Formula Woman, which was known as the Privilege Insurance Formula Woman Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a female-only one make racing series started in the UK. It was inspired by the lack of female drivers in other series and was created, amongst other reasons, to boost the female audience of the sport. Despite the use of the word formula in its name, the series has not used single-seaters.
It began in 2004 and ran until 2006. Formula Woman returned in 2021.
2004–2006 In 2004, all 16 drivers raced Mazda RX-8s over seven rounds around four British racing circuits. For 2005, support was dropped by Mazda and instead drivers competed in Caterham 7s.
2004 The inaugural season of Formula Woman was based around a television series on ITV. Thousands of women applied to join, with ultimately 17 drivers being chosen to compete. Experienced motoring journalist Vicki Butler-Henderson hosted the ITV show, while racing drivers Katherine Legge and Tim Harvey were both part of the judging panel. Legge left for unknown reasons early into the selection process.
Race calendar RoundCircuitDateRace winner1 Oulton Park12 June Natasha Firman212 June Natasha Firman3 Knockhill Racing Circuit27 June Margo Gardner427 June Margo Gardner5 Cadwell Park4 July Lorraine Pinner6 Brands Hatch25 July Lorraine Pinner725 July Lorraine Pinner
Championship standings The 2004 championship was won by Natasha Firman.
Pos Driver Pts 1 Natasha Firman 215 2 Lorraine Pinner 209 3 Bev Tyler 161 4 Juliette Thurston 146 5 Emma Hayles 122 6 Margo Gardner 112 7 Pippa Cow 104 8 Lauren Blighton 94 9 Nicola Robertson 80 10 Judith Lyons 74 11 Sarah Bennet-Baggs 73 12 Amy Handford 70 13 Victoria Hardy 63 14 Max Thompson 47 15 Catherine Gard 31 16 Joanna Linton 28 17 Karen Andrews 20
2005 Formula Woman returned in 2005 using Caterham 7's after Mazda withdrew support. The series was run as a Nations Cup. Natalie Butler from England won the 2005 Championship.
Entry list Nation Driver Emma Hayles Annie Templeton Natalie Butler Margo Gardner Rachel Owen Jennifer Daniel Jennifer Murray Nettan Lindgren Anna Walewska Lauren Gray Amanda Hennessy Theresia Balk
Following the end of the season in November, a novices race weekend was held at Pembrey, South Wales, using exclusive Caterham 7 race cars, with a record 62 women competing. The four race winners were automatically given entry to the 2006 Formula Woman championship.
Novice Race winners Nation Driver Amanda Elliott Michelle Nixon Lucy Redding Amanda Black
2006 The series continued in 2006, again using the Caterham 7 car but without any television coverage. Ultimately, Nikki Welsby won the championship.
The series was not renewed for 2007.
2021–present In November 2020, it was announced that Formula Woman would be making a come-back. The series opened for applicants in March 2021 with a view to the series starting in the autumn of the same year with an accompanying television package. The new competition prize offered winners the opportunity to race a McLaren 570S GT4 in the British GT Cup Championship that 16 drivers will compete for.
The series secured major sponsorship including McLaren, Trade Centre, and Vauxhall.
Test days took place at circuits including Knockhill and Anglesey Circuit. The assessments for the final driver decisions took place in December 2021, following a test day at Bedford Autodrome using Vauxhall Corsa-e cars.
In March 2022, the competition progressed to select 15 finalists from 70, with more selections involving a track kart test at Croft to achieve 10, followed by a future final race for four contestants.How Formula Woman is helping find female racing stars Autosport, 27 February 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022Could the first female Formula One Champion come from the Midlands? ITV News, 2 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022Sara Misir makes cut! ... Through to top 15 of Formula Woman Caribbean National Weekly, 4 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022
2021/22
Finalists
+NationDriverNotesErika HoffmanWinnerJodie SlossWinnerSara MisirWinnerAnushriya GulatiWinnerAmy RileyReserveSteph SoreReserveEliza SevilleAlicia BarrettVikki CampbellRebecca MellorAbbie Carruthers
2022/23
Finalists
+NationDriverNotesAlana CarterWinnerEliza SevilleWinnerEmma VennardEvy LongepeGrace WebbEsme VinesClaudia Lance JonesNicole SharplesOi Man LeungAmanda Henir
See also W Series, an all-female F3-class racing series founded in 2018 F1 Academy, an all-female F4-class racing series founded in 2022
References
Further reading
External links