F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton has praised a nine-year-old from Leavesden after she shone in a viral Instagram video.

Karting fanatic Mahi Maru was seen enjoying a virtual reality experience with social media influencer Simon Squibb, who has 2.2 million followers, as part of his series asking people “what is your dream?”.

During the video, viewers were prompted to tag Hamilton and last night he responded by reposting the video saying “this is amazing”. Motor sport’s governing body the FIA also said “some young talent right there”.

The F1 legend posted the video to his 37.6 million followers. (Image: Instagram)

Lewis Hamilton responds to viral video featuring a nine-year-old karter. (Image: Divya Maru)

Mahi’s mum Divya said: “It’s honestly amazing, she is ecstatic and it’s given her such a boost.

“We saw the comment last night while we were eating dinner and I jumped up and started screaming – my husband asked me ‘what’s wrong’?”​

Having been brought to Squibb’s headquarters, the youngster got a taste of the VR experience in a video now seen over four million times after being published on Monday, September 1.

Mahi attends the Team Sport Academy in Watford and has been go karting for over a year. She also has her own Instagram account where she posts vlogs from the track which caught the attention of influencer Simon Squibb.

Mahi and mum, Divya, attended the British Grand Prix this year (2024). (Image: Divya Maru)
Squibb said online that “she was soooo good”, adding: “We’ve noticed a trend when people share their dreams with us. Often, it takes just one person, with very little effort, to make it happen.

“It could be as simple as someone commenting on, liking, or sharing their dream on social media.”

Driving has always been Mahi’s dream – despite being diagnosed with a heart murmur – and she has openly said she wants to be an F1 driver, her mum added.

With the help of Great Ormond Street Hospital, Mahi attended Silverstone this year for the British Grand Prix, meeting heroes like Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz.

“Imagine if Lewis is able to sponsor her,” Divya added.

“It’s been a wild 24 hours, we want thank everyone, including Simon and all the strangers that tagged Hamilton and supported my daughter.”