Formula 1 is approaching a significant milestone in the long-running debate over women reaching the top level of motorsport. In 2026, it will be 50 years since a woman last started a Formula 1 Grand Prix, yet Jessica Hawkins remains convinced that female drivers will eventually return to the grid. The Aston Martin representative believes, however, that the breakthrough is still several years away and that much of today’s work is about creating opportunities for the generations that follow.
Lella Lombardi made her final Formula 1 Grand Prix appearance on 15 August 1976, taking on the old Österreichring in Austria, where the modern Red Bull Ring now stands. The Italian crossed the finish line in 12th position, bringing an end to a Formula 1 career that remains an important part of motorsport history.
Fifty years since Lella Lombardi’s final Formula 1 race
During the 1976 season, Lella Lombardi contested four Grands Prix with March RAM. A year earlier, she had competed in 10 races with March FWRC and achieved the result for which she is still best remembered. At the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, Lombardi finished sixth and scored the only Formula 1 points of her career.
Since then, women have continued fighting to establish a place in Formula 1, although for many years progress appeared to have reached a standstill. Something began to change in 2019 with the arrival of W Series, an all-female championship. In 2023, that project became F1 Academy, created with the ambition of helping women progress towards Formula 1.
The continued effort being made to bring female drivers closer to the pinnacle of motorsport was also discussed by Jessica Hawkins during an interview with Road for Success. Hawkins competed in W Series between 2019 and 2023 and has since held an ambassadorial role with Aston Martin. Her comments underline just how difficult the challenge remains and why the work being carried out today may ultimately benefit a future generation rather than those currently pursuing the goal.
Jessica Hawkins: “Women will make it to Formula 1”
Asked about the possibility of seeing women racing in Formula 1 again, Jessica Hawkins acknowledged that the necessary conditions are not yet in place. In her view, female drivers currently competing and working within motorsport are effectively helping to establish foundations strong enough to give the next generation a genuine opportunity.
“I’m sure we’re still a few years away, but it will happen. I’m certain it will happen. I have to be. Saying otherwise would go against everything I believe in. Women are strong enough to race in F1. I drove a Formula 1 car myself for half a race and I’m convinced I would have been able to complete it.”
Jessica Hawkins also stressed that physical preparation is essential before any driver can cope properly with a Formula 1 car. That requirement is not unique to women, with even established male drivers having to condition their bodies for the extreme forces generated by modern single-seaters.
“I remember my neck hurting a lot, but I think everyone’s neck hurts the first time they get into an F1 car. I had never raced in either F2 or F3. Even Formula 1 drivers have these kinds of problems when they return to racing after the winter break.”
For Jessica Hawkins, the experience reinforced the importance of preparation rather than changing her conviction that women are physically capable of racing at Formula 1 level.
F1 Academy could create opportunities for future generations
F1 Academy is intended to provide female drivers with opportunities that previously proved extremely difficult to obtain. Jessica Hawkins does not expect the championship to deliver an immediate female Formula 1 driver, but she believes its development can eventually create the pathway required for someone to make that step.
“The championship has incredible potential. It has changed a lot in a short period of time. I’m certain some drivers will make it. Some will dive in and drown, but others will dive in and swim. Among those who swim, there will eventually be someone who gets the opportunity to try to make the jump into F1. I’m certain of it.”
The importance of that development pathway can also be seen through the growing involvement of Formula 1 teams. Ferrari has invested in female driver development for several years, from making Maya Weug the first female member of the Ferrari Driver Academy to continuing its participation in F1 Academy with its latest generation of young prospects.
The challenge does not necessarily end once a driver has demonstrated her ability in an all-female championship either. The difficulties encountered by talented drivers trying to secure the next stage of their careers remain an important part of the wider discussion, as illustrated by Maya Weug’s search for new racing opportunities in 2026.
The commitment shown by women currently working and competing in motorsport is therefore largely about creating the right conditions for a future mixed Formula 1 grid. Many of those contributing to that progress may never personally benefit from the opportunities they are helping to establish. Instead, their work could ultimately give the next generation the chance to achieve what has not happened since Lella Lombardi lined up for her final Grand Prix almost half a century ago.
For Jessica Hawkins, there is no question over whether that moment can eventually arrive. The uncertainty is simply how many more years Formula 1 will have to wait before another woman earns her place on the grid.
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