Women Belong In Racing Culture

Motorsport has historically been a male-dominated sport, from the garages to the pitlanes, even the grandstands. But there has been a shift in this narrative recently. Women have always had a place within racing culture, not only as fans but as competitors and leaders. The difference is that now more people are noticing the change.

(Image credits to Sky Sports)

Breaking The Stereotype

Since the beginning of different motorsport series gaining popularity, the image of a race car driver has always been painted as 'fast and fearless' and well, implicitly, a man, with women more often than not being relegated to side-roles. But this framing misses the truth, not talking about the incredible women in motorsports history such as Maria Teresa de Filippis, Lella Lombardi, Divina Galica, Desire Wilson and Giovanna Amati.

These are 5 women who have entered a Grand Prix with de Fillipis and Lombardi qualifying and starting a race and Lombardi being the only female championship point scorer in Formula 1's history, but that is always left unspoken.

Or even in other motorsport series, with Janet Guthrie being the first woman to qualify for both the Indy 500 and Daytona 500. These moments prove that the skill, precision and courage needed behind the wheel aren't bound by gender.

Even today, drivers such as Jamie Chadwick, Abbi Pulling and former racing driver Susie Wolff are inspiring a new generation to view motorsport not as a 'boys' club but rather as an open arena where it's talent that defines success. With initiatives such as F1 Academy in place, it allows for equal opportunities to arise and helps bridge the gap in terms of representation

Female Fans - The Untold Backbone Of Racing

It's not just on track where women matter. Women make up a huge portion of racing's fan base, this being at around 41% for Formula 1. From different social media groups and gatherings, women are shaping the conversation, producing content and creating communities bringing together motorsport fans worldwide.

Despite this, female fans still get criticised constantly and dismissed as 'bandwagoners' and judged based on their knowledge of the sport and how well they can recite statistics. This type of behaviour really limits the growth of racing culture as a whole as it ignores the passion and expertise women bring to the table.

Why Representation Matters

When girls see women competing within motorsport or even just getting respected as part of the fan culture, they see a place where they belong in motorsport. Representation matters all across the motorsport industry and not just in the driver's seat.

The motorsport industry thrives on innovation and diversity. Holding women back from being part of the motorsport community holds the sport back as well. It’s the hope that gender labels will be used less, with drivers just being drivers, whether they are female or male, instead of there being a stigma around women in motorsport.

Article written by Ria Wiktor