If there’s one question that shows up in my DMs more than any other, it’s “how do I break into motorsport?” From engineers to marketers to creators, so many want to know how people actually get their start. Over the past four years on the podcast, I’ve repeatedly asked women working in the sport what they’ve learned along the way, and what they’d tell someone trying to do the same.
The truth is, there’s never been a better time to try. Formula 1, and motorsport more broadly, has exploded into a global industry that needs almost every skill imaginable. From data science and sustainability to storytelling and design, it’s one of the few sports where there’s space for both the technical and the creative, the global and domestic, and everything in between. That mix is what makes it one of the most dynamic industries to build a career in.
Here’s what the women paving the way have learned, in their own words.
Laura Winter
Main Presenter, F1 TV
“Don’t be afraid to get amongst it. Keep showing up because you’re very welcome.”
Lou McEwen
Chief Marketing Officer, McLaren Racing
“Seek out role models and mentors. Get people around you to support you. You can see how they’ve done what they’ve done. How they got there.”
Ali Ashpitel
Head of Sustainability, Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
“All experience is good experience. So get experience. It doesn’t need to be in motorsport... I had experience that was transferable. When you see your dream job, I think we hear it a lot as women that we may not apply unless we’ve got all of the skills on the job description. Don’t do that. You don’t need to have everything.”
Carrie Donaghy
General Counsel, Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
“Always be yourself, always be humble. Encourage other females to inspire and grow and make sure that everyone around you feels supported.”
Neus Santamaria
Deputy Race Director, F1 Academy
“Never accept no for an answer. If that’s your dream, if you know you’re capable of doing it... push as hard as you can in order to achieve that dream. There will be a lot of people who will think it’s not your place, but you need to be the one to trust yourself and to work towards that goal.”
Julia Pallé
VP Sustainability, Formula E
“Work hard, study, make sure that you connect, network, be open-minded, and put yourself out there... Follow your dreams because there’s no dream that is too big for you, that’s for sure, but it’s not going to happen by chance.”
Bernie Collins
Strategy Analyst, Sky Sports and F1 TV; Former Head of Strategy, Aston Martin Racing
“You need to just apply for things, put yourself out there, take a bit of a risk. And if you don’t get the job or the interview, you need to ask why.”
Dr. Kathryn Richards
Wind Tunnel Test Technician, Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
“Don’t be afraid. Write a letter, write an email, bug people. LinkedIn is a very powerful thing these days as well... You know what you can bring to the table.”
Jamie Chadwick
Driver
“The time has never been better... there are so many opportunities and amaizng initiatives and amazing people involved. Don’t be put off by anything. If you’re interested, do it for the reasons you love it.”
Kate O’Hara-Hatchley
Head of People Experience, McLaren Racing
“Don’t be overawed by anybody or any situation and therefore hold yourself back. Do things that are scary, because if you’re not scared you’re not learning.“
Dr. Fran Longstaff
Head of Research, More Than Equal
“Soak in as much knowledge as possible. Ask as many questions to fills those gaps. Take every opportunity to learn.”
Ellen Jones
Head of ESG, Formula 1
“Perfect is not what people are looking for. What we’re looking for is people who are really interested in learning and have a passion for what they do. How do you ask the right questions rather than coming in and saying ‘I have all the answers’? No one has all the answers.”
Kate Gundlach
Race Engineer, Arrow McLaren
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions, because when I first got into the sport, I was so nervous about not being an expert in absolutely everything, thinking that I need to know everything about everything... and I think that held me back. Your inner saboteur can be a big problem.”
Motorsport isn’t an impenetrable world. It’s an ecosystem that keeps expanding because people are bold enough to enter it. If there’s one thing all these women prove, it’s that there’s no single way in, only the decision to start. I’m cheering you on.
Thanks for writing this, it clarifies a lot. The diversity of skills needed is so important to highlite. Maybe my advanced calculus could land me a pitlane job after all! So good for women to see this.