‘I Would Make That Bet’: Formula E Chief Jeff Dodds Confident All-Electric Series Will Beat Formula One to Female Racing Driver

Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds has expressed supreme confidence that his all-electric racing series will beat Formula One in the race to place a female driver in a full-time world championship seat. Speaking ahead of Formula E’s season-ending London E-Prix at the ExCeL arena, Dodds declared he is entirely prepared to back his championship over F1 when it comes to gender diversity on the grid. The landmark milestone arrives at a poignant moment for global motorsport, as this weekend marks exactly 50 years since a woman last started a Formula One world championship grand prix—Italian driver Lella Lombardi, who finished 12th at the Austrian Grand Prix back on August 15, 1976. Since Formula E launched its inaugural season in 2014-15, the series has already fielded three female competitors—one more than F1 has managed across its entire 76-year history—with Switzerland’s Simona de Silvestro being the most recent to compete in 2016.

Dodds emphasized that while strict sports governance rules prohibit official gambling, he remains utterly convinced of Formula E’s structural advantage over its petrol-powered counterpart. “Would I have a bet that Formula E will (again) have a woman racing driver competing at the main championship level ahead of Formula One? Absolutely I would make that bet,” Dodds told Reuters. “Obviously, I’d never make a financial bet, because that would go against any governance rules, but if you and I want to have a private beer on it, then I’m happy to make it.” His comments highlight a growing ideological and technical divide between Formula E, which is controlled by Liberty Global, and Formula One, owned by Liberty Media.

Direct Track Experience: Why Formula E’s Testing Framework Outshines F1 Academy

Central to Dodds’ optimism is the distinct operational structure Formula E employs to develop female talent compared to Formula One. While F1 relies heavily on the all-female F1 Academy support series—which utilizes Formula Four-level machinery—Formula E provides prospective female drivers with direct track time in the exact same Gen3 cars used by male championship contenders. Critics of F1’s pathway argue that the gulf between an F1 Academy vehicle and a 200mph Formula One car remains immense, making a direct jump nearly impossible without years of intermediate progression through Formula Three and Formula Two, both of which require millions of pounds in private sponsorship and currently feature zero female drivers.

In contrast, Formula E has actively bridged the gap by staging dedicated “women’s tests” over the past two years, allowing female racers to benchmark their performance in real-world conditions. During a dedicated session at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit last October, 14 female drivers took to the track, including 2024 F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling, who also serves as a simulator driver for the Nissan Formula E team. Furthermore, four female drivers participated in the championship’s official rookie test last March, demonstrating a clear pipeline toward professional seats.

“I think the F1 Academy is a really good championship, and I really like what they’re doing in terms of creating opportunities for women drivers,” Jeff Dodds explained. “On the other hand, the step between an F1 Academy car and a Formula One car is a massive step today. It’s very unlikely that somebody goes from winning F1 Academy into a Formula One car. Whereas our women’s programme today has women testing the same car, the same championship car, on the same track, in the same environment as the current championship drivers.”

Roster Signings and Power Steering: The Gen4 Breakthrough

The strategic push is already bearing fruit across the paddock, with the majority of Formula E teams now employing dedicated female development drivers on their official rosters. High-profile appointments include Japan’s Juju Noda at Jaguar, German racer Sophia Floersch at Opel, Filipina talent Bianca Bustamante at Cupra Kiro, and British star Abbi Pulling at Nissan. Building on this momentum, Dodds revealed that the championship is preparing to unveil major new financial investments and expanded initiatives for its women’s program starting next season, further solidifying its commitment to gender parity.

Crucially, upcoming technical changes to Formula E’s machinery are expected to level the physical playing field even further. The introduction of the next-generation Gen4 car—which will be faster, lighter, and crucially equipped with power steering—addresses a long-standing physical hurdle in junior single-seater racing. Unlike Formula One cars, which feature power steering, Formula Two and Formula Three cars rely on manual steering racks under extreme G-forces. Experts have long argued that this setup physically disadvantages teenage female drivers competing against older, muscular male counterparts.

“I think the introduction of power steering really helps us put women on an equal footing in terms of their ability to break into the main championship,” Dodds added, highlighting how the Gen4 technical regulations will break down physical barriers.

The Road Ahead: A New Era for Women in Elite Motorsport

As Formula E prepares for its next era of competition, the combination of equal testing opportunities, team backing, and driver-friendly technical regulations has placed the electric series at the forefront of motorsport equality. While Formula One continues to search for its next female grand prix driver half a century after Lella Lombardi’s landmark drive in Austria, Formula E’s aggressive development model suggests that the next woman to compete at the pinnacle of world championship motorsport will likely be doing so behind the wheel of an all-electric race car.