Formula 1 is a global entity with drivers, teams, sponsors and team personnel from every far flung corner of the world. It is this remarkable level of diversity in terms of race and nationality which makes the sport a blueprint for many other sports series. However, it can't quite claim to have achieved the same levels of diversity when it comes to gender with all 22 spots on the grid currently being taken by male drivers.
In our latest blog post, we examine what is preventing there being any women in F1 and take a look at the current crop of female racing drivers to see if there are any talents on the horizon who could shake up the status quo.
Can Women Drive in F1?
ER
Yes, female racing drivers are welcome to compete in F1. Unlike football and tennis, motor sport does not currently have separate series for different genders. That means that female racing drivers can compete alongside their male equivalents.
Can Women Compete in F1?
ER
While female racing drivers are welcome to drive in F1, a better question might be whether or not female drivers can compete against male drivers without being at a disadvantage.
The reason why the FIA (Motorsport Governing Body) allows female drivers in F1 is because they can see no reason why a woman would be at a disadvantage when competing against a male driver. In fact, with women generally having a smaller body mass than their male equivalents, they could well be at an advantage.
While F1 does operate with a minimum weight policy made up of the weight of the car and driver, lighter drivers are able to make better strategic use of ballast to influence the handling of the car to be more to their liking.
However, one area where many female racing drivers could be at a disadvantage is strength. There is no way that the average person would have the strength to hold their neck up or steer the wheel of an F1 car for more than a few laps due to the g forces which are created in the corners. Leg strength is also vital, with significant pressure in the region of 330 pounds needing to be exerted on the brake pedal heading most corners.
In theory, there is no reason why a female driver wouldn't be able to attain the level of strength required to operate an F1. It might just take them longer to reach this level and require more work to maintain it.
Has There Ever Been a Female F1 Driver?
ER
Yes, there have been female F1 drivers in the past. However, just 5 of the 782 drivers who have started a race in the category since 1950 have been female.
The first female F1 driver was Italian Maria Teresa de Filippis who made her debut at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix for Maserati. She would go on to start three Grand Prix over the next 2 years with a best finish of 10th.
The only female F1 driver to have scored points is Lella Lombardi who finished 6th in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix for the March team. This was reduced to half a point by the fact that the race was stopped before 60% of the laps had been completed due to an accident in which four spectators were killed.
The last female racing driver to have competed in F1 was Giovanna Amati. She was entered by the struggling Brabham team for the opening three races of the 1992 F1 season but sadly failed to qualify for any of them.
Who is the Most Successful Female Racing Driver?
ER
By far the most successful woman racing driver is Michele Mouton who was very much one of the front runners in the World Rally Championship during the 1980s. Driving the legendary Audi Quattro, Mouton won four races, three of which came during the 1982 season where she finished runner up, missing out on the title by just 12 points.
This was during the notorious Group B era of the World Rally Championship where drivers were forced to compete with lightweight chasses which had over 500 bhp and no driver aids. Physical strength and extreme bravery were perhaps even more important then than in the modern day, adding further credence to the assumption that female racing drivers should be able to compete on a level playing field with male drivers.
Who are the Best Modern Day Female Racing Drivers?
ER
One of the most successful female racing drivers from the modern era is Jamie Chadwick. The 28 year old won all three of the female only W Series Championships held in 2019, 2021 and 2022. Chadwick has also had success in multi-gender series, winning the British GT Championship in 2015 and also winning an Indy NXT race in 2024 on her way to a credible 7th in a championship which serves as a junior category for Indycars.
The main Indycar series also had its share of female racing drivers over recent years. The most successful of these was American Danica Patrick who won the Motegi Grand Prix in 2008 and achieved a best championship position of 5th in 2009.
Are There Any F1 Women Series Championships Currently?
ER
The previously mentioned W Series was intended to be an F1 style women series championship in the same way as the FA Women's Premier League operated alongside the male equivalent.
Following the liquidation of the W Series in 2022, Formula 1 started its own female motorsport series in the form of F1 Academy. Using F4 style chassis with 174bhp, F1 Academy travels with the F1 series, acting as a supporting race at six high profile Grand Prix including the Chinese, Canadian and British events.
Unlike the W Series, F1 Academy is designed to promote up and coming talent rather than serving as a women's version of F1. The hope is that FIA Academy will ultimately be able to unearth new female racing drivers who will ultimately be good enough to secure a race seat with a F1 team.
Are There Any Up & Coming British Female Racing Drivers?
Jamie Chadwick is by far the most successful British female racing driver currently in competition. In 2026 she will be competing in the European Le Mans Series in which she finished 3rd in the LMP2 class in 2025.
There are also five British female racing drivers in the 2026 F1 Academy Series. At the time of writing British female racing driver Alisha Palmowski is leading the championship having won 2 of the opening 5 races.
As a junior series championship designed to help promote up and coming talent, F1 Academy does not allow previous champions to compete in subsequent seasons. That means that British female racing driver Abbi Pulling, who won the 2024 season, has subsequently moved on to compete in the mixed gender GB3 championship and is also now a junior driver for the Nissan Formula E team.
Who Will be the next Female F1 Driver?
Chadwick is probably the female racing driver who has come closest to an F1 seat in recent years. Australian company Rodin Cars applied to enter the F1 championship in 2023, and that plan included having Chadwick as one of the team's two drivers. This application was sadly unsuccessful.
However, the increasing popularity of the sport, particularly amongst women, has resulted in there now being far more young girls and teenagers taking an interest in motor racing competition. This includes Ella Hakkinen, the 15 year old daughter of double Formula 1 champion Mika, who has recently been picked to form part of McLaren's junior driver development programme.
Ella has had plenty of success in Go-Karting, winning the Champions of the Future Academy event in 2024 and taking multiple podiums in many other international karting events. Mika is supporting his daughter's career and has made clear his confidence that she has what it takes to become the next female F1 driver.
See F1 Academy in Action
You can see the next potential female F1 driver in action for yourself if you buy a British Grand Prix holiday package with Elegant Resorts. The F1 Academy series will be supporting F1 at this event, forming part of the incredible line-up of support races, entertainment and live performances that form part of what is sure to be another incredible British Grand Prix weekend.
Get in touch with the team at Elegant Sports today to start planning your British Grand Prix experience and secure the best seats in the house.