More than Equal has partnered with Europe’s leading drag racing venue Santa Pod Raceway and Women in Motorsports North America [WIMNA] to launch “a landmark white paper examining Drag Racing’s leadership in gender inclusivity.”

More than Equal is a global motorsport initiative launched with the target of unearthing and developing Formula 1’s first female world champion.

To do that, it has to address the gender imbalance in the wider motorsport world where only 7% of competitors in formula and GT racing are female.

However, that isn’t the case in the short-distance, high-power world of Drag Racing and More than Equal’s collaborative report – It’s Never Been A Thing: Lessons in Gender Equality from Drag Racing – seeks to uncover why the discipline has been able to achieve gender parity.

Women sadly only make up only 4% of elite competitors across disciplines, but in 2024 Drag Racing celebrated its 100th female event winner in the NHRA series.

The report “highlights six primary themes that help explain why and how Drag Racing has achieved excellence in female representation, including collaborative advocacy, cultural and structural advocacy, elite-level representation and engineering excellence.”

With its findings, the research then provides strategies for other motorsport disciplines to adopt in order to follow in Drag Racing’s groundbreaking footsteps.

More than Equal’s research findings can ‘drive meaningful change in motorsport’

“This research underscores More than Equal’s commitment to leveraging data and insights to drive meaningful change in motorsport,” said Dr. Fran Longstaff, Head of Research at More than Equal.

“By understanding what has worked in disciplines like Drag Racing, we can equip the drivers in our development programme with the knowledge and tools they need to overcome barriers and succeed at the highest levels.

“Collaborating with motorsports that have achieved gender parity is crucial to creating a more inclusive future for all drivers.” 

Richard Foster-Turner, Business Development Manager, Santa Pod Raceway / Trakbak Racing said: “It’s been decades since gender became a non-issue in Drag Racing. Our participants consider themselves purely racers.

“Nobody outside Drag Racing has been talking about this, but now with this white paper we are putting Drag Racing’s gender-equal credentials out there to stimulate discussion and follow-on research, and to help other motorsports work towards the same level of diversity.” 

Cindy Sisson, Executive Director, WIMNA added: “It has been an honour for WIMNA to participate in this study, as we have always admired the NHRA’s groundbreaking approach to promoting women in racing.

“From trailblazers like Paula Murphy and Shirley Muldowney, who shattered stereotypes and proved that women can not only compete at the highest levels but also dominate as champions, the NHRA has consistently led the charge in fostering gender equity in motorsports.

“These pioneers paved the way for future generations, and WIMNA is proud to continue building on this legacy by supporting and empowering women to achieve greatness on and off the track.

“Together, we celebrate the ongoing progress and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that motorsports remain a space where everyone can thrive and succeed.” 

It’s Never Been A Thing: Lessons in Gender Equality from Drag Racing is available for download here.

READ MORE – More than Equal announce Manchester Met research partnership

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Revolutions often arrive quietly. F.A.T. International’s latest venture, the FAT Karting League (FKL), makes its presence known not with the traditional roar of engines but with the purposeful whine of electric motors and the quiet confidence of its founders, Ferdi Porsche and Rob Smedley.

Ferdi Porsche represents the next chapter in motorsport’s most storied dynasty.

At 30, Ferdinand Porsche’s great-grandson has carved his own path through automotive culture. His architectural background shapes F.A.T. International’s vision, from reviving the legendary Ice Race at Zell am See to bringing historic Porsches back to Le Mans. Under his leadership, F.A.T. has evolved from a landmark racing sponsor into a cultural force bridging heritage and innovation.

“Racing needs to evolve,” Porsche explains. “My grandfather tested cars on the Grossglockner. My father raced at Le Mans. Now, we’re creating paths for the next generation of drivers. The technology changes. The passion remains.”

Enter the former F1 engineer

Rob Smedley brings decades of Formula 1 expertise to FKL’s technical foundation. His career spans critical roles at Ferrari and Williams F1, where he earned recognition as one of F1’s sharpest technical minds. Through the Smedley Group, he transformed race engineering principles into development tools for emerging talent. His approach combines data-driven precision with practical racing knowledge, creating systems that identify and nurture raw talent regardless of background.

That evolution takes shape through FKL’s radical approach to driver development. Elite world-championship-level karting demands $250,000 per season from aspiring racers. FKL’s model slashes entry costs to $5,000, maintaining a fleet of electric karts developed under Smedley’s guidance.

“These aren’t typical electric karts,” Smedley notes. His team engineered the power delivery to mirror combustion engines, ensuring skills translate seamlessly to traditional race cars. Each machine feeds constant telemetry to FKL’s data systems, creating unprecedented insight into driver development.

The program’s impact emerges in its demographics.

Female participation reaches 35% across FKL events, dwarfing traditional racing’s 5% figure. Talent surfaces from previously untapped communities, feeding directly into professional opportunities through FKL’s Formula 4 scholarship program.

January 2025 marks FKL’s expansion beyond its UK test bed. Two U.S. facilities launch the program’s global vision, targeting 50 locations worldwide. The ambitious plan aims to connect one million young drivers to professional racing paths through the FAT World Cup championship.

For F.A.T. International, FKL represents another chapter in reimagining motorsport culture. The organization that revived ice racing in Zell am See and returned historic Porsches to Le Mans has built racing’s foundation for decades.

Ultimately, this quiet revolution may reshape motorsport’s future—not through nostalgia or tradition but through accessibility, technology, and raw talent. The next generation will take shape on electric power, data analytics, and equal opportunity, proving once again that racing’s greatest innovations often emerge from its simplest truths.

