Latest news with #femaleDrivers
BBC News
13 hours ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
F1 'ripe for change' as Blyton track hosts girls' race training
Young female drivers claim "boys don't respect us" when competing to become future F1 stars. Blyton Park in Lincolnshire hosted the More Than Equal training camp where an elite cohort of female drivers tested Ginetta G40 14, has been racing since she was six, she said: "If you can't handle a girl being in front of you, this isn't the sport for you. Go play football or something." Tom Stanton boss of More Than Equal said: "We've been searching the globe for the drivers that have the right things, and we think we've got those things in the women here, so watch this space." More Than Equal finds young drivers with high potential and enrols them in a fully funded driver development programme designed for female drivers founded by former F1 world champion David Coulthard. A woman has not scored points in the F1 World Championship since Lella Lombardi in 1975 but More Than Equal are "committed to changing this". Ivonn, who lives in Austria, comes from a background in racing and said her dad encouraged her when she was young to pursue it as a said: "It's a difficult industry as often boys don't respect you and you have to earn their respect." Her advice for girls looking to start is "to just do it" she added, "there's nothing stopping you and if boys give you a hard time, just give them a harder time next time." Skye wants to be the first female F1 champion and her mum Emma said the family are "fully supportive of Skye's lifestyle choice." Due to the industry being male dominated she believes: "People don't like girls being fast, it's getting better but things still happens a lot." She said: "Boys will still put her in the barrier rather than finishing behind her."They would rather they didn't finish and the girl didn't finish then finish behind the girl and get told they've just been beaten by a girl." Katrina, 15, from Hong Kong, currently races in the Ginetta Junior series and has won the Asian karting championships, she has recently recovered from a broken shoulder. She explained: "I was really proud of myself as it made me realise I can beat the boys and nothing is impossible even if you are in a male dominated sport." "I remember there was a time when two or three drivers ganged up on me just to purposely push me off and their teams would gather, plan and talk about it."Katrina said she had to tell herself not to let it knock her confidence or be afraid to push them back. Tom Stanton believes women have struggled to reach F1 because they face funding challenges when "massively outnumbered by talented males".He said: "Our programme is unapologetically female focused, it's age and stage appropriate and we're trying to unmask the challenges we see, as for female drivers we have to do things differently." "There's no reason why we wouldn't have future champions here today, the sport is absolutely ripe for this change and we want to bring it." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Zawya
26-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Saudi ride-hailing apps record over 27.9mln trips in Q1
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia'sTransport General Authority (TGA) announced that the number of trips carried out via ride-hailing apps in the country exceeded 27.9 million trips during the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 87 percent compared to the same period of 2024. TGA confirmed that the total number of active drivers serving passenger transport apps in Saudi Arabia amounted to more than 2,47,700, including 13,000 females, during the first quarter of 2025. This was an increase of 68 percent for male drivers, and 83% for female drivers, compared to the first quarter of last year. TGA explained that Riyadh region topped the highest percentage of executed trips, recording 41.1 percent, while Makkah came second with 23.2 percent, followed by the Eastern Province with 15.7 percent, and Madinah with 6.5 percent. Al-Qassim and Asir each recorded 3.2 percent, Tabuk 2.7 percent, Hail 1.9 percent, Jazan 1.2 percent, Najran 0.6 percent, Al-Jawf 0.5 percent, and finally the Northern Borders and Al-Baha each 0.2 percent. The ride-hailing apps in the country witnessed significant growth with the total annual income of Saudi male and female drivers from the sector exceeding SR2 billion. © Copyright 2022 The Saudi Gazette. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Khaleej Times
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Khaleej Times
Dubai: Women drivers on the rise; less involved in road accidents
