What's it like for women working in F1?

Historically, only two women have ever started a Grand Prix race, and as of the 2026 season, no women are competing in Formula One. This male dominancy is by no means restricted to the track, with social scientist Dr Kate Bancroft estimating that a mere 5% of technical motorsport roles (that is, the engineers and mechanics) are taken by women. We hear from Kate about her research into the F1 gender gap, which she hopes - alongside revealing some of the barriers and struggles faced by women - will start a wider conversation about the divide that exists in top-level motorsports. **During the podcast, it was mentioned that there has not yet been a female team principal in Formula 1. We would like to clarify that Monisha Kaltenborn served as Team Principal for Sauber from 2012 to 2017 (the first woman to hold the role).**

You can listen to What's it like for women working in F1? online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

What's it like for women working in F1? is an episode from Oxford Sparks Big Questions by Fiona Jones.

This episode is 16:43 long.

This episode was published on Mar 25, 2026.

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