Are female drivers allowed to compete in Formula One ?
Women are allowed to participate in Formula One and there are no rules forbidding them from driving a Formula One car
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Susie Wolff
It is no doubt that Formula One is a sport dominated by men. This has always been the case. It is a shocking revelation to many that women are allowed to drive in Formula One. Both men and women can compete in this sport on equal terms. In fact, women have driven in Formula one earlier, almost three decades back.
There are no female drivers who have a full-time seat in Formula 1 currently, but there are development drivers present. The sport has seen only five female drivers. They dared to shoot their shot. The first-ever female driver to race in Formula 1 was Maria Teresa de Filippis. She competed from 1958 to 1959.
Teresa made her debut in Monaco Grand Prix. Though she did not score any points during her time in the sport, she will always be remembered as a woman who paved way for the others to join. Lella Lombardi was the second female driver, she drove for Williams. She is the only female driver to score a sixth place in a race.
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Maria Teresa de Filippis was the first woman to race in Formula One
Davina Galica was another notable female representation in Formula 1. Desire Wilson took part in one race but failed to qualify. Giovanna Amati participated in the 1992 Brazilian Grand Prix for Brabham. Another famous name in the sport is Susie Wolff, she is the last woman to have driven a Formula 1 car. Susie was with Williams as their test and development driver before she retired to join the team management.
Money is one of the main reasons why female drivers are not able to get a seat. Getting a sponsor is really difficult for anyone. This makes it more difficult for women. No one wanted to take a risk and bet on women. Times have changed now, and many sports stars like Sir Lewis Hamilton call for diversity in the sport which means inclusion of any gender.
W Series was launched in 2019. This was pure racing exclusively for women. Jamie Chadwick won 2 championships and her talent was noticed by Formula 1. She signed with Williams racing and helped the team with simulator work, she is often seen in the paddock during races. While W Series has been progressing for women, Formula 1 recently launched F1 Academy.
The F1 Academy focuses on aiding young women who want to race and helps them make progress towards W Series, F3, F2 and F1. There are 5 teams racing with 3 drivers each. 15 cars in total. The driver line-ups are yet to be announced. This is a huge step forward for women in the sport. These young women with talents will now have a platform to achieve their goals and fulfil their dreams.
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Gerard Crispin
(3318 Articles Published)