The Time is Now.
Being a F1 fan is one of the greatest things. It feels great to be part of a community which is usually so welcoming and kind. You meet amazing people from all different backgrounds who all share a common interest in your beloved sport. You can choose to follow a team, a driver or even specific cars which can be great for those who pick the likes of LH44 and Mercedes for example. However, being an F1 fan can cause heartbreak like the Ferrari and Vettel fans have been suffering from recently.
Being a Formula 1 fan allows for debates between fans with some individuals thinking one driver has more potential than another etc., these debates are often interesting and allows fans to express why their favourite driver deserves one of these coveted 20 seats in the top tier of the most exhilarating sport in the world. Getting to share your love of the sport with others is a great way to bond and make new friends, sadly though, there have been instances when being an F1 fan has caused some individuals discomfort, sexualisation and even abuse. Luckily, we can say that this doesn’t happen to all of us and most of the time we have positive experiences, but, there is a MASSIVE issue within the motorsport community and it needs to be addressed. We cannot stay quiet and let this small minority of people dictate what we can and can’t be fans of. Most of the time this discrimination, questioning and unfair behaviour is directed at women. Enough is enough and the time is now to speak up and end this.
We have dedicated this blog to allowing female fans and women who work in motorsports to speak up and tell their story about how being a female in the motorsport community has led to some disheartening comments and discomfort. The amount of messages we received after reaching out about this topic in particular was staggering and showed us just how much of and issue this really is. As women, we need to speak up and be heard. We should not take this nonsense. It is sad that many of us have become accustomed to this kind of treatment and hide what we may think due to fear of being shot down or questioned. We are thankful that steps are being made to make Formula 1 a more inclusive sport for women, nowadays we see females working in the garage and even on the pit wall which is such a step forward compared to what we would have seen even just 15 years ago.
We have the likes of D2BD (please read previous blog to learn more) and Females on Track to help us women who dream of working in the motorsport world a better chance and opportunities.
We are women. We are Formula 1 fans. We will be heard. Here are our stories…
Anonymous, 14, Britain.
“I commented on a picture of a Formula 1 driver which got noticed by them which was amazing and I was so happy with loads of fans congratulating me and telling me how happy they were for me, however, I also received very unwanted attention from 3 men twice my age after they congratulated me. They tried to add me on socials before asking me about my personal life and trying to trick me into sending inappropriate pictures. They harassed me until it all got too much and I had to block them. They showed no sign of stopping. It just seems like any time a girl shows interest in motorsport and gets recognition, they have to put up with men trying to get with them and being sexualised. I now don’t tend to comment on any F1 drivers comments out of fear of being harassed. I have slowly gained confidence to be able to comment on junior drivers pictures but I still feel anxious that someone will say something to me. On another occasion I defended a journalist that I am a fan of and got accused of sleeping with him- how does that add up? I am also only 14 so for 40 year old men to be saying such things it is completely inappropriate. The motorsport world, as wonderful as it can be, is still super broken and is not inclusive of females as much as they should be”.
Anonymous, 13, Brazil.
“I had a bad experience on F1 Twitter following a comment I had left on Charles Leclerc’s post with a friend. A man whom we did not know replied to our comments saying that we were only a fan of the sport so that we could catch a rich husband/boyfriend. When I stuck up for myself he started to say it was obviously true as it had got to me. He also told me that I probably change my boyfriends as often as I change my underwear. This made me feel so uncomfortable and all because I commented on a drivers picture, I did not provoke him in any way. It makes me sad to know that this happens often to females in the F1 community, however, I will not stop posting as I have a good group of supportive people around me and we like to talk about this incredible sport. I thought about not posting on photos of drivers any more as I don’t wish to be subjected to those kind of comments again but why shouldn’t I? I want to show my support to my teams and I’ll never stop doing something I love because of unfair and rude comments.”
Anonymous, 18, Britain.
This woman reached out to us to let us know that she had spoken out about sexual predators who worked in high roles within the F1 community. Thanks to her speaking out and telling her story after keeping it to herself for a number of years; the individuals -Aaron Gillard and Adam Dyer- were investigated. Aaron has been blacklisted from media at all MSV circuits as well as banned from working at Renault Sport events. Both individuals have been dismissed from working with Racing Point following their sexual harassment towards this female and sadly many more. We were contacted by at least 4 girls who had also been inappropriately approached by these men. Thanks to her for speaking out, she initiated a conversation that needed to be had and she should be proud. For more on this story please search #MotorsportMeToo on Twitter.
