Women's Setbacks In Motorsport

This article will cover a range of setbacks and obstacles women who are looking to get into motorsports have to overcome, from physical differences all the way to sexism faced in the sport.

(Image Credits to @F1academy on Instagram)

History: 

The inclusion of women in motorsports has always been an ever-growing discussion as the sport expands and more people learn about it. Whether women are trying to grow into a driver, an engineer or as part of the media crew, they face a large range of challenges that come with being a woman in a male-dominated world.

Sexism in the sport: 

Being a woman in a predominantly male-led field unfortunately means you will most likely face sexism in direct and/or indirect situations. Common examples, especially in the Formula series, are men implying that the majority of women interested in motorsport are largely due to the attraction they may feel to the drivers, their belief that it is an opportunity to gain fame or a strategy to seem more attractive themselves. This is just not true. Many women are interested in motorsport for a diverse range of reasons, whether it be that they are interested in the engineering side of the sport or the media side, women deserve the chance to share and interact with that interest just as men do.

Physical differences in female and male drivers: 

When the idea of females in any male-dominated sport is brought up, the topic of biological and physical differences often quickly follows. One part of this conversation is strength. Typically, due to biological makeup, men carry more strength than women. Especially in feeder categories such as F2 and F3, where power steering is not used, this can be a disruption in the level of competitiveness women are able to achieve, making it harder for them to prove themselves.

How F1 Academy has helped Women in Motorsports: 

F1 Academy is an all-female formula category introduced in 2023, with Susie Wolff directing its development. F1 Academy gives girls a chance to prove themselves with the F1 teams all supporting a different driver. The first winner of F1 Academy was Marta García López, followed by last year's (2024) winner, Abbi Pulling. Abbi, along with Bianca Bustamante, a previous F1 Academy driver, are now competing in the GB3 championship. F1 Academy races along some of the F1 weekends, giving the drivers a stage to prove themselves to fans watching on and providing an opportunity for expanding the sport. Even though F1 Academy has only been around for 3 years, it has already helped so many more women be noticed by F1 teams and other sponsors, which helps them move forward in their motorsport careers. 

Goal for the future of motorsports: 

Goals for women in motorsports are ever expanding with the main goal being to introduce another female driver into the Formula 1 series. Susie Wolff, the director of F1 Academy, says the deadline for getting a woman into Formula 1 is 2030. Another goal of the sport is to have more female engineers; a great example of this is Esteban Ocon’s race engineer, Laura Mueller, the first full-time female race engineer in F1 history.

Article written by Paige Watt