F1 Xbox game at a friend’s house. He later asked his dad how to become an F1 driver and his his dad took him to test a kart as any parent would believe in their child’s potential and obliviously the rest is history.
He started karting at age nine and by just his second year of racing had racked up 12 podiums an even raced in Italy, only being two years into his career. He made the move to car racing in the Danish F4 Championship at 14, the youngest ever in South Africa. This was the only championship in Europe that allowed drivers his age to compete and he won on his debut, which he described as life-changing, with offers flooding in from British, Spanish, and Italian F4 teams. Those countries saw his potential before South Africa did.
He is the youngest South African to win an F4 race on debut and the second youngest in the world to do so. He was also the first driver of colour to receive South Africa’s highest motorsport honour for single-seater racing, awarded at just 15 years old. During his 2023 F4 British Championship campaign, he made history as the first African driver to secure a double pole position in the series and that’s not DNA but RSA!
This year, Mika is competing in the Ligier European Series, a series of races across Europe under the F4 catergory. He started the season strong, finishing on the podium in both races at Catalunya, Spain, and then made history by becoming the first South African to win in the series at Paul Ricard in France.
What's your hot take on this story?
Mika’s ultimate goal is Formula 1, and he’s drawn a powerful parallel to Siya Kolisi saying that if he makes it to F1 as the first South African of colour, it would mean as much for communities across the country as Kolisi becoming the first Black Springbok captain.
We support and stand with you Mika!
