“In 2019, the all-female W Series started in an attempt to provide a way to get women behind the wheel, but it collapsed in June without seeing a woman close to a Formula 1 seat.
Now, F1 Academy has filled the void, an all-female racing series started by Formula 1 in April, with 15 drivers competing in three races during seven rounds. The first six are in Europe and the last in Austin, Texas.
But the series is more than about trying to find the next woman Formula 1 driver. It is also an attempt to bring women into other positions in the sport, such as engineers and mechanics.”
Source
Parkes, I. (2023, July 15). To entice women to Racing, the F1 Academy picks up where the W Series left off. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/15/sports/autoracing/f1-academy-women.html
Analysis
Here is a great example of a sport dominated by men that is providing support and funding for the inclusion of women. With the right approach this can warrant spectacular results. Women in higher education has been a big push for the past few decades and now there are more women enrolled in universities across the U.S. than there are men. There is more to F1 than just the driver. Pit crews, crew chiefs, mechanics, engineers, media and marketing, and even upper level management are all important parts of race team. F1 racing is a field of STEM where women are making progress, one turn at a time.
