Research for Fields and Frames---- Innovation and Interference Project

 Research

As my idea was influenced much by Formula One and the insides of it, I decided to watch a film based on the life of Niki Lauda called Rush and a Documentary on Michael Schumacher called Schumacher. 

However, since my project is on the hypothetical life of a female driver I decided to find some other form of research for it to find out where women stand in motorsports in recent times. 

Written Research:

For more than 40 years, no female driver has competed in a Formula One race. However, this could be about changing things.  With around 40% of F1 audiences now being female, the racing industry is working hard to make sure that at least one of the 20 drivers on the starting grid is female. Formula One has thrown its weight behind the F1 Academy. The company said on Wednesday that the programme for female drivers will be led by Susie Wolff, a former driver and the wife of Toto Wolff, the CEO of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team.

The academy has five teams with 15 drivers competing for five experienced teams already racing in F3 and F2. From next season 10 of those drivers will represent F1 teams, still using the same single-specification cars but each one bearing the colours of their counterparts in F1.

Wolff welcomed the move as a strong gesture from across the F1 teams toward the aims of the academy. “This landmark moment not only demonstrates the depth of support for F1 Academy from across the F1 community but will inspire a whole generation of young girls to realise the opportunities both on and off track in motorsport,” she said.

How each team will choose their nominated driver has yet to be revealed, while the remaining five drivers will be “supported by other partners”, F1 said in a statement. After the demise of the all-female W series last season, which foundered when it ran out of backing, the academy has continued its pioneering efforts to increase female participation and exposure in motorsport.

This year has been a low-key opening for the series with no television or live coverage, but in 2024 it will join the meetings on the F1 calendar as a support race and live TV coverage is expected to be part of that expansion. The championship is led by Spain’s Marta García with six races remaining and the season finale set to take place as three support races at the US Grand Prix in Austin.

F1’s intention is to offer more young women access to track time and racing to help them develop their skills with professional teams who are used to nurturing talent as part of the racing ladder toward F1. The hope is this will make the route into F3 more accessible. The lack of funding available to back young women entering motor sport has been a real hurdle in the past and F1 is looking to go some way to overcome this. It subsidises each car with a budget of €150,000 (£130,000) while the drivers match that total with their own backing. There is no indication yet as to whether F1 teams will also be making any financial contribution toward drivers’ costs.

 

Wolff warned in April, an interview that returning a female driver to F1 would be a long process, with no quick fix expected. “I believe it’s eight to 10 years away from happening,” she said. “That’s not just because we are lacking the female talent pool and lacking those who progress through the sport but also because of the realisation that getting to F1 is incredibly tough. It’s tough for all of the male drivers.”

Only five female Formula One drivers have officially raced in a Grand Prix. Maria Teresa de Filippis was the first-ever female Formula One driver. The Italian made her racing debut in 1958 and 1959, competing in five top-level races. Lella Lombardi is the only female Formula One driver who gained points between 1974 and 1976. Lombardi took part in seventeen races and started twelve of them. Her greatest achievement was sixth place in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. Considering the race was called off before completing 45 minutes of the intended race distance, only half the points were awarded. Lombardi became the first and only woman to gain points in the Formula One World Championship. 

Divina Galica, a British driver, attempted to qualify for the British Grand Prix in 1976. This was the only Formula One Grand Prix with two female drivers (Lombardi and Galica), although both failed to qualify.

Desiré Wilson, a South African driver, failed to qualify for the British Grand Prix in 1980. No other woman has ever tried to qualify for a Formula One Grand Prix since Giovanna Amati in 1992. Although there hasn't been a female driver who has consistently raced in Formula 1 races since Lella Lombardi, there are growing initiatives and programmes throughout the world to encourage women's participation in motorsport including Formula 1. These projects are focused on encouraging young female racers to join in racing.

Jessica Hawkins Aston Martin F1

In September 2023, Jessica Hawkins stepped into a Formula 1 car; the Aston Martin AMR21. This makes the Aston Martin ambassador the latest woman to step into a modern F1 car. 

F1 Academy 

In 2023, Formula 1 introduced the F1 Academy, a new effort to help female drivers grow and prepare for higher levels of racing. The category is intended to give drivers greater track time, racing and testing possibilities, as well as technical, physical, and mental preparation assistance. It gives young talent in the junior category the experience they need to go to Formula 3 and prepare for the Formula 1 race.

