Let’s Get Real: Why Aren’t Women Racing in F1?
You’re glued to the Monaco Grand Prix. Cars knife through Casino Square. The roar is electric. Then it hits you: ‘Where are all the female race car drivers?‘ Hold that thought. Because here’s the turbocharged truth: Motorsport is one of the few sports where gender doesn’t dictate who wins. Physics doesn’t care who’s behind the wheel. A woman can outdrive a man in F1 or tame a WRC beast on gravel. Yet the top tiers? It still feels like a high-speed boys’ club. So why the gap? Let’s dispel five toxic myths with cold, hard facts and the stories of fearless pioneers who have faced today’s struggles. And this isn’t Grandpa’s dusty history lesson.
- Myth #1: 'Racing Has Always Been Split By Gender'
- Myth #2: 'Females Aren't Interested in Motorsport'
- Myth #3: 'Females Race Car Driver's Talent Pool Is Too Small'
- Myth #4: 'Female Race Car Drivers Aren't Physically Strong Enough'
- Myth #5: 'Separate Series (W Series/F1 Academy) Fast-Track Femake racers to F1/WRC'
- The Real Reason Women Vanish From Formula 1
Myth #1: ‘Racing Has Always Been Split By Gender’
Fact: Nope! Early races were shockingly co-ed.
Picture 1901. The Paris-Berlin race. Men line up in their early machines. Among them? Camille du Gast, one of France’s wealthiest women, piloting her Panhard & Levassor. No ‘gentlemen only’ rulebook barred her. She raced flat-out alongside the men – just seven years after motorsport’s birth (1894 Paris-Rouen!).
Du Gast and fellow pioneer Hélène van Zuylen earned fierce respect. Du Gast even became an official of the Automobile Club de France. You can check Wikipedia.
More proof?
The history books are littered with female speed demons:
- Le Mans Legends: Odette Siko (with Marguerite Mareuse) finished 4th overall in 1932 – still the best female result there. Milka Duno took 2nd at Daytona Female 2007. Keiko Ihara became the first Asian woman to finish Le Mans (2014).
- NASCAR Groundbreakers: Sara Christian (first female NASCAR driver, 1949). Louise Smith (38 wins, 1949-56, ‘First Lady of Racing‘).
- F1 Firsts: Maria Teresa de Filippis (first F1 woman, 1958). Lella Lombardi – the only woman to score F1 points (Spain 1975!) – also conquered Le Mans, NASCAR, and DTM and ran her team.
- WRC Warrior: Pat Moss (Stirling’s sister) finished 6th in the brutal 1963 Acropolis Rally.
- Indy 500 Icon: Aerospace engineer Janet Guthrie shattered the barrier, qualifying for the Indy 500 in 1977.
💡 Reality Check: The rules didn’t ban women. However, the ‘old boys’ club’ mentality in motorsport built invisible walls. Although World War II broke down barriers, the momentum stalled.
Myth #2: ‘Females Aren’t Interested in Motorsport’
Fact: Ladies were gearheads before cars had roofs!
Bertha Benz (yes, that Benz) made the first long-distance drive ever in 1888 (106 km!) to prove her husband’s invention worked. Madame Labrousse finished 5th in the grueling Paris-Spa race way back in 1899.
Dorothy Levitt, ‘the world’s fastest girl,’ set endurance records driving over two days in the 1905 De Dion-Bouton race. She even taught Queen Alexandra to drive! Even the terrifying Targa Florio didn’t scare off Eliska Junkova in 1926.
And it’s not just driving.
Females Are Engineering Dominance and Running Teams:
- Hannah Schmitz: Red Bull’s Principal Strategy Engineer. Her genius calls helped the team win 4 straight titles (2021-2024). Mercedes’s nightmares feature her.
- Laura Mueller: Highly sought-after race engineer, joining Haas for Ocon in 2025.
- Susie Wolff: Ex-F1 tester → Venturi Racing CEO → Boss of F1 Academy → Co-founder ‘Dare to be Different.’
- Deborah Mayer: Founded the all-female IRON DAMES. Their pink Porsche battles for wins in Le Mans and WEC!
- Leena Gade: Made history as the first female race engineer to WIN Le Mans (2011) – then did it again in 2012 & 2014 with Audi!
- Angela Ashmore: First woman on a winning Indy 500 pit crew (2022, Chip Ganassi).
- Sydney Prince: Breaking ground as an engineer on Jimmie Johnson’s 2024 NASCAR Cup team.
💡 Reality Check: Females don’t just drive. They engineer software (Ellie Slater, Alpine), craft race-winning strategy (Bernadette Collins, Aston Martin), and lead teams. The passion runs deep and wide.
Myth #3: ‘Females Race Car Driver’s Talent Pool Is Too Small’
Fact: Talent isn’t lacking—opportunity is.
Meet today’s phenoms, female racers, proving skill knows no gender:
- Cristina Gutiérrez: Dakar Rally T3 Class Winner (2023) & First Female Extreme E Champion (2022 w/ Loeb).
- Jamie Chadwick: Dominated W Series → First woman since 2010 to win in Indy Lights (2024) → Third woman to win an Indy NXT race.
