Pit Stops and Lip Gloss: How F1 Academy and Charlotte Tilbury are Changing the Game in Female Motorsports

In November 2022, Formula 1 announced the creation of the F1 Academy. Kicking off its inaugural season in 2023, F1 Academy would be a women-only junior level racing championship, launched with the goal of developing and preparing young female drivers to advance into higher levels of competition. Despite making up approximately 40% of Formula 1 fans, women remain drastically underrepresented in motorsports both on and off the track. Only five female drivers have raced in a Formula 1 Grand Prix, compared to over seven hundred men. Additionally, in the 2023 Gender Pay Gap Report, Formula 1 reported that just 31% of their permanent employees were women. This gap can also be observed through individual Formula 1 teams, with two of the sports leading teams, Mercedes and Redbull, reporting that women made up 13% and 6% of their respective employees. 

F1 Academy aims to ease the transition from karting to the single-seat ladder, and operates as a spec series, with all participating drivers competing in identical Tatuus F4-T421 cars. Five teams currently compete in the championship, including ART Grand Prix, Campos Racing, MP Motorsport, Roden Motorsport, as well as Prema Racing – reigning F1 Academy champions after Marta Garcia won the inaugural 2023 season. F1 Academy races are composed of four main components: one forty-minute practice session, one thirty-minute qualifying session (in which the driver’s fastest lap will determine their grid position for race one), followed by two thirty-minute races. Points are awarded to the drivers in pole positions one and two, and to the top ten finishers in each race. Similar to the Formula 1 points system, F1 Academy awards one additional point to the driver with the fastest lap time. 

Since its creation, F1 Academy has caught the world’s attention. Following its first season, which controversially was not broadcasted, it was determined that every race of the second season would be available to view live in over 160 international territories. In May 2023, it was also announced that a docuseries featuring F1 Academy was in the works by Reese Witherspoon’s production company, Hello Sunshine. This show is expected to be available to Netflix viewers in 2025. 

Continuing down the path of growth, in February 2024, F1 Academy announced a new groundbreaking partnership with the popular makeup and skincare brand Charlotte Tilbury. This partnership marks Charlotte Tilbury’s first-ever global sports sponsorship, and makes them both the first beauty brand and the first female-founded brand to become a sponsor of F1 Academy. In a 2024 article, Charlotte Tilbury shared that “empowering everyone, everywhere to unlock the magic of confidence has always been (her) passion and purpose – a vision shared by Susie Wolff and F1 Academy.” With a global platform and nearly seven million followers online, Charlotte Tilbury’s support will bring an unprecedented amount of new eyes to the accomplishments and talent of F1 Academy drivers; inspiring future generations of women to pursue careers in motorsport. 

Rodin Motorsport’s Lola Lovinfosse, an 18-year-old driver from France, is racing in the Charlotte Tilbury car this season. Formally referred to as the “Charlotte Tilbury operated by Rodin Motorsport” car, Lovinfosse’s Tatuus F4-T421, racing suit, and helmet are all Charlotte Tilbury branded and feature the phrase “MAKEUP YOUR DESTINY!”—an ode to the #MakeUpYourDestiny women’s empowerment social media campaign that was launched by Charlotte Tilbury over ten years ago. 

Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy has been a constant advocate for women and girls chasing their dreams despite the odds. Like most professional sports, motorsports has historically been male-dominated. Women have traditionally lacked opportunities to pursue motorsports at a high level, and even as opportunities such as F1 Academy begin to present themselves in the industry, it can still be challenging for young women to gather the confidence to put themselves out there in a predominantly male environment. By partnering with Charlotte Tilbury, a brand that has been working for years to empower and encourage young women to chase their dreams, F1 Academy and its drivers will be promoted to young women across the world – showing a new generation that they are just as worthy of a career in motorsports as their male counterparts. 

The fight for women’s equality in sports is far from over, but leagues such as F1 Academy and sponsors such as Charlotte Tilbury are setting the precedent; opening up the traditionally male-dominated world of motorsports to talented young women across the globe.