Flame Airikkala laughs often.
Not the rehearsed laugh of someone trying to charm her way through an interview. The genuine kind that comes naturally when a conversation feels comfortable.
Ask a question and she’ll think about it before answering, occasionally poking fun at herself along the way.
Spend fifteen minutes talking to her and it’s easy to forget you’re speaking to someone chasing one of the biggest dreams in motorsport.
At 19, the British-Finnish racing driver has navigated multiple disciplines across motorsport, each one bringing her a step closer to her dream of becoming a professional racing driver.
Spend a few minutes on Flame’s Instagram and you’ll see someone fully committed. The race weekends, testing days and life behind the wheel are all there, but they never overshadow the person. Away from the track are moments with friends, everyday life and the occasional glimpse of the humour that surfaces throughout our conversation. It feels like someone determined to enjoy the journey, wherever it leads.
And one day, she hopes that journey will lead her to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The route there, however, has never looked quite like anyone expected.
Growing up around racing without wanting to race
With a surname like Airikkala, most people assume motorsport was inevitable.
In many ways, it was.
Her grandfather, Pentti Airikkala, was one of rallying’s legendary Flying Finns. The 1979 British Rally Champion and winner of the 1989 Lombard RAC Rally, he earned a reputation as one of the sport’s finest drivers before later helping to coach future World Rally Champions Colin McRae and Richard Burns.
Her mother, Jo-Ann Airikkala, forged her own career too, competing in the Ford Fiesta Championship during the 1990s, while her grandmother was also involved in motorsport through rallying.
For many children, that might have been enough to spark an obsession with racing.
For Flame, it had the opposite effect. Even though she learnt to drive in the forests of Finland at just five years old, she never felt an immediate pull towards motorsport.
“I kind of played every sport possible,” she says with a smile. “I was never really interested in racing.”
Anything that involved being active appealed more than motorsport. Racing was simply something the family knew, not necessarily something she imagined herself doing.
Then, at 14, she found herself watching Formula One.
It wasn’t the speed that caught her attention first.
It was who wasn’t there.
“I didn’t see any female representation,” she recalls. “I was like, ‘I want to do that.'”
For many aspiring racing drivers, 14 is considered late to begin.
Flame didn’t know enough to worry about that.
She simply started.
Starting from Behind
If Flame was beginning later than most, she didn’t know enough to see it as a disadvantage.
Looking back now, she laughs at how quickly everything happened.
One moment she was discovering a new fascination with motorsport. The next, she was trying to learn a sport where many of her competitors had already spent years honing their craft.
“It all happened really quickly,” she says with a smile.
She began in rental karting, but after a year moved into the Ford Fiesta Junior Championship because her height had become a disadvantage in karts. Formula 4 followed, then came opportunities abroad in Japan’s KYOJO Cup, GB4, Radical racing and, more recently, the Porsche Sprint Challenge Ibérica.
On paper, it might look like an unconventional journey.
The 19-year old doesn’t seem particularly interested in whether it is or not.
Instead, she speaks about each step with the same matter-of-fact honesty that defines much of our conversation. There are no stories of impossible odds or declarations that she was destined to succeed. Just a young driver who kept saying yes to the next opportunity.
As she gained experience, however, one thing did begin to change.
Her destination.
“When I was younger, Formula One was always the goal,” she explains. “But as I got older and learned more about the sport, I realised GT racing offered a more realistic opportunity to become a professional driver.”
There’s no disappointment in her voice when she says it.
Too often, motorsport treats Formula One as the only destination worth chasing. Yet beyond the grand prix paddock are dozens of professional careers in GT and endurance racing, where manufacturer-backed drivers make a living competing at some of the world’s most iconic circuits.
That’s the world Flame wants to build a career in.
Mention Le Mans and there’s a subtle shift in the conversation.
The easy-going smile is still there, but the answer becomes more deliberate, almost as if she’s picturing it while she speaks. It’s where she hopes years of hard work, sacrifice and persistence will one day earn her place among the world’s professional endurance drivers.
