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Girlstart and Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images
More eyes are on Formula One than ever before.
The sport has seen exceptional growth globally, especially in the US, and it's also attracting a younger and more diverse audience - in particular, women who now make up 40 per cent of the fanbase, according to the 2025 Global F1 Fan Survey.
The days of F1 being considered a “man’s sport” are in the rear-view mirror as young women and girls are being encouraged to pursue careers in this field, most notably with the creation of the F1 Academy to help develop the careers of female drivers.
But beyond the steering wheel and cockpit, there’s also a push for women to pursue other key roles in the sport - from pit crew, to race strategists, engineers and designers.
F1 Academy drivers like Lia Block of United States and ART Grand Prix (57) Second placed Maya Weug of Netherlands and MP Motorsport (64) and Third placed Chloe Chambers of United States and Campos Racing (14) are inspiring the next generation of young women drivers.Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
“We envision a future where any girl believes they have the potential to change the world through STEM”, said Shane Woods, executive director at Girlstart, a national women-led non-profit based in Austin that empowers girls through science, technology, engineering, and maths.
They offer year-round out-of-school programming in these subjects for girls in grades 4-8 in Texas, California, Massachusetts, and other locations across the country.
Last month, Girlstart was presented with the F1® Allwyn Global Community Award at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, for their efforts to empower girls through STEM, and is are first US winner of the Award.
Shane Woods, executive director at Girlstart with The F1 Allwyn Global Community Award at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.Girlstart
Katarína Kohlmayer, Member of the Board of Directors of Allwyn International AG and F1® Allwyn Global Community Award judge, praised the “significant and important” work Girlstart is doing in Austin and across the country.
As the winners, Girlstart received a €100,000 ($117,000) prize funded by global lottery-led entertainment company Allwyn, and students were invited to attend the race weekend, where they got to see the diversity of roles in person at the Circuit of Americas.
They toured garages, spoke with engineers, participated in a trophy design competition judged and awarded by drivers, and an on-track relay race where the girls got to go head-to-head with other athletes and engineers.
From this, Woods described to Indy100 how the girls saw “women amongst a typically male-dominated enterprise, but they [also] saw women integrated in every part and every level of the career.”
The girls even got the chance to speak with seven-time world champion and Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton, who has been a leading voice for diversity in motorsport both on and off track.
Lewis Hamilton has been a vocal supporter of getting more women into motorsports.Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images
“For many of us, we’re inspired by those around us, we're inspired by our peers and so being able to have young women and girls on site having this fantastic experience but then taking it home to their classrooms, to their friends to say,’ Wow, this is possible’ that really helps us build a cultural network of people of opening doors and people being able to hopefully get inspired to join in F1 in whatever capacity they like,” Ellen Jones, F1’s head of environmental, social and governance told Indy100.
So what did the girls themselves make of the experience?
“My eyes have been opened to the amazing array of opportunities that it offers,” said 16-year-old Elise Garza.
“I want to see other young women like me become the innovators, programmers, and engineers of tomorrow, and I am inspired to think of how far a role in this field could take me.”
(L-R) Elise and Sahana attended the United States Grand Prix with Grilstart and saw firsthand the diversity of STEM careers within the sportGirlstart
Meanwhile, 15-year-old Sahana Jelakara described how it was “more than just a day at the track” as she called the weekend “a journey of discovery, inspiration, and empowerment.”
“It reminded me that STEM isn’t just about equations and experiments – it’s about driving innovation, breaking barriers, and creating a future where everyone has a place at the table."
For Woods, this is what it’s all about.
“To hear those kind of testimonials from our girls and those ‘aha’ moments that they have, and the high fives that they got from different people that they met allows them to know that they're seen and that they belong. People are welcoming and ready for them to come in and be the future of motorsport, the future of STEM,” she explained.
Kate Strange, Paralegal & Head of Sustainability, Circuit of the Americas (race promoter and F1 Allwyn Global Community Award judge shared the “sad fact” that 40 per cent of girls with a 4.0 [GPA] don’t believe they can achieve their dream career.
“There are a lot of exciting developments happening now within the world of motorsports, and Girlstart will help ensure that girls - whatever their background - can have a role in its future,” she added.
Girlstart being announced as the winner of the F1 Allwyn Global Community Award on stage at COTA during the United States Grand PrixGirlstart
This mission has been boosted thanks to the €100,000 donation from Allwyn, which will go towards 33 weekly STEM after-school programmes, 16 week-long summer camps, and the Austin Girls in STEM conference, benefiting an additional 1,250 girls.
On what this means for them, Woods said, “For those kids, that allows one girl in Austin, Texas, to know that someone from a different country many, many miles away, is investing in her success, that means a lot to them.”
The F1® Allwyn Global Community Award, launched in June this year as part of the multi-year partnership between F1 and Allwyn, reflects a shared commitment to drive positive change and give back to the communities in which they operate.
In the 2025 F1 season, a total of four local initiatives have been awarded and chosen by judges to win a €100,000 donation from Allwyn – each for making a positive impact in their respective countries in areas such as education, culture, wellbeing and sustainability.
“At COTA, their social impact and their links to the community are particularly strong, and that's why they've been selected as one of the first recipients to be able to take part in this award program,” Jones said regarding the United States Grand Prix.
The first recipient of the F1® Allwyn Global Community Award was disability charity called Stichting HandicapNL, who were honoured at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort in August.
Following Girlstart’s award win at COTA, The John Langdon Down Foundation were announced as the winners at the Mexican Grand Prix, and this week Green Our Planet were revealed as the final winner of the award this season at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, taking place this weekend.
Allwyn is a lottery-led entertainment company, with the belief ‘when you take a chance it gives you one’ and partners with both F1 and McLaren with the goal of driving positive societal change across the globe.
There are a number of other charitable initiatives Allwyn supports, including More than Equal, a not-for-profit initiative that aims to give equal opportunities to female drivers in F1.
These kinds of initiatives are “helping to build the future of F1” according to Jones, who noted one of F1’s core strategies is to create “a more diverse and inclusive sport.”
It’s all gas and no brakes as the next generation of young women are being given the keys to drive their own career path in F1.
“We need that next generation of young women to understand the roles and opportunities that could be waiting for them.”
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