Motorsports has come a long way in bridging the gap between women and opportunities, with more and more female racers spotted competing in junior categories. Sadly, more often than not, that’s where their careers fade away, and Abbie Eaton, speaking from experience, highlighted the physical limitations women face in this sport, which have prevented F1 from getting its first-ever full-time female driver.
Eaton, who has competed in Championships such as the British GT, and W-Series, explained that until Formula 4, the playing field is pretty level. F3, however, changes everything. The mere physicality of that division and the technical format act as a disadvantage for female racing drivers.
“F4 is not an issue for girls,” she said on the Backseat Drivers podcast. “You go to F3, it becomes quite physical. The G forces are not too bad but the actual steering input and when the aero kicks in…it’s really, really heavy.”
She added, “[It’s] just [that] these things are made for men.”
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Eaton gave the example of the brake pedals in F3 cars, which are placed higher, requiring female drivers to have special footrests installed to apply maximum braking pressure.
The higher a driver climbs the ladder, the more disproportionate the physical aspect of the sport gets. Per Eaton, this is the main reason why there is a lack of female representation in elite motorsport. That said, the 32-year-old has a clear and simple solution. The problem is that no one is willing to bend their knees to make it happen.
Eaton on what female drivers need to succeed
Eaton emphasized how difficult the road to F1 is for female drivers, with F2 standing as their biggest test. That said, she believes that a simple solution exists — introducing power steering to these cars.
“You need power steering in your cars and they go, ‘we don’t need power steering’,” said Eaton. According to her, the F2 bosses are determined to maintain this barrier in the sport. It becomes even more intriguing because Formula 1 has had power steering in their cars for a long time now.
That said, someone like Susie Wolff is going to play an integral part in driving the narrative towards a more inclusive future for female drivers in the sport. The F1 Academy Director herself has given a deadline for the first female driver. “2030 is my cut-off. Let’s see if we can make it happen before then,” Wolff had said last year.
