rethink racing Archives - The Formula is Female

F1 Academy vs. W Series: What’s the Difference?

December 14, 2022 No Comments

Formula 1 announced last month that they will be launching a new all-women driver series for 2023 called F1 Academy. This announcement has been met with criticism from the public, with people questioning the need for another all-women series. Many people also questioned how F1 Academy would differ from the existing (and struggling) W Series. The F1 Academy, much like the W Series, is designed as a feeder series to address the barriers women in Motorsport face and provide female drivers with the necessary opportunity and experience to advance to higher levels of competition. So, what exactly is the difference between the two?

F1 Academy progression path. — Credit: Formula 1

Cost

Unlike the W Series, the F1 Academy will not be free for drivers to enter. F1 will help to support drivers in F1 Academy by contributing €150,000 per car. However, drivers are required to cover the same amount of costs, with the teams covering the rest.

Engine

As of 2022, the W Series uses a Tatuus F3 T318 chassis with a 4-cylinder turbocharged engine, which produces 270 horsepower. F1 Academy drivers will be using a Tatuus T421 chassis with turbocharged engines that produce 165 horsepower. This means the cars in F1 Academy will be slower in comparison to those used in the W Series. Both cars will remain significantly slower than an F3 car, which produces 380 horsepower.

Teams

F1 Academy will consist of five teams, which will be run by current F2 and F3 teams. Each team will enter three cars, making up a 15-car grid. While the W Series is also made up of several teams, these teams exist solely for sponsorship and identification purposes.

Tyres

One advantage that F1 Academy drivers will have is the use of Pirelli tyres. Pirelli currently supplies the tyres for F4, F3, F2, and F1 and offers multiple different tyre compounds to choose from. This means F1 Academy drivers will be able to gain experience using multiple different tyre compounds, which are integral to the race strategy. Hankook will remain the tyre partner for the W Series, and currently, only offer dry and wet tyre compounds.

Ultimately, there are pros and cons to both the W Series and F1 Academy. And while they both may be considered feeder series’, there are still some fundamental differences between these cars and the cars in higher levels of competition. Still, the F1 Academy is a positive thing for women in Motorsport. F1 Academy is providing more opportunities for female drivers to succeed and is helping to increase women’s representation across the grid. It also shows F1’s commitment to increasing diversity and inclusivity within the sport. I am looking forward to seeing how F1 Academy helps inspire more young girls and women and helps to open more avenues for them to enter and succeed in this sport.

Women in Motorsport

Lella Lombardi: The Only Woman to Score Points in a Formula 1 World Championship

July 19, 2022 No Comments

As the first and only woman to score points in a Formula 1 World Championship, Lella Lombardi remains one of the most successful and influential women figures in Motorsport and F1.

Lombardi was born in Frugarolo, Italy in 1941, and despite her family’s concerns and public perception at the time, she had a passion for cars and racing. She spent her teen years driving the delivery van for her family’s butcher shop and saved every dollar she made to buy her first car. It was this car that she participated in her first race with, in Formula Monza, 1965. Two years after her debut in Formula Monza, Lombardi moved on to Formula 850 where she won four out of the ten races, eventually taking the World Championship in 1971. Lombardi briefly moved on to the Italian F3 where she finished tenth in the Championship for two consecutive years.

Lombardi continued to impress with her skills and ability to handle the car, leading to her participation in multiple other series’ before racing for F1. In 1975, Lombardi made her F1 debut in South Africa, becoming the only other woman after Maria Teresa de Filippis to qualify for a Grand Prix. In only her second F1 race, she scored her infamous half-point at the Spanish GP, making her the only woman to score points in a F1 World Championship. Lombardi was also praised for her ability to finish seventh at the German GP despite suffering from a puncture.

Lombardi’s career was impressive, but what makes her a true inspiration was her determination and resilience. Her ability to persist and succeed despite public perception and criticism is nothing short of inspiring. Lella Lombardi did not care what others had to say about her, and she certainly did not allow the opinions of others to prevent her from doing what she loved. Lombardi’s story continues to inspire many of us to live our lives on our own terms, without apology.

