More Than a Grid Girl: Why Is There Still No Woman on the F1 Grid?

More Than a Grid Girl: Why Is There Still No Woman on the F1 Grid?

Formula 1 is often considered the pinnacle of motorsport, a global spectacle where cutting-edge technology meets elite athleticism. Yet, despite its progressive branding and increasing efforts to embrace diversity, one glaring omission remains, there is still no woman on the F1 grid. While the sport has taken steps to modernise its image, moving away from outdated traditions like grid girls and introducing initiatives such as the W Series and F1 Academy, the fundamental barriers preventing women from competing at the highest level remain largely intact.

The Gender Politics of F1: From Grid Girls to Representation

For much of its history, women in F1 were primarily seen in decorative roles rather than as competitors. The use of grid girls, women employed to hold driver placards before races, became emblematic of the sport’s deeply ingrained gender norms. While F1 defended the tradition as part of its heritage, critics argued that it reinforced the idea that women belonged on the sidelines rather than in the cockpit. In 2018, Liberty Media, the sport’s owners, phased out grid girls, marking an attempt to modernise F1’s image. However, removing grid girls did not address the deeper issue of gender inequality in the sport.

The absence of women on the F1 grid is not due to a lack of talent or interest but a series of structural obstacles embedded in motorsport’s culture and development pipeline. From limited sponsorship opportunities to the deeply ingrained bias that sees young boys nurtured as future stars while girls are often overlooked, F1 has done little to create a truly level playing field.

The Women Who Paved the Way

Women have historically been sidelined in F1, but that does not mean they have never competed. Five women have started a Grand Prix in the sport’s history, with Italian driver Lella Lombardi being the only one to score points, finishing sixth in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. Others, like Maria Teresa de Filippis and Giovanna Amati, attempted to break through but were met with challenges ranging from underperforming cars to a lack of serious backing.

More recently, drivers like Susie Wolff and Tatiana Calderón have found themselves in development and test driver roles, but without the financial and institutional support needed to secure a full-time seat. The few women who do make it into junior formulae often struggle to progress due to the sport’s pay-to-play model, where drivers rely on funding from sponsors to climb the ranks. Even in other racing disciplines, women like Danica Patrick in IndyCar and Simona de Silvestro in Formula E have proven that women can compete at the highest levels given the right opportunities.

Have Initiatives Like W Series and F1 Academy Made a Difference?

Recognising these barriers, motorsport has introduced initiatives aimed at increasing female participation. The W Series, launched in 2019, was a women-only championship designed to provide female drivers with a competitive platform and exposure. While it did highlight talented drivers like Jamie Chadwick, the series ultimately struggled with financial instability and failed to provide a clear pathway to F1. Many critics argued that segregating women into their own category did little to challenge the systemic biases within the sport.

In response, F1 launched the F1 Academy in 2023, an all-female junior series intended to nurture young talent from karting to professional racing. Unlike the W Series, it is directly backed by F1, and its participants receive financial support. While this is a step in the right direction, the effectiveness of the programme remains to be seen, and it does not yet address the root issue, ensuring that women have equal opportunities within the existing mixed-gender competitions. Furthermore, the lack of media coverage and integration with mainstream motorsport continues to raise concerns about whether these initiatives are genuinely helping women progress or merely serving as PR exercises.

The Roadblocks to an F1 Seat

For a woman to reach F1, she must progress through the junior categories, which means competing in Formula 3 and Formula 2 against male drivers. The issue is that these series are brutally competitive, and without significant funding and experience from an early age, breaking through is nearly impossible. Motorsport is expensive, and sponsorship is often dictated by marketability and perceived return on investment. Many teams and sponsors still hesitate to back female drivers, fearing they may not be as competitive or lucrative as their male counterparts.

Additionally, the culture of motorsport remains male-dominated. Women in the paddock, whether as drivers, engineers, or journalists, often speak of the sexism they face, ranging from patronising attitudes to outright harassment. Until these cultural attitudes shift, the barriers for women in F1 will not be purely financial or logistical but social as well. Academic research on gender bias in sport, such as that by Cheryl Cooky and Nicole LaVoi, suggests that deeply ingrained stereotypes about women’s physical capabilities and leadership potential in male-dominated fields play a significant role in limiting opportunities.

What Needs to Change?

If F1 is serious about seeing a woman on the grid, it needs to do more than introduce female-only feeder series. Key changes must include more funding and sponsorships must be allocated to girls in karting and junior formulae to ensure they receive the same development opportunities as their male counterparts. Instead of segregated female competitions, women must be integrated into the existing talent pipeline with additional support to counteract historical disadvantages. Motorsport needs to challenge its own biases by encouraging teams to sign and develop female drivers, creating an environment where women are viewed as equals. F1 Academy and other programmes must be held to measurable outcomes to ensure they genuinely lead to progression rather than becoming PR exercises.  Increasing representation of women in technical and managerial positions within F1 can help shift the broader culture and create pathways for future female competitors.

The presence of women in F1 should go beyond symbolism. Removing grid girls and launching female-only series are surface-level changes unless they are accompanied by deeper structural reforms. F1 prides itself on being at the cutting edge of technology and innovation, yet when it comes to gender equality, it lags behind. If the sport truly wants to see a woman on the grid, it must dismantle the barriers that have kept them out for decades. Until then, F1’s progressive branding remains just that, a brand, rather than a reality. The first female F1 driver of the modern era will not just be making history; she will be proving that talent, not gender, should determine who takes the wheel.