Viterbo, July 16 -- India's 11-year-old racing prodigy Atiqa Mir gave another compelling example of her precocious talent by outqualifying two Mercedes F1 junior drivers for pole position in the Champions of the Future Academy Program Round 3 here.

Despite no testing on a rather technical Leopard Circuit, Atiqa, the first Indian to be backed by the Formula 1 Academy, set a sizzling pace in the qualifying of the karting series, according to a press release.

She beat established Mercedes F1 Junior drivers like Niccolo Perico of Italy and Devin Titz of Germany for pole position, besides setting an event record, earning the plaudits from one and all in the paddock.

Atiqa's special performance in qualifying came after she swept Round 2 of t...