'I won't let arthritis hold back my racing dream'

Daniella Sutton, 17, wants to inspire other people with arthritis to "keep doing the things you love"

A teenager diagnosed with arthritis as a child has said she will not let it hold back her dream of becoming a F1 racing car driver.

Daniella Sutton, from Warrington, was first told she had autoimmune disorder Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) in 2021.

Now 17, Daniella is racing in the BRSCC Junior Championship and plans to move up to F4 in 2026, with her sights firmly set on the top level of the sport.

She said she hoped to inspire other children who have been diagnosed with the condition to "keep doing the things you love".

Danielle currently races in the BRSCC Junior Championship

Daniella said she had "struggled to understand what was actually happening" when her symptoms first began to show.

"It began with swollen fingers and swollen joints and then it progressed from there.

"A lot of the time people dismiss it as growing pains.

"It's astounding that people don't realise that arthritis actually does affect children," she said.

After being diagnosed with JIA at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, she was able to get the treatment she needed.

"It was quite a hard thing to process and they don't know the cause of it.

"Basically I have to live with it and learn to how how to deal with my condition."

Daniella wants to raise awareness that the condition does not only affect older people

Daniella now receives treatment through an infusion, usually every six months, to help with her symptoms.

She has continued to follow her dream of motorsport racing and started junior level karting.

After winning the Total Karting Zero UK North Championship in 2022, she is now is now racing in the BRSCC Junior Championship and has moved from national kart racing to national car racing.

The 17-year-old's ambition is to race in Formula 1

She said while a diagnosis could be "very overwhelming", she encouraged young people to "seek out the support you need and keep searching for things that you love and keep doing them".

"One of the best pieces of advice that any consultant, any doctor, any person that suffers with arthritis can give you is just to keep moving," she said.