Racing Driver Christina Nielsen Shares Swimsuit Photo From the Ocean

Danish racing driver Christina Nielsen is fearless both on and off the racing track—not even sharks faze her. Nielsen, 31, is passionate about diving in the ocean and shared pictures of herself underwater in a wetsuit, swimming next to a giant whale shark. "This gentle giant put a massive smile on my face today 😍🐳🌊," she captioned the post. "Such incredible animals!" a fan commented. Here's how Nielsen got her start in racing, and what her favorite cars are.

Nielsen's father is famous racing champion Lars Erik Nielsen, but he didn't introduce her to the sport. "My dad was not the instigator," she says. "Yes, he was racing, but I played tennis and I really didn't have an interest in racing until I got invited to a day at the go-kart track. I thought it was a lot of fun, the adrenaline kick and being behind the wheel. Tennis is very much about being a perfectionist and so is racing, so it really caught my attention. But after that, it's definitely a passion that my dad and I shared together and he's been a huge part of forming my career throughout the years, for the majority of my career. So he's definitely played a big role, but he was actually not the first to introduce me to it."

Nielsen has never seen her gender as a barrier in the racing world. "At the end of the day, I am proud to be a female competing on such a high level, but most importantly, I am proud to be a driver who competes at that level," she says. "My personal statement is about the fact that nothing, including your gender, should stop you from pursuing your dreams and doing what you want."df44d9eab23ea271ddde7545ae2c09ec

Nielsen passed her driving test at 17 and got a Seat Ibiza Cupra as her first car. "I walked into the showroom and there was this black beauty," she says. "I fell for the Cupra immediately…. Soon I decided I needed a more frugal diesel. An Audi A3 TDI was the obvious choice but I found it very boring. By then I was competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup in Germany. I got my kicks on the racetrack. I raced an Aston Martin Vantage V12 in the SportsCar Championship and Pirelli World Challenge. The Aston is a great car on the racetrack but I needed something sensible for my daily commute here in Los Angeles."

Nielsen is happy more and more women are taking part in the sport. "I am seeing way more women on the grid in my line of racing than 10 years ago, which I really love," she says. "It's not only about just being there, it's also about being competitive. When I was living in the US, I had an organization called Accelerating Change together with my business partner, where we put on track days for women, trying to be that springboard for them to explore our passion for being behind the wheel and driving in a safe space where they could progress. I call us a springboard because a lot of women might have done their first track day ever with us."

Nielsen dives with sharks, which doesn't scare her anymore. "I recently took my diving certificate," she says. "I actually hired a guy who does underwater photography who does excursions in different places of the world which are very authentic. When you're in the ocean, it's not about having the fanciest boat but about having the right crew with the right equipment going to the right location. Outside of racing, I feel like I had to find something else that was going to be pushing my comfort zones."