Women in Motorsport

Susie Wolff and How She’s Changing the Future of Formula 1

June 29, 2022 No Comments

Susie Wolff has always demonstrated a passion for Motorsport, and her indisputable talent has contributed to her incredibly successful career. Not only has Wolff made Formula 1 history, but she has also launched and participated in several successful initiatives to help increase the number of young girls and women in karting, making her one of the greatest trailblazers for women in Motorsport.

Wolff started her career in Motorsport like many other successful racers, in karting. At only 13 years old, Wolff was crowned British Woman Kart Racing Driver of the Year. Wolff held this title for four years in a row and was eventually named the Top Female Kart Driver in the World. After a successful karting career, Wolff began her professional racing career in the Formula Renault UK Championship in 2001. Wolff managed three podium finishes and was nominated twice for the British Young Driver of the Year Award. In 2005, Wolff briefly competed in Formula 3, where she started two races, scoring points in one. However, an ankle injury ruined her chances of participating in a full season.

Wolff joined Williams Racing in 2012 as a development driver and held this position for three seasons before her promotion to Test Driver in 2015. At the British Grand Prix in 2014, Wolff made history by becoming the first woman to participate in a Formula 1 weekend in over 22 years by entering FP1 for Williams. Mechanical issues forced Wolff to retire after only one lap, but she participated in another FP1 at Hockenheim later that year and appeared as the team’s test driver twice more before retiring from her career in Motorsport to focus on her Dare to be Different initiative, which launched in 2016.

Dare to be Different was designed to inspire young girls and women from all different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds to become involved in all areas of Motorsport. In 2016, Dare to be Different had five major headlining events, where girls had the opportunity to try out karting with mentoring provided by highly successful women in Motorsport. At the events, young girls were also able to talk with women in STEM about career opportunities in Motorsport and were able to try out media presentations with Sky Sports. Wolff’s hard work and dedication to diversity and women in Motorsport led to her being awarded an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 2017.

In 2019, The FIA Women in Motorsport Commission and Dare to be Different joined forces to launch a new motorsport program for young girls ages 8-18, Girls on Track. The first Girls on Track event took place at the 2019 CBMN Niobium Mexico City E-Prix and had several activities for the girls to take part in such as karting, pit-stop challenges, media training, STEM activities, and fitness/well-being workshops. Wolff also made history in 2018 by becoming the first female team principal of a Formula E team, VENTURI racing. Wolff has stated that her team is full of a lot of great women, and not because they are there to reach a quota.

“There are a lot of great women within my team that were employed because they are the best people for the job, not because they are women. I think it is getting better but fundamentally, it is still a man’s world.”

Wolff’s incredible success demonstrates to young girls and women across the world that a career in Motorsport is possible. Moreover, with her dedication to increasing the number of women in Motorsport through her initiative Dare to be Different, Wolff is breaking down the barriers women disproportionately face in karting when it comes to numbers, equal opportunity, and money. This gives young girls the opportunity to showcase their talent and develop successful careers. It is without a doubt that Wolff’s one of Motorsports’ greatest role models. Her success and relentless commitment to increasing the number of women in Motorsport are nothing short of inspirational. Not only are Wolff’s efforts guaranteed to change the involvement of women in the industry, but they will also greatly impact the future of Motorsport for generations to come.

Mercedes

Mercedes Diversity and Inclusion Program: Accelerate 25

June 22, 2022 No Comments

In 2020, Mercedes launched a new 5-year program, Accelerate 25, aimed at improving the representation of minority ethnic backgrounds and women within their team and across the grid. Accelerate 25 is a program designed to support Mercedes in achieving their goal of hiring at least 25% of new employees from under-represented groups until 2025. As part of this program, Mercedes has partnered with the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers UK (AFBE-UK), Mulberry Schools Trust, and social enterprise the Stemettes.

AFBE-UK aims to inspire Black people and people from other ethnic minority backgrounds to pursue a career in engineering, including providing these individuals with the necessary tools and support to ensure a long and successful career. Mercedes and AFBE-UK have worked to develop several formal programs and events to help reach and connect to members of Black and ethnic minority communities. In addition, Mercedes has undergone an audit to identify and eradicate any potential obstacles in the way of recruiting more employees from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Mulberry Schools Trust has partnered with Mercedes to help launch the Mulberry STEM Academy. The Mulberry STEM Academy is an extra-curricular program designed to provide vocational training and specialized classes for young students ages 7-18 in areas such as science, technology, engineering, and math. One of Mulberry STEM Academy’s priorities is increasing diversity and representation in STEM and they have taken the necessary steps to help enroll more students from ethnic minority and disadvantaged backgrounds into the program. The program helps provide students with the knowledge and experience required to make them desirable employees in the world of STEM and the Mercedes F1 team.

