Beyond the Cockpit: The Women Who Helped Build Formula 1

By Selin Soyer

When people talk about women in Formula 1, the conversation usually begins with the drivers who tried to fight their way onto the grid. Maria Teresa de Filippis is remembered for daring to enter a world that did not expect her. Lella Lombardi remains the only woman to score points in a Formula 1 World Championship race. In more recent years, names like Susie Wolff and Tatiana Calderón have carried the conversation forward through test and development roles.

But if you step back from the starting grid and look at the sport as a whole, it becomes clear that Formula 1 has always depended on far more than the person holding the steering wheel. Races are shaped in factories, in data rooms, and in quiet meetings long before Sunday arrives. And in those spaces, women have steadily carved out influence, often without the spotlight.

In the early decades of Formula 1, women were present but rarely visible in technical authority. Motorsport was deeply traditional, and engineering pipelines reflected that. Yet as teams like Ferrari, McLaren, and Williams Racing grew into sophisticated, corporate operations in the 1970s and 1980s, the structure of the sport began to change. It was no longer just about mechanical intuition in a small garage. It was about data, finance, aerodynamics, and logistics. Those expanding departments created room for new kinds of expertise.

Leadership remained stubbornly traditional for a long time. The mythology of Formula 1 was built around commanding figures such as Enzo Ferrari, Ron Dennis, and Frank Williams. These were leaders whose personalities defined entire eras. Against that backdrop, Claire Williams stepping into senior leadership at Williams felt significant, not because it was symbolic, but because it happened in one of the toughest periods in the team’s history. She was navigating financial instability, competitive decline, and the intense scrutiny that comes with carrying a legendary name. It was not a ceremonial position. It was responsibility in its rawest form.

While leadership evolves slowly, race strategy has become one of the most visible areas where women have shaped outcomes. Modern Formula 1 is a sport of probabilities. Tire wear, pit stop timing, safety car scenarios, all of it is calculated in real time. In 2021, Hannah Schmitz made a call at the French Grand Prix that helped Red Bull Racing defeat Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team through a bold two stop strategy. It was a decision built on data and confidence. What stood out was how normal it felt. She was not framed as a novelty. She was simply the strategist who made the right call.

Another example is Ruth Buscombe, whose work with teams including Alfa Romeo Racing brought clarity to the complex world of tire offsets and race simulations. Engineers like Bernadette Collins also reflect this shift. Collins built her reputation through technical performance roles before becoming widely recognized as an analyst. Her authority comes from understanding the mechanics and mathematics behind every decision.

Then there is aerodynamics, the invisible art that defines modern Formula 1. The cars are shaped by airflow, by thousands of hours in wind tunnels and simulation software. For decades, those rooms were almost exclusively male. Over time, as engineering education diversified, that began to change. Teams such as Renault F1 Team, now competing as Alpine F1 Team, along with others across the grid, have drawn from broader technical talent pools. The aerodynamicist refining a floor edge or front wing concept may never stand in front of a camera, yet their work can determine whether a car fights for podiums or struggles in the midfield.

The broader governance of the sport has evolved as well. The FIA sets the regulatory framework, shaping everything from safety standards to technical direction. Since Liberty Media acquired Formula 1 in 2017, there has been a stronger public emphasis on modernization and accessibility. Programs such as the F1 Academy focus on creating a pathway for female drivers, but their cultural impact reaches further. When young women see a visible future in racing, they also see possibility in engineering, strategy, and leadership.

It would not be accurate to say that the balance is perfect. Senior technical and executive roles remain mostly male. Motorsport culture changes slowly, and representation does not transform overnight. Yet something fundamental has shifted. Women in Formula 1 are increasingly present not as exceptions but as professionals whose work directly influences competitive outcomes.

The history of women in Formula 1 is not only the story of who started a Grand Prix. It is the story of who calculated the pit window, who optimized the airflow, who negotiated the sponsorship deal that kept a team alive. It lives in late nights at the factory and in calm voices over race radio.