It is now over two months since the “inappropriate behaviour” allegations against Christian Horner by his personal assistant at Red Bull became public. This means that it is over two months since a high number of employees on the paddock were privately celebrating because they thought that the F1 world might be on the point of change. What it also means is two months of gradual disappointment; two months to come to terms with the fact that even when the sport and its attitude to women is dragged so very degradingly into the public eye, we are stuck on business as usual.
Business as usual is the environment around the entire business of Formula 1. It is sexist and misogynist and though that is one of the worst kept secrets in sport, you will struggle to find any female employees willing to break the omertà because they feel they may lose their jobs if they do.
You could call this a failure of journalism or, alternatively, a brush with the uncomfortable reality. Since the Horner story broke, I’ve been talking to a number of women who worked in F1, some of whom still work in F1. Yes, they all say: you’re on the right track. Keep pursuing it.
In that time I’ve been told about a number of teams where at least four female staff have left a single department in a single season because of the environment they found themselves in. One of those who left put it down to leadership that was “consistently belittling, misogynist, sexist and unprofessional”.
I’ve been told plenty of anecdotal examples of darker behaviour by individuals. I’ve been told of a culture where it is so much harder for women to progress upwards through the ranks. And I’ve been told of pathetic behaviour; yes, you really might still get applauded by trackside garages if you’re a woman going for a run in a pair of leggings.
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And yet no one will put their names to it. Not one. Some have agreed to talk on the condition that they remain anonymous. But no names. The fear is that you don’t survive in F1 unless you understand the rules that are set by the men and follow them diligently, and speaking out is a clear transgression.
As one female employee said: “When you do media or whatever, you need to get approval from the team and it’s no wonder that nobody wants to speak openly because there’s no way that anyone’s going to let you comment on it.”
I approached the relevant PR team to request to speak to one particular woman but was told that “given the context”, this wasn’t the right time to talk. I completely understand, but given the context, isn’t now the very moment that everyone should be talking?
They certainly are in the safety of their WhatsApp groups. When the Horner story broke, there were WhatsApp groups buzzing with hope. Is this the straw and the camel’s back? Is this the catalyst for change? Yet, still, nothing.
Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. Three years ago, a video was posted on the Instagram feed of Nikita Mazepin, the Haas F1 driver, that showed him in a car groping a female passenger (he apologised). Late the next year, Shaila-Ann Rao, the former interim secretary general for motorsport at the FIA, the world governing body, left the organisation detailing allegations of sexist behaviour. The FIA reported that she left after “an amicable negotiation” during which “mutual privacy terms” were agreed.
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Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA president, has a tainted reputation that goes back 20 years to a comment on his personal website where he said that he did “not like women who think they are smarter than men . . . for they are not, in truth”.
These examples may seem like anecdotal one-offs. That they are not was established a year ago when More Than Equal, an initiative with a bold mission statement to find and develop the first female world champion, was launched. To discover exactly how level the playing field was, one-on-one interviews were conducted with more than 70 stakeholders including present and past female drivers, and the research showed systemic and cultural barriers, experiences of sexism and misogyny, stereotyping and unwelcoming or inappropriate environments.
Last month More Than Equal’s chief executive, Ali Donnelly, posted a blog that shared her observations having completed a year in the job. She wrote that motor racing is “a sport where people and stakeholders are reluctant to point some of the challenges out. No sport makes itself a better place for women and girls without going through a process of being honest about its shortcomings. We need people prepared to be a bit more honest here, or progress will not just be slow but glacial”.
Again, many believed that Horner might trigger the process. Yet it feels as though F1 has already moved on. Horner triggered nothing and we are back to where we started: keep quiet and play by the rules or your F1 career is probably over. In that case, you may get a pay-off and non-disclosure agreement — yes, NDAs are very much the norm — but you’re also looking for a career in another sector.
As one woman in the industry told me: “It’s like, is anything going to be better? There’s finally now something high-profile enough to spark some action and progress in the industry but it feels like the narrative is being controlled. Is something like this not even big enough to lead that discussion somewhere? As a woman in the sport, you start questioning the industry and then you start asking other women. And everyone is disappointed. A lot of us are talking about this.”
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The disappointment is wide-ranging. Those who do have jobs have been told that they’re lucky to be here. Or that it’s easier to get a job because you are a diversity hire. Or: “Can you take the notes in a meeting?” when you happen to be on a level with the others but are the only woman in the room. And then getting recognition can be a problem. I’ve been told repeatedly of women whose ideas and input are ignored or distrusted but then, when the same ideas come from a male colleague, they are suddenly accepted.
The banter culture is rife. There have been occasions when male executives have told their female staff just to ignore some of the offensive, sexist comments that have been directed their way. It’s a kind of “suck it up” culture.
There is a safety in numbers thing here: WhatsApp groups of female employees exchanging stories and providing an unofficial support group. There are present and former female employees who joke about the memoir they will write on this when they are all finished.
Part of the problem is the tight nature of the industry. Job moves from team to team are common, which means that learnt practices get passed on. That said, this is not universal. There are still teams with a positive culture. Most say, for instance, that Mercedes is a good working environment.
Lewis Hamilton would be pleased with that as he has this on his radar. “It’s definitely disappointing to see what’s going on right now,” he said at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when asked about the Horner affair. “It doesn’t look good to the outside world. It doesn’t look good from the inside either. It’s a really pivotal moment for the sport, in terms of what we project to the world and how it’s handled.”
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How was it handled? Without a comment or a word of concern from the governing bodies. No pivoting whatsoever.
What is required are structures to be put in place to provide a safe and anonymous platform for people to share their thoughts and experiences. This is the only way that the environment will start to change.
As one woman said to me: “Why do we, as an industry, accept this? I question often, is it something I want to stay in and be part of? I would rather endure it and try to make it better and fight against the system so others who come after me don’t have to experience that. Sometimes you get little bits of hope and then something happens or you hear another story from a friend and you feel that you have absolutely no control or influence and nobody is listening.”
This is the reality. And it’s hard for the right people to hear when so many are so scared to speak up.
