The phrase carries baggage. It's more than just a term to specify a motoring demographic: it's been the punchline of sexist jokes as well as a term of criticism yelled out of car windows by male drivers.
As one would hope, the phrase "women drivers" as a put-down, and the attitudes that made it so common, are gradually disappearing. It's unfortunate that we had to include "gradually" in that last sentence, but there are still baffling gaps in the representation of women in some driving contexts. On this 2024 International Women's day, we take a closer look at one area from which women have been inexplicably absent for too long.
Motorsport is big business worldwide and Formula 1, like football (soccer), has truly international appeal: in fact, F1 is reportedly the fifth most popular sport in the world. But where many people (yes, even men) could probably name at least one past or present member of England's Lionesses football squad, they might struggle to name a single woman driver, past or present, in Formula 1. Why should that be?
Invisible barriers?
What is the reason for this conspicuous absence of women from Formula 1? Is it that they lack interest in the sport? Nope, not at all. Women comprise a visibly substantial part of the crowd at F1 events. Your humble blogger has female friends who love the sport. In fact, I polled my two daughters on the subject and it emerges that 50% of women are fanatical F1 fans. Admittedly the sample size could have been bigger but, for the sake of convenience, I'll consider the point made nonetheless: apathy and disinterest are not the reasons.
Lack of grit or ability?
Of course, there will be a few trolls ready to chime in with some variation of "Women just aren't up to it". Proof to the contrary, were it needed, is plentiful. Within the pages of Regtransfers' own magazine, The World of Personal Number Plates, we have featured women who have been more than happy to risk everything in high-speed competition.
Gina Campbell QSO is the daughter of the late Douglas Campbell and the granddaughter of Sir Malcolm Campbell. Both men were, and remain, legends of British driving. Sir Malcolm and, later, his son, Donald, each held both the world land and water speed records. Gina Campbell lived up to her heritage by successfully achieving world water speed records of her own. In fact, in the process, Gina attained higher speeds than either of her male predecessors.
We recently published an interview with top model Jodie Kidd - who also happens to be a car fanatic and racing driver. Jodie is a race-winning former Maserati driver and a Gumball Rally veteran. Oh, and she beat Jeremy Clarkson and fellow fast car fan Jay Kay from Jamiroquai when she took part in Top Gear's 'Star in a Reasonably Priced Car' challenge. Jodie also has her own popular YouTube channel where she basically drools over fast cars.
Bans or red tape?
Ok, so women love cars too. They know how to drive (and beat men at it) and they're not afraid to go fast. So why have only two women ever driven in F1 Grand Prix races, and none since Lella Lombardi raced in 1976?
Is there some bureaucratic impediment? Apparently not. So far as we can ascertain, there is no rule of any kind preventing women from competing as Formula 1 drivers. In fact, F1 itself has recognised the lack of women in its ranks and taken steps to address it.
In 2023, Formula 1 held the inaugural season of its F1 Academy, a women-only racing series. Don't be misled by the "women-only" thing. F1 Academy is not a segregation exercise aimed at producing a token female presence into the racing scene and keeping it in quarantine. F1 Academy's express aim is to give female drivers experience on the track, and to provide an advancement route to higher levels of motorsport, including to Formula 1 Grand Prix.
The inaugural season featured five teams, each entering three cars into the 15-car starting grid at each race. F1 Academy is a spec series competition using one common design specification for all competing cars. This puts all drivers on a more or less equal footing where technology and equipment are concerned, meaning that the races test driver ability rather than car design and engineering.
In 2022, ahead of the inaugural season, F1 Academy general manager Bruno Michel said "[...] with the F1 Academy we will prove that female drivers have what it takes to compete at high levels. I am absolutely convinced that if young women are given the same amount of experience as any other driver, they can successfully make their way through the pyramid.
“Our goal is to see female drivers on the F3 grid in the next two to three years, and for them to quickly challenge for points and podiums. The aim is to increase the field in the near future, because we hope that this category will inspire more young girls to compete in motorsport at the highest of levels.”
In 2023, former professional racing driver Susie Wolff was named as the academy's managing director. Wolff confirmed the series' ambitious aims, saying “The F1 Academy presents an opportunity to promote genuine change in our industry by creating the best possible structure to find and nurture female talent on their journey to the elite levels of motorsport."
Not the first
F1 Academy isn't the first all-female motor racing series. Nor is it the first to be established with the intention of advancing women to higher levels of racing. Beginning in 2004, Formula Woman attempted both to introduce more women into the sport and to boost its popularity among women. The last Formula Woman races took place in 2006 at which point the series was not renewed for the following year. A comeback was announced in 2020, but so far only test days and driver selection have actually occurred. It remains to be seen if and when actual races will resume.
The W Series championship was another all women motor racing competition. It began in 2019 and continued in 2021 and 2022 after a break due to Covid. Unfortunately the series ran into financial difficulty and went into administration and was eventually liquidated in 2023.
Proof of the pudding
The omens are good for F1 Academy. There is certainly a rising tide of interest in women's sport and the backing of Formula 1 itself gives the series credibility from the outset.
No one can deny that there are physical demands made on drivers of racing cars. However, the factors that matter most are the skill, judgement and experience of the drivers, and the design and engineering of the cars. Brute force, stride length, bone density and a myriad of other physical variables don't decide the outcome of races in the same way that they might with athletic events or ball sports. Of all the internationally popular sports, Formula 1 is the one that should have the greatest potential for direct competition between male and female drivers without the need for controversial handicap systems or other playing-field levellers.
If Formula 1 and the racing teams are as committed as they say they are to ensuring women's representation and inclusion in top-level, professional motor racing, we can think of no reason why we shouldn't see women on F1 Grand Prix starter grids, alongside male drivers, within the next few years.
Number plates for women
Here is just a small selection from our huge range of name registrations.
