The pursuit of gender equality in Formula 1 is something which has hit somewhat of a stumbling block in recent weeks, as sexist comments made over 20 years ago by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem have come to light.
While the 61-year-old’s views are currently being questioned, other high-ranking members of Formula 1 are making efforts to increase female involvement in the sport, with Christian Horner and Red Bull being the latest.
The energy drink giants have partnered with Rokt to increase diversity in the sport, with one of the main aims being to recruit females so join the Red Bull eSports team.
Rokt CEO Bruce Buchanan has spoken to DailyMail.com to explain the collaboration’s aim, explaining that successful female eSports athletes will serve as role models for young females looking to enter motorsport.
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“I think one of the things that has been interesting on our journey is, wherever you see things that you feel are impossible to break through, how do you actually create role models or things that people can see that will actually change their perspective,” he explained.
“It’s no different in any category… when someone has never done something before, or it feels like it’s impossible, and then someone does that, it’s like, ‘of course, it was always possible’.
“I think the same will be true for women in F1. I think it’ll happen, it’s just a matter of how do we actually facilitate some of those early adopters coming through.
‘That’s why I think eSports will be good, we’re also trying to sponsor some female mechanics and see if we can get broader talent and diversity. Our business has been very successful tapping into diverse pools of talent.”
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After ending the 2022 season early due to a lack of funding, the W Series will return for another year in 2023, allowing women to showcase their talent to the rest of the world.
This series has proved successful in helping talented women make their way into Formula 1, as three-time champion Jamie Chadwick is currently part of the Williams driver academy, having dominated the W Series ever since its first year.
Chadwick will make another huge stride forward in 2023 as she moves away from this all-female category to take part in the Indy NXT series, racing for the famous Andretti Autosport team.