Formula E celebrates International Women in Engineering Day

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Formula E celebrates International Women in Engineering Day

The championship played host to FIA Girls on Track in Diryah and Santiago this past year, promoting gender equality and increased female participation in motorsport across all roles - from engineers to journalists and drivers.

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Girls on Track seeks to push forward the FIA’s goal of gender equality and increased participation in motorsport; "we want to inspire the next generation of young girls who want to create opportunity within the sport and make sure that they're supported through role models and mentoring," says Wolff.


"We have some fantastic ladies who are part of the team and before the pandemic hit, we put on live events who would get young school girls to the race track and open up all the different areas and aspects of the sport.

"Due to the pandemic, we're doing everything virtually, which actually has a huge added benefit that we're reaching a massively global audience as opposed to just doing local community-led events. So it's it's an initiative that I'm very proud to be a part of, and which is making progress."

READ MORE: How Venturi's Delphine Biscaye forged a career in motorsport

Having launched in February 2019 at the Mexico City E-Prix, and following more success with an event at the Berlin E-Prix early in 2019, Formula E partnered with FIA Girls on Track initiative again for Season 6 - when the championship was last able to welcome fans to events - at the season-opening Diryah E-Prix and Round 3 in Santiago, Chile.

It offered up a unique opportunity to inspire and encourage girls between the ages of 8-18 to get involved in a number of innovative activities aimed at boosting confidence and creating exciting new career opportunities. 

Dare to be different

Girls were able to get involved in technical workshops to develop their Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) skills while being encouraged to be creative and work as a team. 

Those taking part also learned directly from motorsport journalists as to how reporting from a race meeting and preparing a news story, as well as presenting a piece to camera.

Finally, girls could get stuck into a driving activity with a competitive element. After being guided by an instructor on a simulator about where to brake, how to steer through curves and when to accelerate, they were able to get out on-track for a practice lap and two timed laps - an opportunity to kick-start a karting career.

Join Nicki Shields + guests on #IWD2021

Formula E presenter, herself a Girls on Track ambassador, will be joined by a host of special guests over on Instagram Live this evening.

Abbie Eaton (racing driver), Cristina Manas (Jaguar Racing Performance Engineer), Liz Brooks (ROKiT Venturi Racing's Head of Communications), Derin Adetosoye (FETV presenter and Talent Call winner) and Laura Watts (FETV producer) will all be on hand from 7PM GMT and ready to answer your questions!

Follow your dreams

FIA Girls on Track was borne out of Susie Wolff's Dare To Be Different programme, founded with the same aim of encouraging women into the sport.

For International Women in Engineering Day, ROKiT Venturi Racing, the Formula E team at which Wolff holds the role of team principal, featured one of its leading engineers who operates as team manager for the Monegasque outfit - Advanced Mechanics graduate Delphine Biscaye.

“I grew up in an environment where you had to prove yourself and prove what you can do," said Biscaye, who has been with Venturi since 2009. "My family was always behind me and my brothers, but we grew up with the idea that you make yourself.

“I had this idea that if you want to do something or make something, then you should just go and do it and not always ask for permission or wait for advice or help – just go and do your best. That’s what pushed me.

“If I had to offer a piece of advice to someone who wants to work in motorsport – or for life in general – I would say don’t stop. Don’t listen to the people who say that you can’t do it. Just try and you will see what you can do."

Read Delphine's inspiring story in full.