With an impressive 30 years in motorsport under her belt, we sit down with the 33-year-old Emma Kimiläinen to hear how the sport has changed over that time, the thrills and spills and why racing isn’t all that she is
At three years old, Emma Kimiläinen finally managed to reach the pedals of her go-kart. At seven, she started thrashing her brother, and by 12, she pretty much won everything she competed in. During her 30 years in the sport, Kimiläinen has been driving for motorsport series such as Formula Ford, STCC, and Formula Palmer Audi. Today, she is competing for PUMA in W Series, the new all-female series which this season drives next to motorsports crème de la crème, Formula One – home to racing drivers Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.
“It’s insane to think that I have been doing this for 30 years. It’s a long time, but I am very proud of that time,” she explains, “from when I was old enough to reach the pedals – I have never looked back.”
We are meeting in the Paddock of the Hungarian Grand Prix, on a rainy Saturday with Formula One cars racing past in the background. Just before our chat, I stumbled upon her father and sister (there aren’t many Scandinavians at this level of motorsport, so you have to say hi when you get the opportunity). And they were just as joyful as Kimiläinen. In fact, her passion for motorsport started out as a normal family activity, with the clan travelling around Finland visiting races at weekends just for fun.
Her dad had bought a go-kart as a childhood dream of his, but it didn’t take long until another Kimiläinen became serious about the newfound sport. “I took it very seriously,” the 33-year-old recalls. “I had that extra mindset and bravery when I was driving, both with the overtakes and finding new ways to be better. I was probably an annoying child, climbing trees, always on the edge and ready to go [even in school].”
Growing up, while most other teenagers idolised singers and Hollywood actors, Kimiläinen looked up to the Finnish Formula One driver, Mika Häkkinen, and dreamed of one day becoming a driver herself. “My siblings and I grew up learning that we could be whatever we wanted,” she explains, describing how her parents' support and belief in her “made me who I am.”
When Kimiläinen was first starting out, the field wasn’t nearly as inclusive as it is today. It has taken a lot of individuals throughout the years to push for more inclusive motorsport. For one, if you don’t have the financial support backing you up as a driver, you have little chance to nab a place on the starting grid, not to mention if you are female. “Within the last 10 years, the change in motorsport has been huge – the sport has gone further, become more professional and less homemade,” says Kimiläinen.
There’s also lots more opportunity for women across all different areas of the motorsport, not just behind the driver’s seat, says Kimiläinen while looking around the Paddock, which is filled with women of all ages – drivers, engineers, and managers. “Every talented female driver today that is young – to be honest, they’re very lucky. I didn’t have this 10 years ago,” she says.
Kimiläinen competing at Silverstone.
Kimiläinen might be a fearless driver when she’s buckled in, but off the track she’s incredibly cheerful and upbeat, something that has made her a firm favourite with fans. Meeting her, she’s not afraid to say what she thinks, which is probably how you need to be when you’re competing against 19 other drivers and speeding around a track at 200 km / h.
“I don’t want to fear things,” she says defiantly. “I am not afraid of losing control, I don’t need to control everything. Trust yourself that you are doing a good job and that what you are doing is good enough” she says hopefully, “...but also, I am not afraid to say if I have made a mistake.”
And talking of setbacks, Kimiläinen’s most memorable moment throughout her career is not a race, but her return. In the midst of the global financial crisis, she put racing on pause for four years due to lack of funding, which she describes as a heartbreak: “I had the route to go to F1, but it all ended as it was hard to find funding,” she says. But when things got tough, she drew from the steely words of her parents and support system – to see the positive in life, and after a while, she found a new focus, deciding to start a family. And nine years later, her daughter still plays a big part in her day job, in fact, the colourful helmet, with the Number 7 emblazoned on it, which Kimiläinen wears when racing, is even designed by her little girl.
Off the racing track, Kimiläinen spends her time with family. It helps that her partner is a professional athlete, playing football for Liverpool, so he understands the nature of performance pressure and high stakes work. “It helps that you don’t need to explain why you need to train all those hours, to travel all the time, or all the meal prepping,” she says.
If there is something I have learned from my conversation with Kimiläinen is that she is certain of who she is. “Even though I started young and put countless hours into racing, it doesn’t define me or who I am as a person. I am so much more in my identity. I am a mother and I am capable of doing so many other things than driving a race car,” she says.
Being a high-performance athlete, training gear is her absolute go-to even off-track. She describes her personal style as comfort with a touch of detail. “I always wear training gear, I am either on my way to training or on my way home from it. My friends laugh at me because I always wear training clothes,” she says smiling. “But I also love wearing dresses and mixing the gala dress with a sporty top.”
However, she does have one style vice: bags. “Some people collect watches, meanwhile, I buy handbags. I see them more as an investment – a few good lasting pieces that can go from generation to generation, having my daughter wear them one day – as a legacy.”
Over summer when we speak, the drivers have their renewed summer break. And for Kamiliänen that means she’s travelling back to Finland – enjoying some restful time and getting the opportunity to take her daughter to school for their first day back. And when it comes to racing, with four races left of the championship – she states confidently “there are four wins to take”.