Formula one (F1), commonly known as the pinnacle of motorsport, is packed with intensity, drama, prestige, and high stakes. 20 individuals racing throughout the world in some of the fastest cars ever made. Despite everything that Formula One encompasses, there is one aspect that is seriously lacking- women. Women in motorsport is not a new phenomenon. In fact, women have been pushing the boundaries of motorsport since 1897 in the first known female motorized tricycle race! The first woman to race successfully at the international level was Camille du Gast, entering the 1901 Paris-Lyon road race after being inspired to begin racing the year prior. Starting in 122nd place, and being placed at a serious disadvantage because she was a woman, she finished 19th. Du Gast was one of the most successful pioneer women in motorsport, yet still was a victim to the ACF banning women from racing at all after road racing, the only form women were allowed to race in, was banned due to its treacherous history.
To this day, there have only ever been five female F1 drivers. After Giovanna Amati in 1992, there have only been two women to drive in a modern F1 car separate from racing. Women’s spaces in racing such as the W Series, an all female single seat racing championship, have been struggling tremendously. The W Series lasted 3 short years before succumbing to a lack of funding. Only in 2023 did the official organization that establishes regulations and governs motor sport (the FIA) established a new official all women’s league named the Formula One Academy. This is a giant step for female racers, increasing accessibility to races and new content for both drivers and fans. Though it is not given the same amount of attention as the Formula One races on ESPN or Sky Sports, the Academy races are streamed free on Youtube and X in an attempt to increase viewership and awareness for this area of the sport.
Teams are starting to represent their female drivers and crew more and more through social media and interviews. Now is the time for women in motorsport to finally get the recognition they deserve. Hannah Schmitz, the Principal Strategy Engineer of the F1 Red Bull Racing team, has been getting showered with praise for her performance and role in the domination of Red Bull in the past few racing seasons. Teams such as Mclaren, Williams, and Mercedes have adopted more women drivers into their development programs and junior academy teams. Susie Wolff, an enormously celebrated racer in the early-2000s, is married to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and is involved in their strategy and success. Even three time world champion Max Verstappen was heavily influenced by his mothers success in Formula racing.
It’s a fact, there has been a long history of misogyny in the world of motorsport. But now we are seeing massive developments in women’s programs to push against those false narratives and oppressive bans. I encourage you, if this piqued your interest at all, to go out and support female racers. Watch an F1 Academy race, and support females in male dominated spaces. We are seeing more and more engineering, strategy, and racing jobs filled by intelligent, passionate women. The future for women in the world of motorsport is bright, and will only become more successful with each season.