Dubai streets are seeing a significant rise in the number of female drivers, reflecting broader social and mobility trends throughout the emirate. According to the Ministry of Interior's open data, in 2024, a total of 105,568 driving licences were issued to women, compared to just 6,903 licences issued to men. In total, 161,704 new driving licences were issued to women throughout 2024, according to official figures. This comes alongside 221,382 new licences issued to men during the same year across the UAE. Licencing figures across the emirates Official figures show that a total of 383,086 new driving licences were issued across the UAE in 2024. Of these, 161,704 licences were granted to women, while 221,382 went to men. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. Other emirates saw a rise in licences issued to men. In Abu Dhabi, around 147,334 new licences were issued last year. Male drivers accounted for 120,363, while female drivers received 26,971 new licences. Sharjah saw 65,195 new licences issued in 2024, with 15,653 granted to women and 49,542 to men. Female driving behaviour and safety According to data from RoadSafetyUAE, female drivers in the UAE are statistically less involved in road accidents. The report highlights that women tend to exhibit safer driving habits, including effective time management, and, to a lesser extent, better seatbelt use, reduced road rage, and less mobile phone usage. Additionally, women demonstrate stronger adherence to traffic laws and display fewer aggressive behaviours while driving. Previous studies referenced on the platform show that men are disproportionately represented in accident and violation statistics, while women remain underrepresented in major traffic offences. As reported previously by Khaleej Times, Thomas Edelmann, founder and managing director of RoadSafetyUAE, said, 'Women drivers often don't receive the due appreciation for their driving behaviour. Gender prejudice still seems to play a role; however, an overall, more careful attitude can be observed while analysing the behaviour of UAE lady drivers in most of the critical dimensions of safe driving.' Driving through traffic In an interview with Khaleej Times, Halima, a 27-year-old resident of Dubai who obtained her driver's licence in 2016, said that she generally adheres to traffic rules and prioritises safety while driving. 'I don't receive many fines during the year; at most, I get around four. I pay them right away because I don't like letting them accumulate,' she said. Halima also noted that traffic congestion is a daily challenge for her, as she commutes from her home in Al Barsha to her workplace in Deira. 'The traffic can be frustrating and stressful. Many drivers try to cut in even when the space is too narrow. I usually just honk several times, I'm concerned for my safety,' she added. She further stated that throughout her years of driving, she has been involved in two minor traffic accidents, in which the other parties were at fault.
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Formula 1: Meet the women breaking barriers in motorsport
It is nearly 50 years since a female driver started an F1 race - Lella Lombardi in 1976 – but women have been making other history in other areas. Claire Dubbelman is one of those trailblazers as the first female deputy race director in F1, and the only woman to hold the FIA race director super licence. For the Dutchwoman, working at the pinnacle of motorsport was always her intended destination. Growing up around the sport - following it with her dad, who was a journalist - Dubbelman started her career at a grassroots championship where she described her role as "anything without a screwdriver", including doing hotel bookings for the crew, arranging the trophies for podium ceremonies and writing press releases. She remembers having conversations with drivers about their goals and aspirations. They would often talk about their dreams of making it to Formula 1. "They used to say: 'What is it you want to do?' And I said: 'I also want to go to Formula 1, you just want to do it in the car and I'll do it out of the car,' " she said. The 39-year-old is now one of 91 women working for the FIA, which equates to 32% of its workforce. Nearly half - 43 - were in senior positions as of December 2024, according to the FIA. "We have really strong female representation and that's what I'm really proud of in this team," she said. Getting there has not always been a smooth ride, though. Looking back on her early career, she vividly remembers an unpleasant interaction when she entered the office belonging to a chief executive of a racetrack to negotiate a contract. "I walked into the office and the guy opposite me said: 'What are you doing here?' And I said, 'I'm here to negotiate a contract.' He said: 'Are you sure you can do that?'" She said motorsport was a "challenging environment especially if you're young and female". "Being female itself is one thing but being young and female is an extra dimension because people think they can get away with more," she said. "I've definitely seen quite a bit of that." She added that was particularly true "in the lower categories", adding: "It's harder for women. There's a lot more catcalling, a lot more bias." In the face of those challenges, Dubbelman has learned the importance of resilience. "I've worked very hard to get here and I will not let anyone dictate whether I give up or not," she added. Some F1 teams have reported general increases in the numbers of women in their workforces in each of their respective gender pay gap reports, with data from 2021 to 2024 showing Mercedes went from 12% female employees to 17.9%. Over the same period McLaren increased from 13% to 20%, and Alpine rose from 11% to 14%. Dubbelman hopes the sport continues its drive towards getting more women working in the industry. "I think if this sport can be as welcoming as possible and see the value of different perspectives in the paddock, I think that will be a very nice place to work."
