Style Meets Speed: The Value of Female-Focused Collaborations in Motorsport
It’s time for F1 to shift gears and focus on the female audience
Today marks a pivotal moment in motorsport history. F1 Academy has officially announced their partnership with the renowned cosmetics brand Charlotte Tilbury.
Formula 1’s female racing series launched at the end of 2022, with their inaugural season taking place just last year. Despite its emergence out of the W Series, F1 Academy is still forming a presence in the motorsport arena. Nevertheless, this partnership provides a glimpse of who they are and what they can bring to the table.
With the motorsport fan base historically male-dominated, brands specifically designed for women have never had a place in the sport until now. Female viewership has grown exponentially in the last couple of years, making it crucial for the sport to formally address and cater to this emerging demographic.
The collaboration between F1 Academy and Charlotte Tilbury aims to attract a fanbase that reflects their drivers, opening doors to a previously ignored female audience. Likewise, this economic partnership creates an opportunity for other female-targeted brands to follow suit, unlocking access to the “untapped billion” that F1 commentator Toni Cowan-Brown frequently refers to.
Interestingly, this collaboration is not just for attracting female engagement with the sport. As the Managing Director, Susie Wolff writes,
“Our partnership with Charlotte Tilbury is founded on a closely shared purpose to empower, inspire confidence & encourage young women to chase their dreams.”
In a sport that has historically downplayed the female presence, this alliance stands out as groundbreaking compared to F1’s approaches to attracting female viewership.
Rather than forming partnerships with female-oriented companies, many F1 teams opt to attract women by capitalizing on the appearance of their drivers. Although using men as eye candy is a common and effective method for winning female audiences, there are more approaches to draw women into the sport that many F1 teams have yet to explore.
One team that has recently made headway in the female engagement department is McLaren. Last season, the global fashion company Reiss became McLaren’s official team kit partner on a multi-year contract. When it was announced that Lissie Mackintosh, a well-known and beloved F1 paddock figure, would be supporting this new collaboration, McLaren’s partnership with Reiss was perceived in a new light.
McLaren’s decision to include Mackintosh in the project speaks wonder about their dedication to attracting female fans. Mackintosh is a popular F1 content creator known as the “Queen of the Paddock” for her striking sense of style. Because she isn’t afraid to be a fashionista and a knowledgeable presenter simultaneously, female fans look up to her and what she represents.
Reiss highlighted this very idea when Mackintosh was first announced on the project:
“Known and loved for her track-side appearances, along with a sharp eye for fashion, Lissie plays a huge role in improving the representation of women in motorsport and encouraging people of all ages to take pride in their passions.”
Because clothing, accessories, bags, and shoes have nothing to do with the sport, female F1 fans have always been criticized for loving paddock fashion. But with Mackintosh as the face of the McLaren-Reiss partnership, this initiative is actively working to challenge the notion that fashion and motorsport are incompatible.
While traditional F1 merchandise has always been iconic, the McLaren x Reiss collection, which launched yesterday, addresses the aesthetic preferences of fashion-forward female fans. Overall, this collaboration serves as a step towards offering female fans a comfortable space where their input is considered and where they can enjoy fashion and motorsport together.
McLaren’s development driver, Bianca Bustamante, was also featured in the Reiss campaign above. But on her own, as another popular female figure in motorsport, she has also helped to bridge the gap between female brands and motorsport.
When she declared her participation in the Macau Grand Prix in Formula 4, Bustamante revealed Anastasia Beverly Hills, another popular makeup brand, as one of her sponsors for the race.
Like Mackintosh who was able to bring fashion into motorsport, Bustamante was given the opportunity to bring cosmetics into the driver’s seat. Through a “Get-Ready-With-Me” video on TikTok, Bustamante demonstrated that a passion for racing doesn’t have to compromise one’s femininity.
Motorsport is growing in the female community and the efforts taken by F1 Academy, Lissie Mackintosh, McLaren, and Bianca Bustamante have only grazed the surface of what the female market can bring to the sport. It truly is exciting to see where the sport is heading and I hope more F1 teams will recognize the economic value and potential of women in motorsport.
