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Written by Humairah Khokhar
Introduction
In recent years, there have been several changes to Formula One. Arguably, the most impactful has occurred off the grid: the emergence of a new crowd. This article explores how an increasing female audience has emerged, and what impact they have had on Formula One’s contracted opportunities, notably attracting the advertising of female-oriented beauty and skincare brands. These include: Charlotte Tilbury, Rimmel and e.l.f. Cosmetics.
The Formula 1 Exhibition, which is currently based in London Excel, exhibits Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Ayrton Senna’s Championship-winning cars. The exhibition opened in August 2024 and has attracted more than 300,000 visitors, signifying the motorsport’s popularity. Near the end of the exhibition, a digital spotlight depicts the rapid increase in Formula One’s female viewership, and recognises the growing presence of female motorsport drivers. It is apparent that more work needs to be done by Formula One to capitalise on the increasing commercial potential of female viewers, drivers and brands.
Why are More Women Becoming Interested in Formula One?
There are many factors that have contributed to Formula One’s increasing popularity amongst women, especially women aged 16-24. In 2017, per Forbes, Liberty Media acquired Formula One for $8 billion. Since then, the corporation has pushed initiatives like the F1 Academy, the Netflix series ‘Drive to Survive’ and collaborations with beauty brand sponsors. In doing so, they have significantly increased Formula One’s female viewership.
The existence of the F1 Academy – an all-female Formula One racing series, which originated in 2023, has contributed to the growing representation of women in elite motorsport. Its existence was preceded by the W Series, which launched in 2018 and was also an all-female Formula One racing series. The W Series existed separate from Formula One; its goal was to create more opportunities for women in motorsports, supporting them in becoming official drivers for Formula One. W Series ended because of financial difficulties: it went into liquidation after failing to secure funding. Despite this, its existence aided the visibility of female drivers and spurred the creation of F1 Academy. The F1 Academy’s current Managing Director, Susie Wolff, was a development driver for the Williams Formula One team. In a 2023 interview with the Financial Times, she stated: ‘We’re not just providing a platform for 15 young women, the vision is something much, much bigger over the longer-term.’
The Netflix documentary series, ‘Drive to Survive’, has arguably accounted for this shift and increasing Championship viewership figures. In 2022, per GP Fans, former Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott hailed Netflix series Drive to Survive a ‘marketing bonanza’ and stated that ‘there [has been] a huge increase in female purchasing’. In 2023, per Glamour UK, Aston Martin’s Head of F1 Academy Jessica Hawkin stated: ‘…not only has [Drive to Survive] increased the female audience, I think it’s increased Formula One’s audience, male and female’. The fact that Glamour UK, which markets itself as delivering ‘beauty, style and empowerment content for women reshaping the world’, has written an article interviewing a female F1 Academy driver signifies its recognition of Formula One’s increased appeal to female viewers. Jessica Hawkin’ interview with the women-led magazine has increased the visibility of motorsports for their audience. Thus, it has contributed to improving the motorsport’s accessibility: it encourages women to look into the sport, and therefore become more likely to foster an interest in it.
How Is the Growing Female Fanbase Being Capitalised On?
Only five female drivers have officially competed in a Formula One Grand Prix, the last being Giovanna Amati in 1992. Drive to Survive, the Netflix documentary, was hailed with bringing in a lot more female fans. However, the BBC found that, across the first 5 seasons, ‘women [had] spoken for less than an hour out of 32 hours of episodes’. This signifies that a lot more needs to be done to highlight female voices if Formula One hopes to capitalise on their increasing female viewership and encourage female drivers.
Per Forbes, in November 2022, Formula One’s CEO Stefano Domenicali said 40% of the motorsport’s global fans were women, up 8% from 2017. The increasing number of female fans has presented a lucrative opportunity for Formula One to attract a more versatile range of brands and support more female drivers. Recent partnerships include prominent beauty brands, such as: Charlotte Tilbury, Rimmel and e.l.f. Cosmetics. Charlotte Tilbury, Founder of Charlotte Tilbury, stated: ‘…as a female-founder I’m thrilled that we’re the first ever beauty brand to support these powerhouse drivers through our partnership with the F1 Academy.’ It is clear that beauty brands have recognised the rise in Formula One’s female audience and are working to capitalise on that power. However, notably, those partnerships are geared at extensions of Formula One, rather than the main teams and tracks themselves.
Charlotte Tilbury was an official partner of the F1 Academy 2024. Rimmel partnered with F1 Arcade for July-December 2024: F1 Arcade is a racing simulation venue that allows Formula One fans to experience the motorsport in a more visceral manner. This signifies that the female-oriented brands in Formula One still contain a lot of untapped commercial potential, which the motorsports industry would do well to capitalise on.
What is Next?
More sponsorship opportunities for those on and off the grid alike have and will be generated. An increasing female interest in Formula One, especially from a younger base, has contributed to improved viewership figures. These numbers are aiding Formula One’s teams and drivers alike. Whether more female drivers will benefit from the same opportunities remains to be seen.
In 2021, Huda Beauty partnered with NASCAR driver Toni Breidinger, indicating that there is a market for female motorsport drivers to receive lucrative sponsorships. The popularity of prominent female motorsport drivers, like Jessica Hawkins and Susie Wolff, signifies there is a strong talent pool for Formula One to source from, particularly as women-focused initiatives like the F1 Academy grow in strength. It is likely that this increased popularity will translate into increased monetary gains.
Bibliography
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2024/03/11/heres-why-formula-1-racing-is-growing-in-popularity-with-women/
- https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/80070/f1-drive-to-survive-a-marketing-bonanza-as-female-fans-boost-australian-gp/
- https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/drive-to-survive-jessica-hawkins-interview
- https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/w-series-failed-on-track-but-its-legacys-bigger-than-it-seems/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2024/12/03/formula-1-now-sees-750-million-fans-due-to-growth-with-women-and-middle-east-demo/
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- https://www.ft.com/content/43a953ec-a1ce-45f3-8d18-6476f59127d1
- https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/f1-academy-announces-milestone-partnership-with-charlotte-tilbury.76CW7v3OWQ1q8haY02PJBC
