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A Saudi Arabian woman marked the end of the ban on female drivers by driving a Formula One car belonging to Renault ahead of Sunday’s French Grand Prix.
Aseel Al-Hamad, the first female member of her national motorsport federation, took the wheel of the same car in which Kimi Raikkonen won the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Aseel is a keen driver and motor sport enthusiast who took part in a training day on June 5 at the circuit.
AFP quoted her as saying: “I have loved racing and motorsport from a very young age and to drive a Formula One car goes even beyond my dreams and what I thought was possible.
“It is a genuine honour to drive in front of the crowds at the team’s home race in France.
“I hope doing so on the day when women can drive on the roads in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia shows what you can do if you have the passion and the spirit to dream.”
Aseel is responsible for creation of strategies to promote the education and training of women in motorsport in Saudi Arabia.