When people think of race car drivers, they assume they are all men. In my life, I have always been seen as the outcast on the track and always feel underpowered compared to those who race against me. I dabble in karting and race car driving and I believe it is important to show the power women have to make create change towards that stereotype. I love karting and showing my interests but many people compete with are man. Most of the time, I am the only woman on track. I feel like changes are slowly being made starting in lower divisions and starting to escalate into the higher, more popular, divisions.
Formula 3 and Formula 2 (the recruiting divisions of Formula 1) are starting to bring in talented women as pit crew workers, team managers and even mechanics for the cars. There is currently a woman in Formula 3 who earned her first ever points and made history for the first registered points of a woman driver. Currently in Formula 1, there are multiple women taking up leadership roles as strategists and pit lane keepers. There is also a female-steward working in the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) office during each race who seeks out fairness and issues penalties if they are required.
Formula 1 only currently has a male driver division and only ever had five female drivers in the previous years. All lost their contracts and did not last long within a team, getting replaced by a male driver. To add to it, no woman has ever had the opportunity to win a race in that high of a division. The FIA rumored that it is in the works for a female division because of the uproar in support of women being a part of the sport. More women are interested in racing and supporting the body in making it a safer environmental sport for women and the world.
From having the experience of racing as a female, I know personally how this can impact your self-confidence and how it messes with your mental health. The doubt starts to creep in if you should continue to do what you love. In my final thoughts, I would like to express some advice to those who feel this way in their everyday lives. If you are doing something different from
anyone else and ever feel like giving up because of the judgment of others, never give in. Those that you go against are not used to this predicament and people are afraid of change sometimes. People can judge you and bring you down but just know that you are powerful, and you are strong enough to set that example and to plow a path for those behind you. Be a leader and follow your dreams whatever they are.