Danica Patrick became one of the most impactful superstars of NASCAR and IndyCar. Danica still holds as the only woman to have won an IndyCar series race (2008). Joining Rahal Letterman Racing in 2004, in her debut season, Patrick led 32 laps in only her 4th race. Patrick participated in the 24 Hours of Daytona in the Daytona Prototype class alongside Rusty Wallace, Allan McNish, and Jan Lammers. They contended for the victory, but had to retire due to overheating problems. Patrick began racing stock cars in 2010 becoming the second woman to clinch a pole position in the Nationwide (now known as Xfinity) series. In 2012, she joined the NASCAR Cup series and became the first woman to obtain a Cup Series pole position for the 2013 Daytona 500. Patrick took the record for the most top-ten finishes by a woman in the Sprint Cup series in 2015. Patrick now works with Sky Sports on their F1 broadcast. Danica was scheduled to test for a Formula One Honda backed team in 2008, but the opportunity ended when Honda pulled out of the sport. Danica was the first woman to transcend motorsports and became a cultural phenomenon.
"I was brought up to be the fastest driver. Not the fastest girl."
[...]
"I've never asked for special treatment along the way. And I'm never going to hide the fact that I'm a girl, ever. That's obvious, isn't it?"
[...]
"Give yourself permission to shoot for something that seems totally beyond your grasp. You may be surprised at your capabilities"
-Danica Patrick
Alice Powell became the first woman to win a Formula Renault championship and became the first woman to score points in the GP3 series. Powell was one of the 18 women selected to compete in the inaugural W Series championship. During the season, Powell took four podium finishes, including a win at the series finale at Brands Hatch and finished third in the championship standings. In 2020, Powell serving as an ambassador for Dare To Be Different, an organization founded by former racing driver Susie Wolff (wife of Toto Wolf of Mercedes F1), partook in a driving test for Formula E. From that opportunity, Powell became the Simulator and Development Driver for Envision Virgin Racing.
Founded in 2018, the Iron Dames is a “project committed to promoting and supporting women in sports where they compete on equal terms with men”. The project began in motorsport and in 2023 celebrated the illustrious achievement of becoming the first all female team to win a FIA WEC race: the 8 Hours of Bahrain in the LMGTE Am class. Iron Dames can be spotted across multiple disciplines and competitions including F1 Academy, Formula Regional European Championship, Rally, IMSA, and WEC. The project has expanded into karting and equestrian competition, and is especially focused on providing opportunities to bring up the next generation of athletes.
“Thanks very much to all our competitors [...] to keep the pressure high. I think we proved today that we do not crack easily under pressure.”
-Driver, Sarah Bovy
"They [The Iron Dames] are proving that dreams have no barriers if you give yourself the means to make them come true. May this day inspire other women around the world to never give up on what they believe in.”
-Founder, Deborah Mayer
Before driving as a Ferrari factory driver in 2023, Lilou raced in the World Endurance Championship for Richard Mille's LMP2 team. Lilou is the first woman to ever win an FIA World Endurance Championship race and the first woman to drive a Le Mans Hypercar. Lilou began her motorsports journey at 14. She made the jump to competitive circuit racing 2 years later. By 2021, she finished 8 of the 12 races on the overall podium and was part of a three-way title fight with the reigning champion Jean-Baptist Mela. She won the race at the season finale in Portimão and finished 3rd overall, 2nd in the junior standings. November 2021, alongside W Series drivers Jamie Chadwick and Alice Powell, Lilou was given a chance to test drive by the all-womens LMP2 team at the FIA post-season rookie test in Bahrain. She was hired for the 2022 season as part of the team's switch to a mixed lineup, alongside ELMS champion Charles Milesi and eight-time World Rally Cahmpion Sebastian Ogier. In 2023, she became the first ever Ferrari factory driver, competing for AF Corse in the GTE Am category, winning their race at Spa-Francorchamps. After the season, she featured at the Bahrain post-season test, this time driving Ferrari's Le Mans-winning 499P Hypercar. She would place third out of 18 drivers, only behind Robert Shwartzman and Norman Nato.
“Being the first woman to win a round of the WEC was something that had been going through my mind since 1000 Miles of Sebring when I saw how competitive we were. I hope that this achievement will inspire other women who have been reluctant to get involved in motorsport to give it a go. We are all capable of fighting it out at the front of the field. Whether you’re a man or a woman, when you’re behind a wheel, you’re a driver.”
-Lilou Wadoux
Following a career path familiar to race fans, Abbie Eaton began her racing career in karting at age 10. The British driver moved quickly to cars and found her calling, coming second in the Pro/Am Championship and fourth overall in the 2016 British GT. In 2017 she became the first female winner of a class in the Blancpain GT Series, driving a Ferrari 488 GT3. In October 2021, Eaton was involved in a crash at the Circuit of the Americas and suffered a broken back. She was back on the track in the W series in 2022. Abbie also starred as the test driver on the 2nd and third seasons of The Grand Tour.
"And then there are the people who say, ‘The Stig would be faster.’ But I say, ‘If the Stig wants to come and have a go, he’s more than welcome.'"
~ Abbie Eaton
Jamie Chadwick followed in her brother’s footsteps when she began kart racing at age 11. She transitioned to cars in 2013, competing for and winning a scholarship for the 2013 Ginetta Junior Championship season. Beginning in 2019, the British driver dominated the W Series of Formula racing, winning the inaugural title and retaining it for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. 2019 also marked Chadwick becoming a developmental driver with the Williams Driver Academy. Her relationship with Williams has continued in the years since: in 2024 her title changed to "Williams Racing Driver" and she became the F1 Academy Advisor for fellow Williams driver Lia Block. Indy NXT also took notice, signing Chadwick to the 2023 season where she became the first woman in series history to claim a road course pole and road course win.
"I want to be a part of this next step of getting more and more females in the door. And even if I don’t make it, hopefully there’s a whole crop of young talent that’s coming through that I can help.”
[...]
“I’m a big believer of having more women, not just as drivers but mechanics and engineers.”
-Jamie Chadwick
The Queen of the Nürburgring, Sabine Schmitz, became the first woman to win the 24 hours of Nürburgring in 1996. Driving alongside co-driver Johannes Scheid, the pair repeated their win in 1997. Also known as Sabine Reck, this German racer captured attention driving passengers around the track in a BMW M5 “ring taxi”, earning a second moniker of “world’s fastest taxi driver.” You may also recognize Schmitz from her appearances on Top Gear. Famously, she told Jeremy Clarkson who had just set a lap time of 9 minutes 59 seconds in a Jaguar S-Type that, "I [can] do that lap time in the van." Calling her challenge, she then set a lap of 9 minutes 12 seconds in the same Jaguar S-type. The film crew was unable to keep up with her pace and had to hire a Jaguar test driver, Wolfgang Schubauber, to drive the chase car. After trouncing Clarkson by 47 seconds in the Jaguar, Top Gear allowed her a go in a Ford Transit diesel van around the Nordschleife, attempting to beat Clarkson's time, missing it by a near 9 seconds. Schmitz passed away from cancer in 2021. The Nordschleife paid its respects by honoring her with a coveted naming of the previously unnamed Turn 1, henceforth naming it “The Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve.” Every race and every lap record recorded going forward will pass through The Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve as their first corner.