Mercedes has also committed to inspiring and supporting young women on their journey in STEM, and in 2021, announced its partnership with Stemettes. Stemettes is a social enterprise within the UK designed to support young girls and women, as well as young non-binary individuals into careers in STEM. As part of the partnership, a 4-month mentoring program was developed where young students from the Stemettes (primarily students from ethnic minority backgrounds and low socio-economic backgrounds) were paired with Mercedes F1 engineers to support and encourage their involvement in STEM.

As part of the Accelerate 25 program, the Mercedes F1 team also introduced unconscious bias awareness training for their recruiters, as well as a program for management called “Inclusive Excellence.” Diversity and Inclusion training was also implemented and is required to be completed by every Mercedes employee.

Mercedes has been incredibly vocal regarding their stance on diversity and inclusion for numerous years. However, the implementation of the Accelerate 25 program shows that Mercedes is willing to put a tangible effort into creating real and sustainable change regarding diversity and representation in Formula 1. Accelerate 25 should serve as an inspiration to all Formula 1 teams and illustrates the importance of not only speaking up but of putting in the physical work to support real and necessary change.

Women in Motorsport

Why Are There No Women in Formula 1?

June 1, 2022 No Comments

There are no formal regulations preventing women from competing in Formula 1 (F1), yet it has been several decades since we’ve seen a woman on the grid. No evidence suggests that women would suffer from physical limitations in F1, making it one of the only sports in the world where women and men can compete against one another without the former being at a disadvantage. Several women have not only competed in but have had incredibly successful careers in other motorsport series, so why do women face such difficulty when it comes to succeeding in F1?

Money

Formula 1 is one of the most expensive sports in the world. If an aspiring driver wishes to even come close to racing for F1, they must first fork over millions of dollars to climb their way up and secure a seat. While some drivers have the privilege of being financially supported by their familial wealth, many drivers receive the necessary funding through sponsors. However, the unfortunate reality is that these sponsorships are notoriously difficult to come by, especially if you are a woman. This leads to a vicious cycle of women lacking the necessary support to be successful, and as a result, sponsors are even less likely to supply them with funding.

Numbers

F1 is not only highly expensive but it is also extremely competitive, and numbers play a huge factor in why we don’t see women in the sport. Women are largely outnumbered in the world of motorsport, making the competition even greater. With junior teams only selecting a handful of drivers, the chance of a woman being chosen for one of these seats is near zero.

Representation

One of the reasons women are largely outnumbered in motorsport can partly be attributed to a lack of representation. When people see athletes that look like them and whom they can look up to, it proves that their dreams of becoming professional athletes are also possible. The lack of representation in F1 perpetuates the idea that it is a man’s world and women have no place being there. This discourages women from participating in the sport, as they feel they don’t have a place within the industry or lack the ability to succeed. It is safe to assume if there was greater representation on the grid, more young women would pursue a career in motorsport. We also can’t discuss the lack of representation within F1 without acknowledging the lack of diversity. Not only has the industry been dominated by men, but it has been dominated by white men. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is the only Black driver in the history of F1. This means women of colour are at an even greater disadvantage when it comes to succeeding in the sport. To bridge the gap between men and women, we need to acknowledge the importance of representation in the sport, as well as focus on creating a more inclusive environment for all.

F1 and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) have announced their commitment to creating a more inclusive environment and have introduced a variety of programs to help facilitate the success of women in the sport. These programs include Girls on Track and the W Series. Girls on Track is a program that was introduced in 2019 that aims at introducing young girls ages 8-18 to the possibilities of a career in motorsport. In the same year, the W series was introduced. The W Series is a woman-only championship that is free for drivers to enter and based on driver ability alone. The W Series aims to create equal opportunity for women, including eliminating the financial constraints that have held women back from succeeding in F1. There has already been speculation about certain W Series drivers and their transition into F1, such as Jamie Chadwick. With these initiatives in place and the commitment from F1 and the FIA to continue to strive towards a more diverse environment, here’s to hoping that we could start to see women on the grid within the next couple of years.