By Heidy Lo
“It’s lights out and away we go.” Once synonymous with the adrenaline of Formula One’s starting grid, the phrase—coined by commentator David Croft and popularized through Netflix’s Drive to Survive—has evolved into a cultural touchstone. Circulating across social media and fan communities, it reflects a broader transformation within the sport, as women increasingly populate the grandstands, shape online discourse, and make their presence felt.
Why are there no female drivers in Formula One?
Yet on the track itself, the picture is starkly different. Despite the surge in female fandom, not a single woman lines up among the twenty F1 drivers—or across Formula Two, Three, and Four. If the sport claims to be open to “the best drivers, no matter their gender,” so why are there no female drivers on the grid?
The absence is not just coincidence, nor simply a matter of meritocracy, as the sport often insists. Formula racing promotes itself as gender-neutral, yet the structures surrounding it—from karting access to sponsorship pipelines—systematically narrow the path for women before they ever reach the track. Consider karting, the entry point to professional racing. Research shows that girls make up only a fraction of participants worldwide, in part because parents are less likely to invest in a daughter’s career in what is seen as a “boys’ sport.” According to More Than Equal, “female participation currently represents on average of about 10% across all categories of competition, broken down further in karting, where about 13% of participation is from female drivers and formula and GT racing where it drops to about 7%.” That perception is reinforced by the multimillion-dollar cost of competing: families can expect to spend up to $2 million before a child even signs their first contract, a financial gamble fewer are willing to take on a girl. The result is a cycle where girls are underrepresented in karting, underfunded in youth racing, and invisible by the time the sport’s top tier selects its talent.
This absence has ripple effects. With no women in Formula One—where drivers can earn over $10 million a season—women’s earning potential and career prospects are limited in the mind of sponsors and society. This creates an environment that discourages women from pursuing a career in racing. Currently, women are given grassroot programmes such as F1 Academy; however, it is still much lower profile and relies heavily on personal sponsorships. Teams, broadcasters, and governing bodies point to initiatives aimed at change, but the grid remains a closed circuit for women.
Past attempts to help women get into formula series
There had been efforts to try and get women into formula series, but past efforts did not yield many results. The first attempt was in 2004 when Formula Woman was established. Then in 2019, there were over three seasons of the W Series, again hoping to gain more popularity of formula series among women. However, the planned 2020 season had to be cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Financial issues also came to light after the 2022 season, and the series was put into administration and liquidated. Finally, on 18 November 2022, the creation of the F1 Academy was announced by Formula One. This racing series is for women only, and it aims to focus on developing and preparing young drivers who wish to progress to higher levels of formula series. Its main goal is to help with the transition between karting and the single-seater ladder.
The F1 Academy is headed by Susie Wolff, who is herself a former professional racing driver and is the first woman in 22 years to take part in a Formula One race weekend through participating in practice at the 2014 British Grand Prix. The F1 Academy is a female-only, single-seater racing championship that targets young female drivers who are interested in Formula One, and they drive cars that are equivalent to Formula Four cars. Most drivers from the F1 Academy are sponsored by F1 teams, most commonly Red Bull.
In an effort to help women break into racing, F1 Academy also reduced the driver contribution from €150,000 to €100,000 for the 2024 season. Even though the eyewatering price of €100,000 per season is high, it is subsidized and made more accessible with the intention of promoting women in motor sport, while men currently have to pay more to progress to Formula series. F1 Academy also created grassroots initiatives such as F1 Academy Discover Your Drive in an attempt to further break down barriers for women to enter the formula series.
We live in a time when there is a huge influx of interest for women’s sports, and the F1 Academy is trying its best to transform the landscape of formula series. Wolff states that “We’re not here just to find the next female Formula 1 driver. We want to open up the whole sport, we want to break down the barriers that stop the sport’s progression, and we want to make sure that we’re inspiring the next generation.”
The rising popularity of formula series among women supporters
The surge of women in Formula One is not only reshaping the driver pipeline but transforming the fan base itself. Two forces stand out: the global success of Netflix’s Drive to Survive, and the sport’s unusually inclusive supporter culture.
Unlike football or basketball, where female fans often report being dismissed or patronized by male counterparts, F1’s relatively smaller and younger fan community has developed with fewer entrenched barriers. Online forums, podcasts, and fan groups are more accessible to newcomers, creating spaces where women can engage without the gatekeeping common in other sports.
The data supports this shift. According to Nielsen Sports (Jan 2025), F1 now attracts a yearly audience of 750 million, with global interest rising 5.7%—roughly 50 million new fans—in just three years. Crucially, women account for much of that growth: they now represent 41% of the sport’s global fanbase, a dramatic shift in a sport once seen as overwhelmingly male. But this surge did not happen by chance.
How ‘Drive to Survive’ drives in new supporters
Much of it can be traced to a single cultural phenomenon: Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’.
When the series premiered in 2019, it redefined how Formula One was presented to the world. Unlike traditional sports coverage, which focuses on technical detail or a single team, ‘Drive to Survive’ highlights rivalries, personalities, and behind-the-scenes drama across the grid. “F1 preferred a series that covered the whole grid, not the ‘All or Nothing’ approach of focusing on a single team,” the New York Times reported.
This new approach attracts people who know nothing about formula series before, and they can learn about the sports through the entertaining documentary without the feeling of being left out. Ian Holmes, F1’s director of media rights, states that ‘Drive to Survive’ has “resonated with a different, younger, and female demographic. Your avid fan will 100 percent hoover through the series. But what is particularly exciting for us is how non-fans have become fans.”
Not to mention, all the interviews with the drivers and team principals also give the documentary a reality show spin, further diverting from traditional sports documentaries, and it manages to attract a younger demographic.
Forbes attributes this success to ‘Drive to Survive’ noting that “the series is creating a gateway for new fans to join the F1 ranks, Nielsen Sports reports that 35% of people who viewed the show said they intended to watch more races as a result. What’s more, 1 in 4 people (25%) said they became a fan of Formula 1 from watching the series.”
Seeing the success of ‘Drive to Survive’ in growing its fanbase, F1 Academy also partnered with Reese Witherspoon‘s production company, Hello Sunshine, to “create a Netflix docuseries that will offer an intimate look at the drivers’ journeys, rigorous training, and personal stories.” This decision not only shows that there is a demand for a female-led formula series show, but it also shows another attempt to further shine a light on female drivers who are working hard to break into Formula One.
The rising popularity of Formula One among women—both fans and aspiring drivers—is reshaping the sport’s landscape. Initiatives like F1 Academy, Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’, and partnerships highlighting female talent have created pathways and visibility that were largely absent a decade ago. Yet the barriers remain steep: high costs, entrenched stereotypes, and a male-dominated feeder system continue to limit opportunities for women to reach the top.
Still, the growth in female supporters and the increasing visibility of female racers signal a shift in momentum. If these efforts persist and expand, the long-standing absence of women on the Formula One grid may finally give way to change, proving that talent and determination, not gender, can define the future of the sport.
This article is part of the new series “Level the Playing Field: The Untold Stories of Women in Sport.” Each Monday, we publish a new story highlighting the women reshaping the world of sport — on and off the field. To read more inspiring stories of everyday women making a real difference in the world, be sure to check out the latest edition of Wempower magazine, or listen to our podcast.
