Gianna Pascoal is rewriting the motorsport playbook for female drivers in Africa

At just 15 years old, Gianna Pascoal is pushing boundaries and redefining the future of female representation in motorsport. In five short years, Pascoal has climbed her way to the top of Africa’s karting circuit while driving for Worr Motorsport. She is now represented by Forside Management internationally, and is preparing to enter the competitive Formula 4 circuit, training with the world’s leading single-seater experts.

While most karting champions with an eye on Formula racing start their careers as cadets, at the ages of five or six, Pascoal only discovered it at the age of 11 after joining her father for a fun day of karting. When she took up the sport, her father and mother both motivated and supported her to pursue it professionally, and she soon became Worr Motorsport founder Wesleigh Orr’s second-ever mentee.

“It wasn’t easy,” she says. “I was still diving professionally, with discussions about joining the junior Olympic lineup, all while attending school full-time and spending several hours on the track most days. Eventually, I had to decide where to focus my energy.

“It was a difficult choice, but I decided to go all in on karting, and I quickly made my way up the ranks into OK-N and Senior Max categories. Now I’m following my dream of racing and competing in single-seaters.”

Pascoal’s rapid progression mirrors the path of world-renowned drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstapen, who also began their careers in karting. The discipline provides a safe environment for young drivers to hone their race craft, mechanical expertise, spatial awareness, and data analysis skills.

Since committing fully to motorsport in 2022, she has become a consistent national front-runner in the ROK and Rotax series. Her international exposure has included appearances in Champions of the Future, the FIA Karting Academy Trophy, and FIA arrive-and-drive programmes, where she has competed against some of the strongest drivers worldwide.

One step closer to the apex of Formula motorsport

Regarded today as the most successful female karting driver on the continent by race wins, and the first to secure a spot in the FIA Karting Academy Senior class last year, she is now ready to dominate single-seater racing with her foray into the Investchem MSA Formula 4 Championship later this year.

A dream come true, she has also been selected for the More Than Equal Driver Development Programme – a global high-performance initiative created to identify and prepare elite female drivers for Formula-level racing. The programme provides advanced technical coaching, simulator preparation, performance analysis, and access to international mentors, placing Pascoal within an established international development structure as she gradually transitions from karting.

Central to Pascoal’s rapid ascent has been her long-term development under Worr Motorsport’s guidance, where Orr has worked with her from the earliest stages of her career. 

“Gianna’s trajectory has been exceptional, but it’s not accidental,” says Orr. “Her work ethic, technical feedback, and race intelligence are at a level we typically see in far more experienced drivers. What stands out most is her capacity to absorb information and immediately translate it into lap time. She has all the ingredients needed to climb the single-seater ladder.”

Becoming a voice for the next generation of female drivers

With March marking International Women’s Month, Pascoal is increasingly aware of her growing influence on young female racers both in South Africa and abroad. “Girls absolutely belong on the track. Motorsport doesn’t care who you are – it rewards hard work more than anything else. I’ve had to work tirelessly to get my name on the board, often as the only girl in the field. But I kept my eyes on the road, took it one lap at a time, and gave my all, and now I’m proud to be proving myself as a real contender in the sport I love.”

She adds that she never expected to be a role model for other girls in motorsport. “I just wanted to race and to be the best at what I do. I’ve always wanted to be seen as a top-tier racer, not just as a ‘female’ champion specifically – we shouldn’t be judged by anything other than our racing ability. But unfortunately, women still largely lack representation on the track, so if I can help popularise the sport for them and open doors, then that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

As her transition toward single-seaters accelerates through 2026, Pascoal continues to compete in karting at both national and global levels, and she plans to soon add Formula 4 victories to her growing trophy collection.