Female F1 drivers: The missing ingredient and how we FINALLY see an on-track breakthrough

lewis hamilton, natalie pinkham, damon hill, sky f1, 2019, silverstone — Photo: © IMAGO

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Female F1 drivers: The missing ingredient and how we FINALLY see an on-track breakthrough

Sky F1's Natalie Pinkham spoke to GPFans about the future of women in motorsport

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 8 March 2025 12:57

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Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport and since its inception as a championship in 1950, it has seen 34 different drivers claim the title crown.

As of the 2024 season finale, there have been 778 male drivers, yet only five women have ever entered an F1 event, so ahead of International Women's Day GPFans sat down with Sky F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham to discuss the progress that his been made in F1 so far and what more needs to be done.

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Having joined the Sky F1 presenting lineup in 2012, Pinkham has seen the sport progress massively, not just with opportunities for women but also as its popularity continues to soar thanks to global phenomena like Drive to Survive.

With more young female fans than ever, more questions are being asked about the lack of female representation on track in F1, especially given that it has now been 33 years since a female driver took part in a race weekend event.

Five women have entered a grand prix since the sport's inception, including pioneer Maria Teresa de Filippis and Lella Lombardi, the only female driver to have scored championship points in F1.

Lombardi scored half a point at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix after the race was called off after 23 laps, meaning no full points were earned by any driver on the grid that day.

Natalie Pinkham has interviewed the F1 greats since joining Sky's coverage in 2012

Pinkham has become known for her professional yet friendly rapport with F1 drivers

Natalie Pinkham on the joy of being a woman in motorsport

Having witnessed the sport evolve since her first season in the media pen, Pinkham detailed how she feels the environment of the paddock has changed since the days of grid girls and what needs to be done to help female drivers further.

"Track time is crucial, just pounding in the laps. You heard from Carlos this week about lamenting the fact there is only a day and a half of testing, every driver recognises that wherever they are in their career they need to be getting track time," she admitted.

"We have to keep finding opportunities for women and girls to come through. It's changing perception, it's about making it feel more accessible, but then it's about actually practical terms, letting them just gather experience, whatever form that takes, so there's got to be clear pathways from F1 Academy to other series and then more girls coming through at the grassroots level."

F1 Academy is an all-female racing series which debuted in 2023, and in the two years since, has helped grow the profiles of young female drivers. The 2024 champion Abbi Pulling, secured a seat in the GB3 championship at the start of this year as a result of her victory last season.

Susie Wolff has pushed for major improvements in prospects for female drivers through F1 Academy

Discussing the programme and it's formidable managing director Susie Wolff, Pinkham said: "I think it's happening and I think we've got great champions in Susie Wollf making sure that that's the case.

"I think the fact that F1 Academy is now on race weekends, the global spotlight is on them, they're going to catch the eye of team principles and more senior members in Formula 1, but we’ve got to continue to be disruptive and we need champions and allies like Lewis to to keep banging the drum for us as well as women.

"But it's so much better than it was when I first came in, there's girls everywhere I look and it's great, I love it, I love having female company in the paddock and I love seeing young women come through and flourish."

Pinkham praised the partnership between the F1 Academy drivers and their affiliated F1 teams, but warned of getting complacent.

"The channels of communication are always open between those so as long as you've got someone's ear and you keep nagging and you keep passionate and you keep determined, whether you're a driver, whether you're in media, whatever it is, I do believe that Formula 1 is a meritocracy so I think if you are good enough and you are passionate and you work hard enough, you’ll flourish."

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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Formula 1 Sebastian Vettel Sky Sports Melbourne Natalie Pinkham