She knows what she wants, but she also knows how much work lies between where she is today and where she hopes to be.
She’s not trying to convince you she’ll get there.
She’s simply getting on with the journey.
An Invisible Challenge
There was another significant moment in Flame’s life when she was 14.
The same year she discovered motorsport, she was diagnosed with coeliac disease.
For most teenagers, it would have been a life-changing piece of news.
For young Flame, it simply became another thing to adapt to.
Coeliac disease is a lifelong autoimmune condition that causes the body’s immune system to attack the small intestine when gluten is consumed. Unlike someone choosing to avoid gluten as part of a diet, there is no flexibility. Even small amounts can trigger symptoms, making constant vigilance part of everyday life.
Ask about it and the Brit is honest about the challenges of living with the condition.
“It can be difficult,” she admits. “Especially when you’re travelling. Japan was probably the hardest because of the language barrier. Even if someone wanted to help, explaining exactly what you can and can’t eat isn’t always straightforward.”
There is no self-pity in the way she talks about it.
Instead, she laughs: “I blame my Finnish side,” joking that her Finnish heritage may have contributed to it after explaining that Finland has one of the highest recorded rates of coeliac disease in Europe.
Throughout our conversation, she rarely frames challenges as obstacles.
They’re simply realities.
Things to work around.
Things to prepare for.
Things that become part of the journey.
Carrying a Legacy
Although Airikkala has built her career on circuit racing, rallying continues to pull her back.
She’s already contested three rallies and hopes to do many more. Part of the attraction, she admits with a laugh, is simply the opportunity to throw the car around.
“I just like to get it sideways, and that’s not the fastest way on track,” she jokes. “So I think I need to do some more.”
Yet beneath the humour lies a deeper connection.
“Everyone always asks me which one I prefer, and I honestly think they’re about the same. I wouldn’t want to give up either one, but I would love to also carry on my granddad’s name in the sport because he died when I was two and he was such a legend in the rally world. I always hear stories about him from people that knew him and it’s really nice to hear all the stories.”
It’s a glimpse into the personal side of her ambitions.
Whether her future ultimately lies in endurance racing, rallying or both, it’s clear she’s not trying to recreate her grandfather’s career. She’s simply hoping to honour his legacy while writing one of her own.
The Long Road to Le Mans
Rather than chasing a path that has become increasingly difficult to sustain financially, she’s focused on building a long-term career in GT racing, with one destination firmly in mind.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Asked what makes the legendary race so special, her answer has little to do with its prestige.
“I think it’s such a special race, being able to be that precise and on the limit for such a long period of time,” she says. “Also the teamwork and how many people are behind it, and you have to trust your other drivers.”
She describes endurance racing as something that remains an individual challenge while demanding complete faith in those around you. It’s that combination of precision, teamwork and trust that makes Le Mans the ultimate goal.
Inspiring the Next Generation
While she isn’t formally attached to any outreach programme, she regularly responds to messages from young girls through social media and recently spent time supporting the Jamie Chadwick Series, an all-female karting championship designed to help young drivers begin their own journeys.
“I try to reply to everyone, just trying to help as much as I can,” she says. “It’s great to just talk to girls and watch them, really talented girls, race at the start of their journey.”
For those hoping to carve out their own path in motorsport, Airikkala’s advice is beautifully straightforward.
“Whatever happens, just stay motivated and stay positive, and keep true to yourself.”
While she’s already inspiring others to pursue their own dreams, she’s still chasing one of her own.
Le Mans remains the long-term ambition. But beyond the trophies and the prestige, her goal is remarkably simple: to earn a living doing what she loves.
“My aim is to become a paid professional racing driver,” she says.
Follow Flame Airikkala
To learn more about Flame Airikkala and keep up with her racing journey, visit https://www.flameairikkala.com and follow her on Instagram @flameairikkala.
