Car racing remains a male-dominated sport, but there are signs that there could be change coming down the road.
Only five female drivers have entered a Formula One Grand Prix, ten women have entered an Indy 500 race, and 16 women have driven in a NASCAR Cup Series. There’s hope for change, though, in the Formula E all-electric vehicle competition, which has already featured three female drivers during its seven seasons.
“Aside from gender, we’re all our individual characters,” said ROKiT Venturi Formula E team principal Susie Wolff. “There cam be boys that prefer ballet and girls that prefer cars, and it's just making sure that we make sure that the girls that are interested in the sport are getting the opportunity to enter and be successful.”
In 2014 Wolff became the first woman to participate in a Formula One weekend in more than two decades when she drove in a practice session. She now leads ROKiT Venturi’s team and a third team's members are women.
“It's hugely advantageous for me in my role now, the fact that I was a driver, because I know what it's like for the drivers in the car and I know the pressures they're under,” she explained. “And I also, from my perspective now, see what it takes to get the right environment, the right people on board to create that energy in the team which can be be such an important part of success.”
Adding women gives teams another vantage point, added ROKiT Venturi head of partnerships Chloe Bearman.
“I think being a female adds a different perspective and definitely the team I’m at right now, with Venturi, we're leading the way,” she said. “And we're showing that a team that is diverse, there's real strength in that.”
Forty-eight percent of workers for Formula E and member organizations are women. With electric cars emerging as the future of the automotive industry, the organization is hoping it can pave the way for further gender equality.
“The great thing is when you walk up and down that grid is that more girls feel like they can take part,” said Formula E chief strategy and business development officer Hannah Brown.
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Rachel Bachman, senior sports reporter at the Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she explains how U.S. athletes have been inserted into the middle of a political debate after the country declared a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing.
