Coffee connoisseur and Netflix marathons: Getting to know the real Tatiana Calderón

2 November 2022

Tatiana Calderón made her return to Formula 2 earlier this season, joining Enzo Fittipaldi at Charouz Racing System for the remainder of 2022.

Ahead of the season finale, we sat down with the Colombian and went through the key questions in order to help you get to know her a bit better.

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP

“I grew up in Bogota in Colombia. I was actually in a Swiss school, so I learned German before English. I have a younger brother who’s two years younger than me, so we were competing at literally everything, and then had my older sister. She was demanding everything from us, we were like her servants in a way! I was always into sports and looking for adventure.”

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE NON-MOTORSPORTS ATHLETE?

“It’s Roger Federer. I was so sad when he retired this year. Honestly, I cried when I saw the video when he announced his retirement and then after his last match. He was one of my inspirations growing up, to become the best you can be inside and outside of the court, I admire everything he’s done.”

HOW DO YOU RELAX AWAY FROM RACING?

“I’m still working on that because I’m terrible at not thinking about racing. Sometimes you need that kind of break. At the moment, my brother bought a dog, a dachshund so every time I’m with him I’m in a different world. I think that’s my best distraction. A good cup of coffee too. I love coffee, tasting different types of coffee grains, going to different shops. It transports me to a different place. Netflix, obviously. I’m running out of series to watch though.”

WHAT’S THE TOP ITEM ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?

“I want to be in a Formula 1 race, that’s something I want to do. Indy 500 as well.”

WHO ARE YOUR BEST FRIENDS ON THE GRID?

“I get along with Enzo quite well. Enzo for sure. I’ve talked with Marcus Armstrong a little bit. He tested IndyCar and was trying to see what the car was like physically. I was scaring him with the physicality of it, just exchanging info about the tyres, the atmosphere, differences between America and Europe. So I’d say those two.”

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE CHEAT MEAL?

“Pizza! I like the simple ones, margherita, I love parmesan cheese. If I could change mozzarella for parmesan, I’d do anything for that pizza. Pineapple definitely does not belong on pizza, not mine anyway.”

IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO ANY MOMENT IN HISTORY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

“I would like to go back to my test in Formula 1. Those cars are amazing to drive. There were so many emotions. You dream of that moment for 15 years, prepare as much as you can but you never know if you’re truly ready, you always have that doubt. It was a media day for me too. From the garage, I couldn’t see the track because of all the photographers. The Team Principal was there, he was like ‘I want the car back in one piece,’ but you want to push the limits. It’s amazing, the acceleration of the car, the downforce in general, the g-forces that you feel through your body is unbelievable. To relive that, it would be amazing. Probably that or maybe seeing a race with Ayrton Senna, or to meet him, that would be cool.”

IF YOU WEREN’T A RACING DRIVER, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

“I’d probably be a tennis player. In my next life I will be.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIE AND TV SERIES?

“TV series, I would say is Dynasty. I’m watching that right now, it’s kind of funny and you always learn something. Maybe not my favourite but it’s good. I’ve seen Gossip Girl a couple of times. When there’s nothing that takes your interest, sometimes I go back and watch that. There’s a Colombian TV series that’s been very successful recently, it’s called ‘La Reina del Flow’ or The Queen of Flow. It’s a really good show. I’ve watched it twice. I haven’t seen any movies in a really long time, but Ford vs Ferrari, Rush maybe, I quite like those movies.”

WHAT WAS THE LAST SONG YOU LISTENED TO?

“It was El Barco by Karol G. I knew all of her songs but now I know all the lyrics by heart now, that’s the last song I listened to and it’s one of my favourites.”

WHAT’S THE FUNNIEST/MOST EMBARRASSING THING YOU’VE DONE?

“I tend to do many but they're small ones. You always get embarrassed when you’re watching a video out in public, and it plays loud through your phone’s speakers.”

WHAT’S YOUR DREAM BIRTHDAY CAKE?

“I’m a fan of banana bread. I like to be healthy but a marble cake, that’s my type of dessert.”

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE RACING MEMORY?

“I have a couple but my podium in Formula Renault 3.5 in Bahrain. It was the only round I did in that championship, and they were the closest cars to Formula 2 back then. That’s when I earned my chance to drive a Formula 1 car that weekend.”

MOST TREASURED POSSESSION?

“I have one Anthoine’s trophies and some really cool pictures and things that Renault did the week after he passed away. I keep them in my room with some of my trophies, I like that I will always have those.”

QUOTE TO LIVE BY?

“Nothing is impossible. Nothing.”

IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD IT BE?

“I quite like New Zealand. Queenstown in New Zealand, I’d go there, I really like it there. I was there for the Toyota Racing Series and we spent a month there. It was unbelievable how beautiful it was and the people are so friendly. I recommend going there.”