For the first season, fifteen drivers from five teams will compete. The teams competing include well-known names from Formula 3 and Formula 2. These teams are well-known for their knowledge and ability to develop emerging talent and assist drivers in taking the next step in their careers.

The inaugural season's schedule contains 21 races divided into seven rounds. The calendar's goal is to feature as many F1 circuits as feasible so that the field may race on a variety of demanding circuits and enhance their technical talents. Each racing weekend consists of two qualifying sessions and three races, therefore the first F1 Academy champion must manage the weekend to maximum points. Partnerships with some of the most prestigious motorsport brands, like Pirelli, Autotechnica, and Tatuus, guarantee that the category remains technologically sophisticated while being cheap.

W Series

The W series is an international motorsport championship founded in 2019 with the aim of narrowing the gap between male and female drivers and creating more opportunities for women in motorsport. The championship uses identical race cars so that the performance of the drivers is truly at the forefront. The cars are equipped with a 1.8-litre turbocharged engine with 270 hp and have the same specifications, which means that the pure racing talent of the drivers makes the difference.

The W Series is a championship that consists of multiple races on different circuits all over the world. In 2019, the first season had six races, while the second season in 2021 had eight races, with events in Europe, Asia, and America. The championship is designed to give drivers the opportunity to prove themselves on different types of circuits, ranging from street circuits to classic circuits, and to increase their skills and experience.

Difference between the F1 Academy and W Series

As mentioned earlier, the W Series has been around since 2019. So what makes it necessary to add another race class exclusively for women in 2023?

Difference in format

Rumours about an all-female series had already started circulating in November 2017, but the issue was that there was no clear vision of how this would help women in Formula 1. Unlike Formula 2 and 3, the winner of the championship could not continue racing in the next season. Since the first season in 2019, there has been only one winner of the championship- Jaime Chadwick  Despite her titles, Chadwick remained active in the W Series for several years, which did not directly achieve the goal of the class - to help women grow within other/higher motorsport classes.

To prevent a similar situation within the F1 Academy, a different format is chosen. Successful drivers within the sport will have the opportunity to progress to Formula 3. They will also have the opportunity to learn how to prepare themselves technically, physically, and mentally for races. Interestingly, several drivers who compete in the F1 Academy have also raced in the W Series. Examples of this are Bianca Bustamante, Nerea Marti, and Abbi Pulling.

Teams and cars

The W Series has nine teams participating in the championship, while the F1 Academy has five teams. Importantly, the five teams participating in the F1 Academy are all teams that have had success in other Formula championships. The respective teams are PREMA Powerteam, MP Motorsport, Rodin Carlin, Campos Racing, and ART Grand Prix.

The car used in the F1 Academy is the Tatuus F4-T421, which is also used in the Formula 4 championships. The W Series used the Tatuus-Alfa Romeo F3 T-318, which is used in the Formula 3 and Formula Regional championships.

Difference in funding

The F1 Academy is funded by the FIA, while the W Series is funded by various sponsors such as PUMA, Heineken, and Hankook. PUMA and Hankook provide the race clothing and tyres needed for the championship. Drivers in the F1 Academy will have a budget cap of €150,000, to which the F1 contributes €2.2 million during the season. Unfortunately, the W Series of 2022 could not be completed due to a lack of funding. With the FIA overseeing the funding of the F1 Academy, it is unlikely that they will encounter the same problems as the W Series. Whether the W Series will return in 2023 alongside the F1 Academy is not yet clear

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Notable female drivers

Women participate in racing classes all over the world. Examples of female drivers include Sabine Schmitz (WTCC, 24 Hours of Nürburgring), Sophia Flöesh (F3, DTM, and LMP2 driver), Susie Wolff (F3, DTM, and test and reserve driver at Williams), and Tatiana Calderon (IndyCar, F2, and Le Mans driver). One of the most well-known and successful female drivers is Danica Patrick. The American driver competed in over a hundred IndyCar races, finishing on the podium seven times and winning one race. In 2009, she finished third in the Indianapolis 500. French driver Lilou Wadoux made history in 2023 by becoming the first female driver to win a class in the FIA WEC.

Female key figures: from team bosses to strategists

Not only on the track but also in other areas related to motorsports, women are putting themselves in the spotlight. For example, Hannah Schmitz is the head strategist for Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez, and Angela Cullen has been the long-time physiotherapist for Lewis Hamilton. Claire Williams was the team principal of the Williams Formula 1 team for several seasons, and Monisha Kaltenborn held the same position at Sauber (Alfa Romeo).