Female F1 Breakthrough Predicted in 'a Few Years' After Half-Century Wait

Formula 1 could finally see a female driver on the grid again after more than half a century, according to Jessica Hawkins, Aston Martin ambassador and head of F1 Academy.

The last woman to race in a Grand Prix was Lella Lombardi at the 1976 Austrian GP. The Italian remains the only female to score points, taking half a point at the 1975 Spanish GP.

Since then, a few names have emerged. Susie Wolff was the last woman to drive in a free practice session, with Williams in 2014-2015. Giovanna Amati attempted to qualify for a race with Brabham in 1992 but failed on all three tries.

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Now in its fourth season, F1 Academy is the new hope. Although no graduate has yet moved up to F3 or beyond, Hawkins is confident it is only a matter of time.

"I think we're a few years away from it," she told the Road to Success podcast. "But I do believe it will happen. I would be a fraud if I sat here and said I didn't think that would happen."

Hawkins also stressed the importance of role models. "It is different now because if you look at F1 Academy, wow, I could have only dreamt of that at my age. Some of them probably don't realise what it was like just a few years ago," she said.

"The championship has the ability to really make some drivers. Some will sink, some will swim. The ones that swim are the ones good enough to fight for these F1 seats," she added.

Hawkins became the first woman to drive an Aston Martin F1 car in September 2023 at the Hungaroring. She dismissed the myth that strength is a barrier. "My neck was struggling, but that wasn't because I was female. Every single person's first time in an F1 car, their neck struggled," she said.