This post appears on Vincenzo Landino’s Business of Speed.

READ MORE — The billion-dollar shift in Formula 1

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Our racing heroes aren’t marble statues, frozen in perfection.

They’re flesh and blood, full of contradictions and complexities that make them human.

Ayrton Senna – three-time Formula 1 world champion, ruthless competitor, devout Catholic, and secret philanthropist – embodied these contradictions more than most. Yet Netflix’s new series SENNA, which opens with the Brazilian’s fatal crash at Tamburello corner, seems more interested in crafting legend than exploring the man.

This narrative choice – beginning where Senna’s story ends – exemplifies both the strengths and limitations of Netflix’s latest venture into motorsport storytelling. The streaming giant that transformed Formula 1’s cultural footprint through Drive to Survive now aims to shape how new fans understand the sport’s history. The result is visually stunning yet spiritually incomplete.

Netflix spared no expense in recreating Senna’s racing machines. Argentine firm Crespis built 22 period-correct cars, from Formula Ford chassis to the fatal Williams FW16. Sound engineers spent 18 months capturing authentic engine notes from surviving examples. The racing sequences deliver visceral thrills through meticulous attention to detail.

But machinery forms only part of Senna’s story. The series struggles to capture the complexities of a man who saw racing as both spiritual calling and political act. His deep Catholic faith receives cursory treatment. His philanthropic work in Brazil emerges mainly through newspaper headlines. Even his notorious rivalry with Alain Prost feels sanitized, reduced to a simplistic hero-villain dynamic that does neither man justice.

The Netflix Effect

This glossing over of nuance reflects Netflix’s evolving strategy in sports storytelling. Drive to Survive demonstrated the commercial potential of packaging motorsport for mass consumption. FIA data confirms the “Netflix effect” – surging social media engagement, merchandise sales, and race attendance across markets both emerging and established.

That success spawned imitators. Tennis (Break Point), golf (Full Swing), and rugby (Full Contact) now receive similar documentary treatment. Yet none have matched Drive to Survive’s cultural impact. The difference lies partly in Formula 1’s inherent cinematographic appeal – the globe-trotting circus of speed provides natural drama. But it also stems from Netflix’s willingness to sacrifice depth for accessibility.

The Netflix effect could explain the thought process behind a lot of the story choices in SENNA. This quote by showrunner Vicente Amorim gives us some insight:

It becomes almost like an origin story for F1. You love ‘Drive to Survive’? You’re an F1 fan? You’re maybe thinking of watching the ‘F1’ movie next year? Maybe have a look at how it all started.

Racing Against History

SENNA exemplifies the trade-off necessary to create mainstream appeal.

Gabriel Leone delivers a charismatic central performance, capturing both Senna’s intense competitiveness and boyish charm. The production design masterfully evokes the technicolor excess of 1980s/90s Formula 1. Yet in smoothing Senna’s rough edges, in transforming a complicated man into an uncomplicated legend, the series diminishes what made him extraordinary.

The real Ayrton Senna contained multitudes – ruthless competitor and compassionate humanitarian, devout Catholic and occasional absolutist, proud Brazilian and citizen of the world. His fatal crash at Imola transformed him into a martyr figure. Netflix’s portrayal occasionally feels less like biography than hagiography.

In reality, Senna secretly donated approximately $400 million to children’s charities in Brazil. This is particularly striking because he kept these contributions private during his lifetime – they were only discovered after his death.

The Netflix series reduces this profound aspect of his character to brief glimpses of newspaper headlines and fleeting mentions, rather than exploring how his wealth and fame intersected with his desire to help Brazil’s impoverished children. This represents a missed opportunity to show a fuller picture of Senna’s character and his impact beyond racing.

Senna’s religious faith was also deeply intertwined with his racing in ways that were both profound and sometimes controversial. For example, at Monaco, Senna claimed to have seen a divine light shining from the sea while approaching Portier corner. And after winning his title at Suzuka, he reported seeing a vision of Christ during his victory lap around the Spoon Curve.

His rival Alain Prost was particularly troubled by how Senna’s religious conviction affected his driving philosophy. Prost has been quoted saying “Ayrton has a small problem, he thinks he can’t kill himself, because he believes in God.” This suggests Senna’s faith may have influenced his famously aggressive driving style.

This sanitization of Senna’s religious beliefs represents another example of how the series smooths over the more complex and potentially controversial aspects of his character in favor of a more straightforward narrative. The real Senna appears to have been a man whose Catholic faith wasn’t just a personal belief system but fundamentally shaped how he approached both racing and risk – an aspect of his character that deserved deeper exploration.

His philanthropic work wasn’t just an aside to Senna’s racing career either – it was fundamental to how he saw his role as Brazil’s most prominent sports figure. By relegating this to background newspaper clips, the series misses an opportunity to show how Senna’s success on the track translated into tangible benefits for his countrymen.

Perhaps this represents the inevitable cost of mainstreaming motorsport history. Drive to Survive succeeded by making Formula 1 digestible for casual viewers. SENNA applies the same template to the sport’s past, prioritizing emotional resonance over historical complexity.

The strategy works commercially. But it raises questions about responsibility to historical truth. In crafting mythology from memory, what essential truths get left on the cutting room floor? Netflix has mastered the art of making motorsport accessible. The challenge now lies in achieving that accessibility without sacrificing authenticity.

The streaming giant that revolutionized how new fans experience Formula 1 is now shaping how they understand its history. SENNA suggests that revolution comes with compromises – some necessary, others less so. The machinery proves perfect. The man himself remains tantalizingly out of reach.

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