Alexandra Mohnhaupt

Alexandra Mohnhaupt is a Mexican driver racing in Formula 4 and Formula 3. In 2018, she became the first female driver to win a Formula 4 race.

She counts her home town as Puebla in Mexico, but she has both German and Mexican family. She races under a Mexican license and her career began there, in karting.

2015 was her debut season in senior racing, although she was only sixteen years old. She started in the NACAM F4 championship in Mexico. Out of thirteen races, she scored eight top-tens, the best of these being two sixth places, at Pegaso. One of these was from pole position. She was fourteenth in the championship.

The NACAM championship runs over the winter period. After the Mexican season finished in June 2016, she travelled to the UK to compete in the British F4 series. This proved a challenge for her, although by the end of her season, she was edging towards top-ten finishes, such as her eleventh place at Knockhill. She did six races, competing at Knockhill and Snetterton.

She raced in the NACAM series again from 2017 and was seventh overall, coming close to a podium finish at Toluca. This was one of five top-five finishes she earned that season. She was the leading driver for her team, MomoF4.

Her three British F4 guest spots were less successful. She entered the Snetterton round again and was fifteenth in all three races.

Another winter season in the NACAM series followed. She was immediately on the pace, with a third and two seconds in her first races at Mexico City. At her home track of Puebla, she won two of her three races, the first woman to win a Formula 4 race anywhere. This took her to second in the championship. She held second after a third, fourth and fifth at Aguascalientes.

Shortly after her Puebla wins, it was announced that she would be racing in the UK again, this time in the BRDC Formula 3 championship. She was due to be driving for Douglas Motorsport alongside Jamie Chadwick.

Alexandra never actually raced in F3 in the UK. She did take part in an official series test at Spa, but crashed. Her injuries were initially reported as being "mild concussion and bruising."

The day before the Yucatan rounds of NACAM F4, she pulled out of that championship, citing two causes. The first of these was neck injuries received in her Spa crash. The second revolved around the series' acceptance of another driver who had allegedly received a year-long drugs ban from IndyCar-sanctioned series. Her team, MomoF4, pulled out of the championship after the meeting.

Alexandra said in the press conference held to announce her retirement that she had not ruled out a return in future, but she was now concentrating on finishing her education. True to her word, she made a comeback five years later, returning to NACAM F4. It was a part-season but with some success; driving for RAM Racing, she was third twice in the first round at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The RAM deal ended after the next round at Queretaro, which yielded a fifth and two sixth places, but she rejoined with HRI Mexico for the final round at AHR and picked up a seventh and a sixth. She was ninth in the championship.

(Image copyright Liliana Velazquez Leon/Sintesis)