Formula 1 (F1) is one of the hottest sports around, and the 2024 season has already started. New suits, new helmets, new cars, it’s all everyone can talk about. Let’s not forget about Lewis Hamilton’s big change for 2025. That’s right, if you did not already know, the F1 legend is leaving Mercedes for Scuderia Ferrari on a multi-year contract in 2025. That’s the thing about F1- things are always unexpected. You predict, you wonder, and you’re surprised. The sport is all about skill, coordination, endurance, and class. While the racers make their way around the world for each Grand Prix, their loyal fans stay connected. And we all know that a sexy, complex sport like F1 is definitely going to be of interest for the girls!
While the men who race in F1 are quite a catch to look at, that isn’t the only reason women enjoy the sport. Just like any man, women can appreciate and love the complexity, passion, and drive a sport has, without having to prove themselves of how much they know or how much they watch. There are always fan favorites, and it takes an immense amount of interest to be rooting for someone you enjoy watching or getting heartbroken when they don’t win.
F1 is not only a hard sport, but an emotional one, as well, for the racers and fans. There’s a ton of pressure wanting to overtake another racer and wondering if you’ll succeed or not. Your blood runs thin, you’re sweating a lot, and tears are shed. You gain emotional attachments to the racers even if you may not know them in real life, and feel the pain they are feeling. Women can understand that level of emotion unlike some men. They enjoy the level of intensity there is in each race, and want to see the person they’re rooting for on that podium and to win the World Championship title. Just like with any sport, men and women are always bidding and rooting for their favorite team or player, but sometimes the emotional aspect of it is more important than the physical.
There are high rivalries between the different teams in F1 which causes a lot of drama on and off the track. It can be from fighting between team members to the significant others cheating scandals. Every sport has their offenses, and women become invested in the drama as it gives insight into the type of person a racer is. They can sympathize with the team’s or racer’s point of view if more information comes to sight. Women understand intellectually and mentally. While drama may not matter to many, it is one of the best ways to keep things interesting and the girls love it (even if they aren’t involved)!
“I honestly love when sports have drama because it keeps me interested in seeing who’s gonna win the next game. That’s why I enjoy F1 the most because there’s always speculation about what’s going to happen or the tea between the teams. I’m not even a big fan of sports, but F1 has always been cool to me and I like the level of intensity there is. I obviously also like how attractive the racers are, but that’s not even the main reason why I watch it.” – Mana Soroush, 24
“I think F1 is cooler than Nascar, but it never interested me. I grew up around baseball, and I enjoy watching and playing the sport with friends & family. I like seeing how athletic the guys are on football teams and it’s entertaining to watch, but I never really got into F1. While I’m not super keen on sports drama, I would wanna know if something was going on with one of my favorite players or team because it would change my views on them.” – Tristan Morrow, 22
“F1 is so cool! There is so much passion in a sport like race car driving because it is so much harder than it looks. You need to have a lot of stamina, good hand-eye coordination, balance, and honestly a lot of mental capacity. I can’t even imagine how stressful it is for drivers to be performing that fiercely. It takes a lot of mental and physical strength to push through a sport like this, and also having a lot of trust, in general. While I’m a big Charles LeClerc fan, I’m glad Max Verstappen won again last year as the World Champion. He’s won three times in a row, so he is obviously doing something right. His training must be so crazy and it paid off well!”– Courtney Heitmiller, 25
“I think there’s always a debate on which sport is the hardest and I don’t think there’s a solidified answer out there. However, there’s a big difference because with sports like F1 and Nascar, they rely heavily on a machine that can malfunction at any time so a lot is out of their hands. I find F1 interesting, but was never into it since I’m not a car person. Personally, I think field sports are harder than race car driving. I feel like people who are into F1 or Nascar grew up loving cars.” – Henry Hanya, 21
“I’ve never watched F1 before, but I appreciate the sport because it takes a certain skill to drive like that. I would definitely watch it just to see how the entire race works and how fast the drivers are, and the drama for sure. I know a bit about the drivers, especially Ferrari. Carlos Sainz is the finest driver in the world and in history.” – Delaney Bryant, 23
Plenty of men prefer field sports like baseball and football over race car driving. Motorsports are either something they find interesting, but not interesting enough, or something they genuinely couldn’t care less about. Women, however, who have not watched it would be interested in learning more about it, and seeing the magic behind the wheels. Formula 1 is not for everyone, but it is a sport that should be appreciated by everyone because it genuinely is one of the most mentally and physically straining sports in the world.
When one says “Formula 1 is For The Girls,” that does not mean only women should watch it or only women care about the sport. It means that women understand the deeper level of strength, training, and pain one has to go through to be good at a motorsport. It means that women are appreciative and care about the racers and can get sentimental just like the racers themselves when a favorite driver wins or loses. It means that women who have not watched the sport still respect the amount of dedication and hard work racers must persevere through in order to build their image and bravery. It means that women see the drama and can empathize in certain situations. It means that women love the handsome, talented drivers and are cheering for them because they are so proud. It means that women know how these people put their lives on the line every time they are about to race. It means women can also love sports without having to prove how much they love the sport.