Why there are no Women drivers in Formula 1? Explained

Formula 1 is always a Male-dominant sport as most of the competitors are men. Even in the Netflix Documentary ‘Drive to Survive’ there are hardly any women featured in the program. But how many of you know? there are women drivers in Formula 1.

Are women allowed to participate in F1?

There are no rules in Formula 1 that say about not allowing Women to participate in the F1 championships. But since 1976 no Woman has competed in Formula 1. It was fully Male dominant until in 2022 F1 stepped in to develop women drivers for the sport. 

The female drivers expected to take part in a Formula E test in November are:

•Jamie Chadwick
•Abbi Pulling (Nissan)
•Sophia Floersch (poss. Nissan)
•Jessica Edgar (DS Penske)
•Marta Garcia (ERT)
•Chloe Chambers (poss. Andretti)

[The Race]#FormulaE pic.twitter.com/2g1QUjuxCi

— Formula E Source (@formulaesource) September 30, 2024

There is an F1 Academy for Women

F1 at the end of 2022 started an F1 Academy exclusively for Women drivers. The reason for fewer women drivers in Formula 1 is due to less financial support. So F1 decided to start a new academy focusing on development of Women racers. So there will be 15 cars for the women's championship and each car will get a subsidy of 1,50,000 Euros. Formula 2 and Formula 3 teams will provide those 15 cars. 21 races will be held in total and a champion will be decided. Mercedes Boss Toto Wolff’s Wife and Former Formula 1 development driver Susie Wolff has been announced as managing director. Races will happen in Spielberg, Valencia, Barcelona, Zandvoort, Monza, Le Castellet.

How many Female drivers participated in F1?

The first Women Formula 1 racer was Maria Theresa de Flilippis who raced in the 1958-1959 season for Maserati and Behra-Porsche. Lella Lombardi raced for March, RAM, and Williams in the 1974-1976 seasons. Divina Galica raced for Surtees, Hesketh in the years 1976 and 1978. Desire Wilson raced in the 1980 season for Williams in a single race. Giovanna Amati raced in the 1992 season for Brabham. Lombardi was the only woman to score points in Formula 1 history.

Current Drivers in F1

Currently, Jamie Chadwick is the only female driver who is close to competing in Formula 1. She is part of the Williams team as a development driver and she is hoping to compete in Formula 1 one day. She is a three-time W series champion. She also raced in the British GP Championship as an Aston Martin driver driving a V8 Vantage GT4.

Also Read: Why is Formula 1 called Formula 1? - Explained