Driving change to shape the future of the industry

Today is Ada Lovelace Day. A day dedicated to highlighting and celebrating all that has been achieved by women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

It’s as fitting a day as any to share my recent experience with the F1 Academy, which aims to champion female talent - both on and off the track - in what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry. It hopes to get to a point where Motorsport is “ more diverse, inclusive, and accessible.”

The F1 Academy was created in November 2022 to help young, female drivers progress to higher stages of competitive racing in F1. Susie Wolff - a very prominent and well-respected industry figure - was appointed CEO in March 2023.

At the end of August, at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, I spoke with F1 Academy’s head of commercial operations, Karin Fink, about the racing series' hopes for the future and how far it has already come.

“When I started, they'd done a first season. They didn’t have the connection with the F1 teams yet, but it was all building up to that. We’re still in the building phase, but we’ve gone from essentially a racing series that, in 2023, raced at tracks that were not related to F1, [almost] behind closed doors, [with] some that were done with other sports events,” Fink says.

“The commitment from F1 is really clearly shown in giving us that time on the track, allowing us to host our guests here in the Paddock Club, utilizing the incredible broadcast facilities, and access to the fans.

“So, as opposed to all the women’s sports leagues like WSL, WNBA, I don’t have to build my own stadium. The advantage is enormous, and that’s something we really try and capitalize on. We work with the race promoters to add value to the overall event itself and to really convert more of the existing F1 fans to F1 Academy fans.”

Different routes to your destination

Fink started her now extensive motorsports career as a waitress at the F1’s VIP hospitality service, the Paddock Club. She spends a fair bit of time sharing her story of that route into the industry and highlighting the fact that it will be different for everyone.

Indeed, F1 Academy runs a program during races called ‘Discover your drive’ which, in partnership with race promoters, hosts local female students to find out more about what a career in motorsports looks like.

“The reality is, there is no straight path. I'm pretty sure, for a lot of the roles in technology, there isn’t,” Fink adds.

“We want to show them that it's actually possible. If you really want it, you just say ‘yes’ at any opportunity, and then put your hand up.”

Fink talked about how important awareness and visibility are in encouraging other females into STEM roles in traditionally male-dominated industries.

F1 Academy’s recent Netflix series has definitely helped, according to Fink, who adds, “Visibility has risen, and we're really happy with that. For us, it's really about showing girls that our drivers are what they could be.. If you can see it, you can be it.”

Trusted partnerships helping to get the message out there

Amplification of what F1 Academy is trying to do is incredibly important, and there’s definitely strength in numbers. In addition to the support it already gets from F1, partnerships are key.

Back in March, the F1 Academy partnered with TeamViewer, its first technology partner.

“TeamViewer was so passionate about coming into this and into the sport with the view of really opening it up to females. We've been super happy to work together,” Fink says.

“For a company like TeamViewer, a very well-established company that has been in the sport [for a while], with the Mercedes partnership. to take a leap of faith… for them to essentially invest in F1 Academy, I think it really shows that we have something here that is worth consideration and that creates real value and relevance.”

The partnership has many elements to it, but one particularly poignant to this piece on Ada Lovelace Day is TeamViewer’s support of the Wild Card entry at Zandvoort.

Driven by 20-year-old Esmee Kosterman, wearing a TeamViewer-labelled racing suit, the Wild Card car featured TeamViewer livery in support of its ‘Visibility drives change campaign. The car was adorned with images of more than 200 women who are working in STEM and serving as an inspiration to others.

The car’s number was 86, a nod to TeamViewer’s ‘Women in sport tech’ report, created in partnership with Loughborough University. That research found that the majority (86%) of women believe that the way to really achieve gender equality in the workplace is to ensure organizations have visible female leaders.

Racing alongside Kosterman was 18-year-old Chloe Chong. She was racing in the Charlotte Tilbury car, which featured a giant pair of lips and lipstick.

Chong makes use of TeamViewer for remote troubleshooting if she encounters issues with her race simulator. She is also a big believer in the determination to chase your dreams.

“Whatever you want to do, whatever you dream of, you should be able to achieve it. Of course, you've got to put in the work. But I think, now's the time, if you dream it, go and get it, go and get that dream,” she says.

“Even though you will face setbacks. Everyone faces setbacks. There have been times when I thought I'd never race again, but you've just got to hang in there. You've got to keep pushing for what you want.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself!