Vital F1 championship initiative reveals SHOCK equality verdict

David Coulthard pictured in 2023 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — Photo: © IMAGO

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Vital F1 championship initiative reveals SHOCK equality verdict

F1 still has a long way to go to be on par with rival motorsport series for gender equality

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 15 December 2024 14:56 Updated: 19:52

New research by the groundbreaking motorsport initiative More than Equal has delivered a surprising verdict over gender equality in one particular racing series.

The initiative, founded by 13-time grand prix winner David Coulthard and entrepreneur Karel Komarek, aims to find the first female Formula 1 world champion.

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A More than Equal research report has revealed that female drivers comprise only four per cent of the elite motorsport population, further highlighting the issue that F1, which is widely accepted as the pinnacle of motorsport, hasn’t seen a female driver participate in a competitive session since the mid-70s.

New findings also revealed the barriers facing female drivers such as limited track time and sponsorship issues which can hugely impact their chances of progressing to the elite class of racing.

However, a surprise verdict has emerged from More than Equal's latest research, highlighting one area of motorsport which is far ahead in gender equality compared to F1- drag racing.

Paula Murphy was the first woman to be granted an NHRA license, marking a pivotal point in drag racing

Drag Racing is a high-speed motorsport where between two and four vehicles race side-by-side down a straight track, typically a quarter-mile, aiming to reach the finish line first, emphasising acceleration, precision and reaction time.

The NHRA (the largest Drag Racing governing body in the world) was founded in 1951 and Europe’s first permanent drag strip was established in Santa Pod in 1966, inspiring the new research from More than Equal, in collaboration with Santa Pod Raceway and Women in Motorsports North America (WIMNA).

Santa Pod Raceway continues to host Drag Race events today

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David Coulthard's F1 initiative highlights gender disparity

Red Bull star Coulthard co-founded More than Equal in 2022, the non-profit's aim to eliminate the absence of gender equality in F1.

New research from the initiative has highlighted how female drivers can be catapulted to success in motorsport, with Drag Racing a prime example of where women have thrived on track without barriers to equality.

Since the late 1960s, female drivers have not only successfully competed against male drivers at the highest level of Drag Racing but have repeatedly been crowned champions, the racing form recently celebrating its 100th female winner at an NHRA event.

Despite Drag Racing now being a prime example to F1 of what gender equality should look like in motorsport, it took 15 years from the formation of the NHRA for the first female driver, Paula Murphy, to be awarded a license to compete at the highest level of competition.

David Coulthard (R) raced in F1 between 1994 and 2008 and now splits his time between research and broadcast duties

Drag Racing presents an interesting anomaly not yet shown in F1 in terms of the level of success that female drivers have experienced at the highest levels of competition, making a vital case study to F1 on how to increase female representation.

Richard Foster-Turner, Business Development Manager, Santa Pod Raceway / Trakbak Racing discussed the new topic following the research, stating: "It’s been decades since gender became a non-issue in Drag Racing.

"Our participants consider themselves purely racers. Nobody outside Drag Racing has been talking about this, but now with this white paper we are putting Drag Racing’s gender-equal credentials out there to stimulate discussion and follow-on research, and to help other motorsports work towards the same level of diversity."

Red Bull racer Coulthard, alongside all participants of More than Equal's research, will no doubt use the findings from this new research to suggest ways in which F1 can take a beneficial step towards gender equality, with the hope of pursuing female talent and seeing an increase in women on the grid over the next decade.

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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FIA David Coulthard