Tatiana Calderón doesn’t know what it means to give up.
Accustomed to paddling against the tide in a sport historically dominated by men, the pilot from Bogotá has broken barriers with each acceleration.
This year, after being the first woman to reach a podium in British Formula 3, the first woman to participate in Formula 2, the first woman to compete in Japanese Super Formula and the first Latin American to drive a Formula 1, became the first woman to race in IndyCar regularly since 2013.
However, in the midst of the feat, his season as a debutant in the highest category of North American motorsports has been cut short for a month due to a delay in payments from ROKiT, his sponsor, to AJ Foyt, his team.
Due to this impasse, Calderón has missed three races that represented the ideal opportunity to continue demonstrating his abilities.
Even so, do not lose faith and is doing everything possible to be back in its natural habitat: the tracks.
This is how he tells EL TIEMPO in an intimate chat.
A question that is far from being protocol: how is he?
I am experiencing a very unusual situation. My primary sponsor is behind on payments and I’m going to miss the races until I get another one, in the middle of the season, which is very difficult, or until the company falls behind. It is a desperate wait… we are looking for support for the last two races of this year. I don’t lose hope of finding something, because I believe that the last Grands Prix are vital to keep me in the category next year.
What is this sponsorship thing about?
They tell me that the payment is yet to come, that it is already to come… but it has not arrived. And if it doesn’t come, then terrible. The team has had to make staff cuts. The uncertainty has not been easy for any of them. I have followed the last races from the outside and I have been able to learn some things that I hope to put into practice when I hope to return. It is very hard not to be there.
I listen to her and remember those incidents in the Japanese Super Formula: pandemic, no teammate, engineers who didn’t speak her language…
Oh, yes… No, it happens one after another. One sometimes says: ‘when will my time come?’ but in the end the people in the middle appreciate all the work that one has done. IndyCar is very tough. It doesn’t get any higher than this in America. If I have learned anything, it is that there are many factors that I do not control. The best thing I can do is be prepared and continue to train as hard as possible off the track so that, when they give me an opportunity, I can show that I have everything to be there.
Mario Andretti, a more than authorized voice, told me that his figure has fallen very well in the category…
I love IndyCar. The way Americans see the races, the number of fans, the closeness to them and the show, very American style, is incredible. Also, in Indy races you never really know who’s going to win. Of course the big teams lead, but a lot of unexpected things happen and that makes it very attractive for the drivers. For me the physical part has been very hard and the fact of not knowing the circuits well. I think it has been important to start little by little, without running ovals. There you have to have a lot of confidence with the car. People think ‘it’s just a left turn’ (laughs), but there are a lot of things to adjust to race. I hope to continue applying everything I have learned.
He has had seven races and the best result was that 15th place in the Indianapolis GMR…
I think the issue of results has been hard. I feel that in the permanent circuits I have been more coupled. In the streets the first time is very difficult. The first few races were a very tough test because I had to adjust a lot of things with the car and the seat. Of course I would like to be further ahead and have better results, but I think I have shown that I have made progress. Also, perhaps due to the difficulties of the equipment one can invest less in the car and when it comes down to it that has a lot of influence.
Even so, if we look at the results compared to those of his teammates, his is better than any of Dalton Kellet, who has run 13 races and has been in the category for two years, and better than 11 of the 13 led by Kyle Kirkwood, the top rookie of the squad.
Yessss. It’s a shame what’s happening to me because until the car was retired, with John Randal Hildebrand, the driver doing the ovals, we had more points than Kirkwood and Kellet. We were not far from having good results, but you need the security that the team invests to make the car better, have proof. Still, the team is hopeful, we’re still looking for support, they’re happy with my progress so we have to keep fighting.
How have you managed to remain calm in the face of so much uncertainty?
It is not easy at all. One can get frustrated at times, but I try to take the positive out of the situation. From the outside I have been able to see more of how the engineers make decisions and how other teams work. I have really learned so many things that I want to put into practice before the end of the season.
The desire he has to be in the last two races is evident…
Yes. I have not lost faith. We are looking for support everywhere. Hopefully we are lucky in these next few weeks to get more pushes. Already at this point you have to look for another alternative other than ROKiT. I don’t really know what will happen to them.
And the other year, as you say, to ‘apply what you’ve learned’ again at Indy?
Yes. Being able to go to the slopes already knowing them is something else. The progress of those who have made the step like this is remarkable. In truth, arriving at a new, street, bumpy track, with 45 minutes of practice and three red flags while one went six laps… so there is no time to square the car or square yourself. I want to have continuity.
We talked about it in February: she is the first woman in IndyCar since 2013
The category is very competitive. It really is very hard to miss a race because with each ride you find new things in the car. Sometimes I feel that women are ‘sent there’, but without tools, very much like ‘make a career and that’s it’. One cannot be compared with the drivers who are in the best teams, who have been in Indy for years and who have everything already structured. What women need is to have an opportunity like the others. It doesn’t look like it from the outside, but we don’t have it. The number of female runners in motorsports has increased, but we no longer need the push to participate but to win. For that you need to be in the best teams and have one of the best cars. I hope one day it will.
ANDRES FELIPE BALAGUERA SARMIENTO
SPORTS WEATHER
Networking: @balagueraaa
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