Image from: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/29/motorsport/chloe-targett-adams-formula-one-fans-women-spt-intl/index.html
Everyone has a favourite Formula 1 driver. However, as a female fan this always comes with the assumption that said driver is only my favourite due to their looks. Why is this the case?
Sundays have always meant F1 for as long as I can remember. Sunday roasts and church had to fit around the Grand Prix. Yet when I was young, I never understood it and the constant droning noise of the cars did not make it appealing at all. Then a friend introduced me to Drive to Survive and since then I’ve definitely developed a new affection for the sport.
However, I feel a dark cloud over my affection. As a woman, this cloud is nothing new to me. It’s something that falls over almost all women interested in motorsport.
Formula 1 has always been a male dominated sport. Just take a look who’s on the track or at the pit wall. For years, the only real female representation in F1 was grid girls and we never saw the women behind the teams until quite recently.
Luckily as with all industries, change is happening, but general opinion is changing slower than the sport itself.
After Emilia Romagna GP I tried to converse with some of my male friends about the race and was met with the idea that I couldn’t possibly understand what I was talking about. On top of that, surely, I was only a fan because the drivers are attractive?
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of Lando Norris but that is besides the point. I would not spend so much time watching the Grand Prix if it were just for the drivers. The reason I love Formula 1 is for the cars, the tracks, the speed, and the event as a whole but apparently this is far too complicated for many to understand.
At Imola there were controversial moments left, right and centre but when trying to discuss these things with friends, I was shut down or had them mansplained to me. Now I am no expert, and I don’t pretend to be, but are we not past this archaic idea that girls cannot like sports or have an understanding without some kind of hidden agenda.
From social media, I have realised that the female fan base for Formula 1 is far greater than I once thought. Yet the problem of the assumptions about us are far greater as well. Take one look of any comment section of any female content creator and you won’t be shocked at the hate you continue to see.
That is not to say things are not changing. Teams are working harder than ever to promote equality and diversity within Formula 1. Just take look at Mercedes work along with Mulberry Schools Trust to inspire more women to get into STEM; Monisha Kaltenborn: the first team principal for F1 team; Natalie Pinkham: a well-known F1 pit lane reporter; or Susie Wolff, who in 2014 became the first woman to take part in an F1 race weekend in over 22 years.
As we make strides forward regarding equality in the sport, I hope to see the fans begin to make a change as well. We have equal love for sport so of course this blatant sexism needs to end.
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