We need more women in motorsport

The social media storm

In our digital age, there are more voices in this conversation than ever. Instead of fans discussing issues on their sofas with mates, most take to social media. There are more F1 news outlets than you could count, each with a different angle on the same story. Social media is great at keeping conversations going, and everyone gets their say. But equally, facts get lost, key voices are spoken over and hardly anyone is basing their opinions on reality.

When my editor suggested I write a column on women in motorsport, I thought how I could best serve you who are reading it. What everyone needs, in my opinion, is an accurate picture of where we’ve come from and where we are now. This picture needs to be based on valid research. So I took to Google Scholar, read a bunch of academic articles, and condensed what I found for you to read below.

To paint a picture of why we have motorsport gender inequality, it’s useful to split it by factors. If we understand the ‘why’, we’re equipped to find the ‘how’ to rectify it.

History

It’s important to look at where this discussion was 70-odd years ago, because ideas and attitudes live on, in people and in regulations. Also, how can we identify progress if we don’t know where we started?

In the 1900s female motorsport icons did exist. However, en masse, it was not considered the 'done thing'. Firstly, because doctors said no. In the early-to-mid-1900s, women were stopped from playing any sport, especially with men, on medical grounds - it was “too violent and dangerous.” This would naturally include motorsport, which in the UK was originally organised by ‘elitist’ and ‘exclusive’ gentleman’s clubs where women weren’t allowed. Although women were never forbidden from being in motorsport events, it was created for men by men. To participate would be unexpected and frowned upon. Finally, it was agreed that women’s job and identity was to be mothers. Being a full-time athlete became impossible because of one's expected commitment to motherhood. Women couldn’t hold two complete identities and jobs at once. This is known as a ‘double-bind’ – one which men didn’t have.

The Power of the Paddock

What motorsport's big names have said or are saying is crucial, especially now as it's broadcast to the masses. Whether they mean to or not, they automatically speak for the sport in a way the average fan doesn’t. And what they speak, isn’t always great.

Susie Wolff was Williams’ development driver from 2012-2015. The CEO of F1 at the time – Bernie Ecclestone – was twice asked his opinion on Wolff. Here’s what he said:

2012: "If she’s as quick in the car as she looks good out of the car, she’ll be a huge asset."

2016: "If there was somebody [female] that was capable, they wouldn’t be taken seriously anyway, so they would never have a car capable of competing."

Meanwhile David Coulthard, in 2017, said women aren’t capable of racing due to the “mothering gene”.

Some voices are more positive. When Susie Wolff posted her outrage after the FIA investigation in December 2023, Lewis Hamilton commented on her post: “Like Mrs Obama said, when they go low, we go high. Supporting you all the way.” Elsewhere, presenter Laura Winter did a striking piece to camera about women in motorsport being “right where they belong”.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Susie Wolff (@susie_wolff)

However, the paddock’s overwhelming silence on the events affecting women this F1 season is, in my opinion, irresponsible. The big voices speak for the sport. Not speaking, or in a lot of the drivers’ cases saying “I’m just here to race”, is a missed opportunity to reshape the sport’s attitude towards women. To say the least.

Presumed lower physical and mental abilities

Due to the G-Forces and temperatures drivers experience, women are sometimes seen as not strong enough to drive. But physical strength is a small element of what makes one ‘good’. What about the cars and the mental toughness? Especially in F1, championships over the last decades have arguably been won by the best car, not the best driver. Furthermore, motorsport demands supreme concentration, multitasking and resilience. Even assuming a ‘lesser’ physical ability, sex does not impact either of these arguably more important elements.

However, it is a fact that most of the world’s best drivers are male. There are very few women skilled enough to compete in the highest levels of motorsport. But does no one ever wonder why this is? In 2024 we know it’s not because women are incapable of being athletes – evidence of supreme female Olympians, footballers, rugby players etc. are all around us. It’s a complex problem, but a lot of it lies in the lack of opportunities as kids and teenagers. Girls often face neglect, stigmatisation and hostility when they do the so-called ‘boys’ sports’. As a result, many do not get the same experience and opportunities as their male counterparts. If you miss out on training, you miss out on skill. At the moment, only 13% of karters are female. Acknowledging this helps us to tackle the inequality. This is why Jamie Chadwick’s all-girl grassroot karting series is a brilliant step in the right direction.

Representation

There’s a saying: “you need to see it to be it.” When we look at motorsport, Caucasian boys have hundreds of role models they can identify with.  Somewhere in their brain, the answer to the subconscious question: ‘can someone like me be a racecar driver?’ is a resounding ‘yes’. Women, and those of other ethnicities, don’t have the same luxury. To increase female participation, we need active and successful female role models. I think gender equality in motorsport is not about finding a quantitative 50/50 split. Women who have been employed to fill an inclusivity hole will have that hanging over them their whole career. For me, it’s finding the high-quality, prolific female drivers to be role models. So how do we do that? Some women in NASCAR have put it brilliantly “it’s a funnel […] the top of the sport is going to depend on how many we get down the bottom.” Gender equality in motorsport isn’t about an inclusivity checklist. It’s about teasing out the champions from a full pool of potentials. It needs to look how men's motorsport does. Thousands, whittled down to hundreds, to tens, to the elite few. That's how you find your female motorsports stars.

Role Models

This column is not about doom and gloom. Thanks to the work and determination of many brilliant minds (of men and women), the fight against motorsport gender inequality is well on its way. Increasing numbers of women not just in the cars, but in the teams, the media etc. is brilliant to see and should be celebrated.

I think it would be only fitting to highlight a handful of incredible women in motorsport through the ages below. That way next time a young girl shows an interest in motorsport, you can show her the women who came before and fill her with hope that one day, she could do that too.

Jamie Chadwick

Nationality: British.

Age: 25

Work: Currently racing in Indy NXT. Former three-time World Champion in the W-Series (now F1 Academy).

Naomi Schiff  

Nationality: Rwandan-Belgian.

Age: 29

Work: Raced in Formula Volkswagen and the Bridgestone Special Open Trophy amongst others. She won the 2014 Clio Cup China Series and has competed in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. She now works as an F1 presenter and analyst.

Michèle Mouton

Nationality: French

Age: 72

Work: several years of the French championship, a le Mans class win, fifteen international rally wins, cars including a Lancia Stratos. Leader of the Women in Motorsport Commission, runner-up to the driver’s world championship in the world rally cross in 1982 and winner of the Pike’s peak (the most famous hill climb in the world).

Lella Lombardi

Nationality: Italian

Age: deceased (1941-1992)

Work: Most recent female F1 driver, in 1976 – also the only female to ever score points in F1.

Katherine Legge

Nationality: British

Age: 43

Work: Former DTM touring car driver (2008-2010), drove for the Amlin Aguri team in Formula E (2014-2015).

Chloe Grant

Nationality: Scottish.

Age: 18

Work: Made her car racing début in 2021, ending the Junior Saloon Car Championship in 14th. Moving to single-seaters in 2022, she finished the GB4 campaign 9th. She now drives for ART Grand Prix in the F1 Academy series.