What’s life like on the bleeding edge of speed and adrenaline? We catch up with a pilot and a racer to give us a perspective into the fast lane
Most people choose one extraordinary career. Capt. Dr. Sneha Sharma chose two. A professional pilot with Vistara Airlines and a champion racing driver who has won over 40 races, she has spent her life pushing boundaries that others assumed were fixed. Her story is one of instinct over doubt, channelled energy over hostility, and the quiet discipline that makes sustained excellence possible. Fasten your seatbelt.
You discovered your passion for speed at a go-karting track in Powai at the age of 14, and from that moment decided racing was what you wanted to do with your life. Most people would have talked themselves out of it. What kept that conviction alive, especially in the early years when the odds were stacked against you?
I think following my instinct and desire kept the conviction alive, while following my educational responsibilities as well. I don’t think that most people would have talked themselves out of it, however, they would have let others talk them out of it. I think having a belief in following your passion is important while also fulfilling responsibilities and still keeping council of well – wishing individuals around us.
You were often the only woman on track among 22 male competitors, and you faced a great deal of resistance, both on and off the circuit. How did you learn to channel that hostility into performance rather than letting it derail you?
I feel we all need to learn how to manage our internal feelings and emotions/energy, if we face hostility, it is important to channel that energy via positive means. I chose to channel the disapproval of naysayers into my performance and let the result speak for itself.
I also believe, if you look at the gravel/grass outside of the racing track while turning on a racetrack, you have higher chances to go off track and end up into the gravel. However, if we look within the possibilities, we are railed!
I think exercise also is a great outlet for stress which can be as simple as a morning stroll.
Racing at the highest level demands split-second decisions at extreme speeds. As someone who also commands an aircraft, how do you think the two disciplines have shaped the way you process risk and make decisions under pressure?
In motorsports it is always a ‘win or crash’ situation, you have to make a quick decision to overtake, decision to stay beside or decision to stay behind a car and slipstream.
While flying roughly at 871 Kmph, we always have to make quick and well-informed decision, as well.
Risk assessment and safety are essential pillars of flying as well as motorsport.
In racing if we have a competitor behind us, trying to overtake, at every corner, we have to continue driving fast while not going off track.
In flying, Risk is something we try to exclude or mitigate, i.e reduce the level of risk to as low as reasonably practical.
I apply these learnt mantras in everyday life as well, don’t invite risks, if a task cannot be completed without risk, reduce the risk to as low as reasonably practicable, last but not the least, keep driving fast! (metaphorically).
You have won over six races and secured 14 runner-up positions across various categories, and yet sponsorship and financial support remained a persistent challenge throughout your career. What does that say about the state of motorsport in India, and what needs to change for the next generation of Indian racers?
I have won over 40 races, and unable to remember the runner up positions I have achieved, yes sponsorship is a real challenge for upcoming motorsport athletes. There are a few promoters such as JK Tyres and MRF supporting the sport, The FMSCI (motorsport body for our country) is also organising various motorsport events and annual calendars, however I feel it is in the hands of individual athletes to draw in sponsorship, and such has been my journey.
You hold two careers that most people would consider extraordinary individually, yet you’ve built them simultaneously. What does a life lived at full throttle, literally and figuratively, actually feel like from the inside?
It feels just like driving a race car, on the limit, (with a whole lot of rest and recuperation brakes in between of course, without which one cannot sustain)
Life feels fast, and optimal, I feel we need the right amount of stress and creativity to thrive in life, and these two careers have always required me to extend my self, push boundaries and break barriers!
I believe life is like any sport we watch on television or otherwise, we ought to clear one level heats, to enter the next level of the tournament.
I also remember to apply the 4 Ds to Thrive in these two careers:
- Delete – Remove tasks, emails or projects that are not necessary
- Delegate- Hand over tasks to someone who is better equipped or in a better position to complete them.
- Defer (or Delay) – Consciously schedule a task for a later time, than procrastinating indefinitely.
- Do – Tackle tasks immediately if they are urgent, important, and take a small amount of time. (e.g., less than two minutes)
Capt. (Dr.) Sneha Sharma is an Indian racing driver who competes in Formula 4 National Racing Championship, she is also professionally a Pilot with Vistara Airlines since 2022. She is co-authoring a children’s picture book based on her journey with a U.S.A. based author. She has also co-authored a similar book with a lady astronaut.