Annonymous, 17, Peru.
“I started watching F1 after watching Drive To Survive on Netflix and started to love it, I researched the cars, strategies, circuits, drivers etc. so that when the season started I’d be READY to talk about it with my friends. Many of my male “friends” took what I said as a joke and wouldn’t take me seriously. They would ask me “ why are you even watching F1, you’re a girl”, “you are only watching F1 because the drivers are attractive” and even said “who are you trying to hook up with since you’re watching a mans sport”. This made me want to stop watching at first because I was afraid of looking dumb. Luckily I connected with a group of girls on F1 Twitter and we all have the same interests and encourage me to keep watching and talking about the sport. However, I no longer talk to men about the sport.”
Anonymous, 17, Norway.
“ I usually race myself, however, the weekend in question I was injured. I was at the track because my brother races too. I was checking the timing list and someone I race against slapped my butt. I didn’t know who it was exactly but there was a large group of boys I race with sniggering afterwards. This made me feel so uncomfortable as someone had just touched me without consent in public. I was also incredibly disappointed as it made me think that they didn’t see me as an equal competitor. They don’t do that to anyone else? I have just as much of a right to race as them. I still race against some of them which makes me feel uncomfortable when I have to be around them on race weekends. Luckily it hasn’t happened again and I’m lucky that the people at my local track respect me.”
Anonymous, 24, Netherlands.
“I have dealt with harassment for being an F1 fan for years. My family are active in the motorsport community so I love and know a lot about cars. Whenever it comes up in conversation I voice my opinion. However this has led to some comments such as: “ you don’t know anything, you’re just a woman”, “honey, put your mouth where it is useful”, “you only like F1 for the men, I’ll show you what a real man is like”. These comments make me uncomfortable to say the least. I have even been catcalled at races. When I get treated like this it does make me think twice before saying anything, especially if they are wrong. However, us women get corrected all the time.”
Anonymous, 18, Slovakia.
“I have grown up loving F1 because of my Grandpa, my friends have never really understoof my love for it and make fun of me. I started karting and people would comment that I was too old to be any good which disheartened me and made me feel unsupported. People around me and where I live think that girls only like F1 for the men but that is truly wrong and unfair to think. Why shouldn’t we be able to enjoy the sport? Because we are females?”
Anonymous, 15, Netherlands.
“There is always the comments “you only watch F1 because you think the drivers are attractive”. This is such a dumb thing to say because if this is what I was after I could watch any teen show. No matter how many times I shoot down these comments, they will always find it funny. People also make fun of you if you haven’t been a fan for years and years. Of course you don’t know everything but as a women we get questioned more and it makes me sad that in 2020 we still get judged by our gender”.
Anonymous, 22, India.
“Whenever I post something related to F1 I get questioned about it as if they’re trying to test my knowledge and see if I really am a fan. Once a man said I knew nothing technical about F1 and that women shouldn’t be involved in the sport. Every time I talk about F1 around men I get anxious that they’ll ask me something I don’t know the answer to just to prove me wrong, it’s unfair that I am questioned and put under pressure just because I am a woman.”
Anonymous, 20, Canada.
”I was an intern at few GP’s and although these were amazing experiences I did encounter a lot of sexism and rude comments; primarily from the journalists. It happened on a few occasions when journalists would look straight past me and then to one of my male colleagues to ask a question. If I would answer they would usually ignore me or repeatedly asked ‘are you sure you know what you’re talking about?’. The most embarrassing moment for me was when I was working in the media pit and as Lando and his press officer walked past, one of my older male colleagues turned and said (very loudly) ‘what’s he doing with that guy? He needs a pretty young thing like you working for him’.”
Anonymous, 19, Britain.
”Older men often message me inappropriate comments once they realise I’m a young girl who loves racing. I’ve been asked such things like ‘join me in bed’ after explaining that I want to work in F1. One time, I kept getting messages from a man who was trying to flirt, when I explained that I was under 18 he stopped, however, on the very day I turned 18 he started to message me inappropriately again. Men seem to think it’s okay to do this and it absolutely is not.”
