Ever wondered what the current crop of Formula 1 drivers might look like as women? No, me neither.
But with FaceApp, AI and Photoshop at my disposal I thought I may as well and find out. Some of the results are… suprising!
Female drivers in Formula 1
There have only ever been 5 women to enter a Formula 1 Grand Prix:
- Maria Teresa de Filippis (1958 – 1959)
- Lella Lombardi (1974 – 1976)
- Divina Galica (1976, 1978)
- Desire Wilson (1980)
- Giovanna Amati (1992)
Of those five drivers, only the first two ever qualified and started a Grand Prix. Maria Teresa de Filippis started 3 races and Lella Lomardi started 12, becoming the only woman to ever score F1 points in the process.
Lella Lombardi Monza is licensed under CC BY 2.0
In the late ’70s there was also a series called the British Formula One Championship. This was an off-shoot of the official championship and usually featured second hand F1 cars that the leading teams no longer used.
In 1980, Desire Wilson became the only woman ever to win a Formula 1 race, taking victory at Brands Hatch in the British F1 championship.
F1 Academy
The F1 Academy is a support series to the Formula 1 World Championship. It’s exclusively for women and the grid of incredibly talented young drivers are all battling to break through to the top levels of the sport.
The series, managed by ex-Formula 1 test driver Susie Wolff, champions the next generation of female racing talent. It supports the F1 championship at various rounds including Saudi Arabia, Miami, Barcelona, Singapore and Zandvoort.
Jamie Chadwick is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
The series has taken over from the old W-Series which featured a similar set up. 3-time W-Series champion Jamie Chadwick has moved over to the USA to compete in the IndyNXT championship, a feeder to IndyCar. She’s shown incredible promise by becoming the first female driver in over a decade to score a podium finish in the American series. Who knows what’s next for her.
F1 drivers... as women
So we don’t currently have any female racing drivers competing in Formula 1, but I’m sure that will change in the future.
Until it does I thought why not unleash FaceApp and some AI to give us a look at an alternative universe. One which features the current crop of 20 F1 drivers, but as women.
Hold on to your hats…
Maxine Verstappen
Selena 'Chelo' Perez
Carla Sainz
Charlotte Leclerc
Louise Hamilton
Georgina Russell
Popular right now:
Fernanda Alonso
Lauren Stroll
Lana Norris
Scarlett Piastri
Danielle Ricciardo
Yuki Tsunoda
Kerry Magnussen
Nicola Hulkenberg
Alexandra Albon
Lola Sargeant
Perrine Gasly
Estella Ocon
Valentina 'Karen' Bottas
Zheng Guanyu
