Women at the wheel - 2nd December 2024

The F1 Academy is aiming to make a change to Formula 1, whose drivers are mainly men, by encouraging women and girls to take part in motorsport. The championship, which is for women drivers who are 16 to 25, was set up in 2023.

Each driver uses the same model of car, which is designed so that they can improve their driving ability and progress to the next level. Then, each F1 team selects one driver from F1 Academy to race in their team colours.

Ella Lloyd’s a driver from Wales who was picked by McLaren to compete for them. She’s already beaten men in Formula 4, where she’s come in the top-three in four races. She told the BBC that women could be “as good or even better” than men.

Only two women have ever started an F1 race. However, there’s an increasing number of women engineers and team captains.

More than Equal is a company which 13-time grand prix winner David Coulthard set up. Its research has proven that there are no safety reasons why women shouldn’t race. However, the gap in ability could be because only 13 percent of go-karting racers are girls. This beginner level is where most F1 drivers learn about technique. That’s also why the F1 Academy’s Discover your Drive project has started working hard in this area.

Hollywood’s helping the sport too with a documentary series, which is being produced by Reece Witherspoon. It will follow women drivers like Lloyd in the F1 Academy in the hope that more girls will want to try motorsport.