Women’s sports have experienced considerable advancements over time; however, Formula 1 (F1) has not witnessed comparable progress. The motor racing series is still predominantly male, owing to a range of factors including historical barriers, scarce opportunities for female drivers, and the perception that the sport’s physical demands are better suited to men.
While motorsport, in general, is advancing in terms of female representation, F1—regarded as the apex of racing—remains a notable exception, with no female driver currently competing at the World Championship level.
Go deeper with GlobalData
There are several reasons as to why it has been more than 50 years since a female driver, Lela Lombardi, competed in an F1 race. Firstly, there has been questions regarding whether F1 cars are built for male drivers, however, according to female drivers themselves, this is not an issue and neither is strength. Arguably, the main barriers for female racers to make it into F1 is funding.
For a driver to compete in F2, the step before F1, it can require budgets of up to $2.17 million per season. F3, a level below F2, typically costs around $1.3 million, while F4, which is an entry-level series, range from $130,165 to $325,414.
These expenses are typically funded through personal sponsorship or family wealth. For instance, Lance Stroll, a driver for Aston Martin, is the son of billionaire businessman Lawrence Stroll. Given Formula 1’s extensive platform, brands eagerly seize the opportunity to collaborate with an F1 driver.
However, the situation is markedly different for female racing drivers. It is no secret that women in motor racing attract significantly less media attention, and there is a dearth of historical precedent for female achievement at the pinnacle of motor racing.
The current situation has resulted in a self-perpetuating cycle in which a limited number of women ascend to premier racing levels, thereby reinforcing the misconception that female drivers lack commercial viability.
In the absence of the opportunities afforded to their male counterparts, female racing drivers are unlikely to achieve comparable success. A shift toward a more equitable sponsorship model in motorsports is essential; without it, numerous skilled female drivers will remain excluded from top-tier racing.
However, with initiatives and competitions like ‘More than Equal’ and ‘F1 Academy’, these barriers are being broken down.
Susie Wolff, wife of Toto Wolff, the CEO of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, and herself a former professional racing driver, is the current managing director of F1 Academy. The all-female racing series was launched by F1 in 2023 to develop and prepare female drivers for higher levels of motorsport, including Formula 3, Formula 2, and ultimately, Formula 1.
The 2025 season is set to feature seven rounds, with the series visiting three continents, including first-time appearances in Montreal, Canada, and Las Vegas. BeIN Sports will broadcast all seven rounds of the 2025 season live in English, Turkish, and Arabic in the Middle East and North Africa.
2025 is set to be a big year for F1 Academy, with a ‘Drive to Survive’ type series set to arrive on Netflix, after cameras followed the 2024 campaign. Particularly in the US, a lot of F1’s success can be attributed to the very successful Netflix hit series, and it is hoped that the F1 Academy series will be able to follow in the same footsteps.
The F1 Netflix series has attracted a new fan base to the sport, with Susie Wolff noting that 40% of F1 fans are now female, with women aged 18-24 emerging as the fastest-growing segment.
The shifting demographics of F1’s fanbase, as pointed out by Susie Wolff, shows a growing demand for diverse representation and narratives within the sport, paralleling the broader rise in viewership, investment, and engagement with women’s sport.
Sponsorship plays a crucial role in enabling women to ascend to F1, and F1 Academy has taken an initial step in this direction. Notably, F1 Academy has forged active partnerships with prominent brands such as TeamViewer, Tag Heuer, and PUMA.
Although the sponsorship portfolio of F1 Academy does not yet match the scale of F1’s sponsorship achievements, it represents a significant beginning and indicates that brands are beginning to recognize the commercial potential of affiliating with women’s motor racing events.
Furthermore, F1 Academy has taken measures to assist female drivers with the financial demands of competition. The series subsidizes $163,360 of each driver’s budget, with the teams contributing the remainder.
This approach renders the path to professional racing more attainable for female competitors. However, due to the substantial expenses associated with reaching the pinnacle of the sport, the journey remains challenging.
‘More than Equal’ is an organization co-founded by ex-F1 driver David Coulthard, himself a 13-time Grand Prix winner, and has partnered with Manchester Metropolitan University by putting six promising racing drivers through a driver development program, tailor-made to maximize their potential.
Including David, other members of the team behind this organization include Czech businessman Karel Komárek, the executive director of corporate affairs at England Rugby Ali Donnelly, Aquatics GB chair Karen Webb Moss, and Kate Beavan, the strategic advisor to the ‘More than Equal’ organization. Together, the main goal is to put a female on the F1 Podium.
The initiative is not expected to achieve overnight success, however, over the next decade, it aims to dismantle the deeply ingrained barriers within the sport. The W Series was established in response to the scarcity of opportunities for women in motorsport, providing female competitors with a championship based on merit and equal equipment. In its third season, the W Series reached a significant milestone, attracting one million UK viewers for the Silverstone race in 2022.
This viewership demonstrates that an all-female driver series not only has the potential to garner audience numbers comparable to those of male-dominated series but also highlights a substantial interest in watching women compete. From a business perspective, this represents a lucrative market worth exploring.
There is no definitive timeline for the introduction of a female driver to the F1 grid. Nevertheless, with the inception of the F1 Academy and initiatives such as ‘More than Equal’, it is reasonable to anticipate that we may witness the inclusion of a female driver on the F1 grid within the coming decade.