Sadly, these are only a handful of the stories that we have been sent this week and there are many, many more. We hope that these help to open people’s eyes to the massive issue that our sport faces. This needs to end, women should be able to enjoy F1 without the worry of being harassed, sexualised or treated unfairly.
Whilst we are lucky to have great experiences as part of the motorsport world, the two of us who write this blog have also been subject to some irresponsible behaviour.
Sacha:
I have loved F1 for years, yet I also get questioned to test my knowledge if I ever bring this up in front of men. When I state that I want to work in F1 as a performance coach I have previously been told I only want to do that so I can see the drivers up close and even been accused of wanting to get intimate with them to boost my career. This is absolutely ridiculous that because I am a woman I am faced with these completely disgusting accusations and false theories as to why I am passionate about becoming a performance coach. I have worked hard to get a degree in Physiology and I’m currently studying for a masters in Sport and Exercise Physiology to ensure I am ready to pursue the career I want. I want to break the mould like Angela Cullen; the ONLY female performance coach on the F1 grid who trains 6 time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Comments like this make me more determined to prove everyone wrong and one day this sport will be a fairer and more inclusive place where women like myself can work freely without being commented about. We belong in this world of motorsport.
However, I am very lucky to have had some very positive experiences within the F1 community as well. I have been in contact with multiple F1 performance coaches whom have all given me unprecedented advice to help me achieve my goals. I have a great group of people around me who all inspire me to follow my dreams and support me in what I want to achieve. I was also lucky enough to get VIP experience at Silverstone British GP 2019 where I met other individuals who are passionate about the sport and we are still in contact. We are a community and I am proud to be a part of it!
Sophie:
I love F1 and the community around it, I get to interact with others who share the same passion as me on a daily basis. Despite my experience being fairly happy, ever since I have started this blog I have become subject to questioning on my passion to have a career in this sport. I find often that I will get messages, almost always from men and few who are a lot older than me, after posting the blog or tweet my support on a race weekend stating “why do you even post these?”, “the only reason you want a career in F1 is to date a driver” or “I find it strange when girls like F1, its just not right” to name a few. Luckily I don’t let comments like these get to me but other women are not the same as me. I’ve spoken with many other people just like me who agree comments like these are what stops girls and women from achieving their goals in fear of being torn down. There should be no reason that because a sport is male dominated that it must stay that way and these misogynistic ideas that women cannot like sports need to be tackled. I have a dream of working for F1 one day and I will achieve it despite the bias I may face. We hope other girls and women like us reading this will do the same.
Although I have faced bias, my time being an F1 fan so far has been great. I can feel the amazing support that this community holds and I hope to stay a part of this for a long time to come. I have been lucky enough to make friends and contacts at D2BD events, see the amount of passion other people have for this sport and watch them achieve their goals in the motorsports world!
D2BD is just one of the amazing community’s that has been set up for women in motorsport!
Hopefully, this has opened everyones eyes to how big an issue this is. Giving these brave women a voice and a platform to speak on can hopefully stop others from repeating these comments and actions. We are happy to see the motorsport world are taking the correct steps to make the sport more inclusive. The improvements they have made in the past 5 years to make the sport more inclusive are great and we hope to see them continue until bias in the sport is a thing of the past.
We hope that this has given women the hope they need to keep following their dreams of working in sport and dont let these kind of comments and actions stop you from doing so.
We have been very lucky and have managed to get in contact with Rachel Brookes, as many of you will know is a presenter SkySports and is a big face in F1 media. Rachel told us that she has been lucky to have mainly positive experiences while working in sports although she has faced questions like”… but do you actually like motorsport?” a lot and says that this is something women in sport have had to learn to deal with generally. She also told us something that she always says which is to “always work twice as hard as your male counterparts but never doubt that you belong”. We are so glad to hear that Rchel has had a positive experience. Thank you to Rachel for taking the time to speak to us.
Soph meeting Rachel last year at a D2BD event! We are so thankful to get her experience for this weeks blog!
We hope you can all share these stories far and wide to let girls in the community know that they are not alone and they do not have to stay silent.
The Time is Now.
Sach & Soph x
