Formula One: The Women Who Do Work Part 3 (The Media)

This is where it gets a bit tricky.... Most of the women that can be see or heard in Formula One are present in this area. When you think of women on the track, you either think of the Grid Girls or the pit lane reporters.

October 10th, 2010 was the first time the British TV in the programme’s 60-year history, that we saw a woman present Formula One. Lee McKenzie took over anchor role while regular front man Jake Humphrey was at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

"I work very, very hard at my job," McKenzie had said. "There are other girls in F1 who do my job. Some are dressed like they’re going to a ­nightclub. But that’s not how I do things — and it’s ­definitely not what the BBC wants."


Though it was a one race stint for McKenzie (Humphrey was back in the hot seat at the Korean Grand Prix), it was still a start.

Much of the stigmata of women in F1 is that there are there to look good.  I can definitely see where the media is going, would one of the driver's be more willing to speak to someone who looks like BBC Radio 5's Natalie Pinkham or by a man like Martin Brundle?  I think Natalie, don't you?

With sexism vs feminism as the fundamental part of women in motorsport journalism, it takes someone like Lee McKenzie to stand up and make a difference. The broadcasters had to have hired these pit lane reporters with the knowledge that they do know their stuff about Formula One but their looks got them their job.

Maybe it's time for the women in the pit lane to pull together and start their own pre and post race discussion.  Show the boys that they are so much more than their looks.