Sophie Cunningham came to Austin for her first Formula 1 race and left with a message that reached well beyond the track.
The Indiana Fever guard served as the ceremonial checkered-flag waver at Sunday’s United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli won the race, but Cunningham’s most memorable moment came in an interview when she was asked what she would tell a girl who doesn’t feel confident about her height.
“Simply be you,” Cunningham said. “Whatever makes us different, like that’s why God made us that way. So, embrace it.”
Sophie on Tour… Welcome to Texas! https://t.co/s0TBK5ok0o
— Sophie Cunningham FAN CLUB (@SophieC_FanClub) October 25, 2026Cunningham in spotlight
It was a direct answer, and a personal one. Cunningham spoke about feeling uncomfortable in photos in the past, then urged women not to let other people’s expectations dictate how they present themselves. Her point wasn’t that confidence comes easily or that every insecurity disappears with a slogan. It was that the features someone may wish to hide can also be part of what makes them distinctive.
That message gave Cunningham’s first F1 visit a little more meaning than a celebrity appearance. She said she was new to Formula 1 and more accustomed to NASCAR, but was enjoying the experience in Austin. She also represented Western-wear brand Tecovas during the weekend.
For Cunningham, though, the conversation turned to something more familiar than racing: the pressure women can feel to fit a particular image. Her advice was to stop treating difference as something that needs fixing.
“ My message never changes because this is why we are the way we are,” Cunningham said. “Simply be you.”
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More than Basketball
Cunningham has built a public identity that extends beyond basketball, and she tends to speak plainly. At COTA, that candor produced a reminder young women can take with them long after the grand prix: confidence doesn’t require looking like everyone else. Sometimes it starts with accepting the part of yourself you’ve been taught to question.
Antonelli took the checkered flag on Sunday. Cunningham’s message was simpler, and meant to last longer: embrace what makes you different.
