F1 News: Pierre Gasly On Female Formula One Driver During His Career - "Definitely Possible"

Pierre Gasly has expressed optimism about the prospect of competing with a female driver in Formula 1 before he reaches the end of his career. This sentiment comes amidst ongoing efforts to increase female participation in the sport.

Key Takeaways:

• Gasly's Positive Outlook: Alpine's Pierre Gasly believes that it is quite likely for a female driver to join the Formula 1 grid before he retires, citing the increasing support for women in motorsport.
• Susie Wolff's Legacy and Efforts: Susie Wolff, the last woman to participate in an F1 weekend back in 2015, now plays a crucial role in fostering female talent through the F1 Academy. Her efforts aim to create pathways for women into professional racing, including Formula 1.
• Emerging Female Talents: Recent developments have seen promising female drivers like Marta Garcia and Jessica Hawkins make significant strides. Garcia's success in the F1 Academy and Hawkins' test drive for Aston Martin signal a positive trend towards greater female representation in top-tier motorsports.

The world of Formula 1 has been predominantly male-dominated, but recent initiatives and successes are paving the way for more inclusivity. The last female driver to be seen on track in an F1 race weekend was Susie Wolff in 2015, who drove for Williams during the British Grand Prix's first practice session. Wolff's current role as the managing director of the F1 Academy is instrumental in bridging the gender gap in motorsports. The Academy is specifically designed to offer more opportunities to women, paving the way up the racing ranks, as well as giving the young female drivers the platform they need to progress.

It was announced earlier this year that the F1 Academy and Formula One will collaborate more closely in 2024 with the seven F1 Academy races forming part of F1 weekends. The races for the all-female series will also be broadcast in 2024, addressing a big complaint from fans in its inaugural season. On top of this, each F1 team is backing a driver to race with their livery. 

The impact of these initiatives is already visible. Marta Garcia clinched the title for the inaugural season of the series, leading to a fully-funded seat with PREMA Racing in the Formula Regional European Championship. Meanwhile, British driver Jessica Hawkins was given an extraordinary opportunity to test for Aston Martin, becoming the first woman to test an F1 car since Tatiana Calderon in 2018. Aston Martin also recently announced that Hawkins is now the Head of Racing for the F1 Academy. This is just naming two of the many women who are ones to look out for in the hopefully not-too-distant future.

This progress has been acknowledged by Alpine's Pierre Gasly, who voiced his support and optimism for female drivers in F1. Speaking to RaceFans, Gasly said:

“I would not be surprised. I think it is definitely possible [for a woman to race in F1 before the end of his career].

“There is a lot of efforts put in place from the organisation, from our team in supporting women in our sports category. I’m sure if one woman really shows that she’s got the speed and talents to be part of the 20 best drivers in the world, I’m sure she’ll be given an opportunity.

“If you look at the percentage of men and women in racing, I think already for men the percentage [chance] is of course very low to get into Formula 1. So naturally, of course, for women, it’s even harder because there are less women.

“I do think physically driving F1 in some places is quite tough but I do think that it’s all train-able if you work hard for it. But it is, of course, naturally a little bit harder for a woman.

“But if you have enough talent, then of course it is possible because I don’t think team bosses are people who make decisions to choose their drivers, and look at it like ‘oh, no, we only go for men’.

"If there’s a woman who is beating everyone else, then naturally they will have the opportunity to get to Formula 1, but it’s just that there are less women in the sport and naturally, of course, the percentage to make it to the top is lower.”