- Katherine Legge: First woman to win Toyota Atlantic Championship (2022). She holds the fastest female Indy 500 qualifying record.
- Lilou Wadoux: First woman to win a WEC race (6h Spa 2023).
- Sarah Bovy: First female driver EVER to take a WEC pole position (Monza 2022).
- Simona de Silvestro: First woman to score FIA Formula E points (9th, Long Beach 2016).
But here’s the kicker. So many talents vanish, not from lack of skill, but support:
- Toni Breidinger: (20+ NASCAR top 10s) → Now a Victoria’s Secret model.
- Lindsay Brewer: (Indy NXT) juggles racing with modeling to fund her dream.
💡 Reality Check: Max Verstappen had Jos. Oscar Piastri had Mark Webber. Lewis Hamilton backs Gutiérrez. Women rarely get the necessary sponsorship and mentorship. Talent is overflowing; the system isn’t tapping it.
Myth #4: ‘Female Race Car Drivers Aren’t Physically Strong Enough’
Fact: Racing relies on skill, endurance, and guts—not biceps.
These legendary women racers bulldozed the strength myth:
- Michèle Mouton: Won 4 WRC rallies, nearly snatching the 1982 title. ‘She scared us,’ rivals admitted. Mouton conquered Pikes Peak (1984-85).
- Danica Patrick: First woman to win an IndyCar race (2008) & snag a Daytona 500 pole (2013). The first woman with 100 NASCAR Cup starts.
- Sarah Fisher had been racing the Indianapolis 500 nine times. You know, it’s more than any other female race car driver!
- Denise McCluggage won the GT at Sebring in 1961 and a class win at the Monte Carlo Rally in a Ford Falcon in 1964.
- Jutta Kleinschmidt: First woman to WIN Dakar (2001) (after switching from bikes!).
- Sabine Schmitz: “Queen of the Nürburgring.” Won the 24h race twice. Lapped it 20,000+ times.
More examples?
- Shirley Muldowney: Drag Racing’s ‘First Lady.’ Won NHRA Top Fuel titles (1977, 80, 82) after they tried to BAN women. She came back from a near-fatal 1984 crash to race through the 90s. However, she back to race, like in Niki Lauda‘s story.
- Bia Figueiredo: First woman to win in Indy Lights, beating the men (Nashville 2008, Iowa 2008).
- Ellen Lohr took the podium in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) in 1986, Salzburgring in 1987, and even won the race at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg in 1992!
- Shawna Robinson won the Dash race at New Asheville Speedway and became the first woman to win a NASCAR Touring event in 1988.
💡 Reality Check: Modern F1 cars have power steering. Endurance? Sarah Bovy’s WEC pole (2022) proves it. The ‘strength’ argument is stuck in the 1950s pit lane. It’s about supreme car control, mental fortitude, and bravery.
Myth #5: ‘Separate Series (W Series/F1 Academy) Fast-Track Femake racers to F1/WRC’
Fact: Segregation hasn’t bridged the gap – yet.
Programs like W Series (2019-2022) and F1 Academy (2023-present) offer free seats and exposure. But:
- Zero W Series graduates reached F1.
- Jamie Chadwick moved to IndyCar after 3 dominant titles.
- As IndyCar veteran Pippa Mann warned: ‘Segregation is a sad day for motorsport.’
Success came fastest when women raced alongside men.
The Equal-Opportunity Heroes: Famous Female Rally Drivers
- Fabrizia Pons: Co-drove Mouton’s legendary WRC wins.
- Christine Dacremont: Finished 6th overall in the brutal 1977 Monte Carlo Rally.
- Marianne Fourton: 4th at Rally France (1968) in an Alpine A110.
- Isolde Holderied: 8th at Rally Monte Carlo (1997).
- Paola de Martini: Consistent WRC top 10 finishers (1988-1990).
💡 Reality Check: As Nico Rosberg notes, the core issue is sponsorship and mentorship, not skill. Janet Guthrie nailed it: ‘A successful woman gets 10x the attention of a man… but 1/10th the funding.‘
The Real Reason Women Vanish From Formula 1
It’s not talent. It’s cash.
IndyCar star Pippa Mann missed the 2020 Indy 500. Despite her past success, no sponsor wrote the check. Janet Guthrie then famously boycotted over funding disparities.
The Paradox: Women draw massive crowds (Danica Patrick’s 2013 Daytona pole drew 16M viewers!). Yet brands still hesitate to invest at the level needed for the top tiers.
The Future? Light at the Tunnel’s End!
- F1 teams now boast >10% female staff (engineers, strategists, directors) – a record high.
- F1 Academy mandates team backing for female drivers (e.g., Ferrari’s Maya Weug).
- Iron Dames are regular podium threats at Le Mans and in WEC.
However, one day soon, a woman will stand on the F1 podium. She’ll have a Lella Lombardi tattoo, Hannah Schmitz’s strategic brilliance, and Michèle Mouton’s fearless heart.
Until then? Celebrate every woman rewriting the rulebook – one daring lap at a time. Â
