F1 legend Sebastian Vettel gives honest verdict on women in motorsport

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Vettel gives honest verdict on women reaching F1

The 2025 F1 Academy season got under way in Shanghai last weekend

Kevin McKenna

Thursday 27 March 2025 11:00

Four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel has delivered his verdict on whether the sport will one day see female drivers competing on the track in the pinnacle of motorsport.

The legend's comments came ahead of the first F1 Academy events of the season in Shanghai, where Britain's Alisha Palmowski and French racer Doriane Pin each celebrated a race victory.

The all-female racing series is running exclusively alongside F1 races this season, with trips to Saudi Arabia, Miami, Canada, The Netherlands, Singapore and Vegas still to come in 2025.

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The category is now in its third season, with the target being to give young female drivers the opportunity to gain vital competitive racing experience.

Vettel believes women 'can compete' in F1

It is hoped that initiatives like F1 Academy will see the very best competitors progress through to F3, F2, and eventually F1.

Speaking in an interview with the BBC, former Red Bull star Vettel admitted he would like to see more female representation at the top level, speaking candidly on the issues facing women in motorsport.

When asked whether the sport could see a female F1 driver in the near future, Vettel responded: "I don't see a reason why not,"

"I think more girls need to have the courage to try."

"Really I think in the beginning, it's as simple as just numbers. The more girls try, the more girls will succeed."

Drawing from his own experience, the F1 legend added: “I raced against girls, and some of them were bloody quick, but it wasn't a lot of them.

"So I think the more girls we get into the go karts, and we stop telling the story that certain professions are only for men, I think it could be great so let's definitely work on that.

“A lot of people in motorsports are dedicated to give women more of a place behind the wheel, and I think it's one of the sports as well where women can compete with men and men can compete with women.

"I think the physical limitations are different to other sports. So I'm hoping for and rooting for the girl or next woman to come through."

Now with more female fans than ever, more questions are being asked about why it has been 33 years since a female driver participated in a grand prix, with Italian racer Giovanna Amati the last woman to have raced in the championship in 1992.

In an exclusive interview with GPFans earlier this month, Sky Sports presenter Natalie Pinkham insisted that while progress has been made in recent years, more opportunities must be given to young women to get behind the wheel, a sentiment Vettel appears to agree with.

Sebastian Vettel F1 Academy Doriane Pin Shanghai Alisha Palmowski