‘I’ve been working to get into this for so long’ – Zandvoort Wild Card Gademan opens up on precious chance as she hunts ambitious target

Relishing every second of her F1 ACADEMY experience, Nina Gademan is determined to rise to the occasion as she prepares for one of the biggest steps in her racing journey.

Selected as the Wild Card entry for Round 4 in Zandvoort, plenty of eyes will be fixed on the Dutch driver as she hits the track in The Female Quotient-liveried car. With the roars of her home crowd awaiting, she cannot wait to turn her efforts into a reality.

“I’m really excited. I’ve been working to get into this for so long,” Gademan explained. “Finally, to compete now in a series like this just feels very good and a big step forward.

“I’m so excited to see my home crowd, there were already so many people at the British F4 round. I’ve heard it before that people even went to Las Vegas and said it’s great going, but it will never be the same as it is in Holland where everyone is singing, being happy and supporting each other. It’s just a good vibe.”

She added: “I don’t know what it will be like yet, but I can already say now that when I’m driving and there will be lots of people out there supporting me, I will definitely feel that.”

Racing on a Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend brings plenty of attention, challenges and pressure that young drivers don't often face in the early stages of their careers - but Gademan insists she's unfazed and wants to make the most of it all.

“I think it will be an enjoyable experience,” she remarked. “Obviously, it’s going to be really busy, so I need to sometimes take a breath and realise I need to enjoy this. Don’t just go into focus mode all the time, but apart from that, I don’t feel pressure easily.

“Sometimes of course, every driver is like ‘okay, I need to perform now’. You’ll think about it, then once you get into the car, you absolutely do not think about the pressure or anything.”

‘We’ve just progressed so much lately’

2024 has already seen Gademan conquer the transition to single-seaters, racing in the British F4 Championship and scoring one rookie podium. With the adjustment period behind her, she believes now is the chance for her to show what she’s truly capable of.

“I had to get used to it a little,” she admitted. “It was tough in the beginning. We do have about 10 rookies in the Championship, but if you look at them, they've already done some races somewhere else. They’ve been testing for a full year already and I just started last year in November and been out of racing before that.

“At first, I had to get back into it a little bit and then, we had a couple of tests before the start of the races. Coming into the first race, we just knew we were not ready yet and you could see that in the results, but I think over the season we have progressed so much. Coming from being last to now definitely running in the midfield, even when I wouldn’t do a good Qualifying, I would still improve in the races.

READ MORE: Zandvoort Preview: Talking points ahead of Round 4

"I think that's a really good sign. It's better to improve – even starting somewhere you don't want to be in the first place, and improve through the whole season – than competing and always being stuck at one point."

Although the machinery is not identical, there are similarities between the two Formula 4-level cars that should help her adapt. Additionally, the 20-year-old is already familiar with five of her newest competitors and the Circuit Zandvoort, as Gademan alongside five of the current field competed in British F4 at the Dutch track over the break.

“I’m mostly confident because we’ve just progressed so much lately,” she said. “I just feel so much better with the car, so I’m confident that even though it’s a new car, I will get used to it very quickly as well. A couple of F1 ACADEMY drivers competed at the British F4 Zandvoort round and I think we showed that we’d done a really good job there, so that makes me also feel more confident.”

When asked how she felt about the track, she admitted: “I didn’t (like it) at first when I was driving there the first time. Now I’ve driven there with a Porsche and in the F4 car, I really like it. It’s so different than other tracks.

“I think the most difficult one is the banking and the negative banking we have at Turn 7. Also, half of the track is old asphalt and the other half of the track is new asphalt, so in dry conditions, it doesn't make such a big difference. But in wet conditions it does, so you constantly need to switch between those different types of asphalt.”

‘I want to progress as a driver, but maybe as a person as well’

As the Wild Card driver for this weekend, Gademan will be able to lean on the expertise of the one of the most successful and renowned junior series teams in the form of PREMA Racing. Alongside a few days at the team’s base in Veneto, Italy, she has been focusing on managing the physical demands involved.

“We had our Zandvoort round already where five other girls from F1 ACADEMY competed, which was mega,” she said. “I had my race at Knockhill, so I’ve been in the car recently, so that’s good. Apart from that, I go to the gym and do karting a lot — KZ karting in a shifter — because it’s physically really hard and I think that’s one of the best ways to stay in shape as you cannot recreate those g-forces in the gym.”

READ MORE: Hamda Al Qubaisi ‘catching up’ as she looks to repeat 2023 Zandvoort race wins

Whilst her sights are firmly fixed on getting points on the board, Gademan’s priorities are not solely on results, but on absorbing all that she possibly can.

When asked about her goals for the weekend, she explained: “I think I can clearly say what I’m expecting this weekend after FP1 and FP2 as I can see how I progress with the new car. I definitely want to be in the top 10!

“I want to progress as a driver, but maybe as a person as well. I’ve only worked with Fortec Motorsport before and I’ve driven between guys. I think it’s nice now to compete with a new team, learn from them, and also hang out with the girls and learn from them. Abbi (Pulling) is such a great driver and I would love to learn from her.

“I’m having so many questions already about the car and about everything. I’m so excited to work with a team like PREMA, they’re one of the best there is out there. I think I can learn a lot from them. I already did when I went to them to go on the simulator.”