The Women in Motorsport Commission is approaching its fifth anniversary. When it was launched, what were the goals and how has the initiative developed over that time?

Our objective remains the same today as when the Commission was launched in 2009: to strengthen and encourage the participation of women in all areas of motor sport. As with any new project it takes time to formulate a strategy and I think it’s fair to say that 2010 was largely a planning year. We have definitely gathered momentum year-on-year, but there is still a lot of data to be collected to give us a clear picture of the position of women in the sport today. 

Has the commission met the immediate goals it set out to achieve?

I think that over the past couple of years we have really made headway but it is always a work in progress. Initially we decided to focus on the promotion and awareness of women competitors in karting, racing and rallying but since then we have broadened that objective to include engineers, volunteers and officials. We now have Commission members who are experts in all these fields and their own personal experiences are giving us a valuable insight into what we need to do to encourage more participation in these areas.  

With female drivers such as Susie Wolff, Michela Cerutti and Keiko Ihara testing F1 cars, winning races and finishing on world championship podiums do we still need a commission to promote women in motor sport? Are there still obstacles to be overcome? 

Susie, Michela and Keiko are great ambassadors for what women can achieve, but while we continue to see more young girls get involved in the sport and succeeding, there are still very few at the highest level.

It was, however, excellent to see Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky recently become the first woman to win a round of the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup outright. And it is not just about driving; there are many varied roles within the sport and we have to promote this fact. I think there is still some perception that motor sport is a man’s world and this is far from the case.

When I look at all the different formulas and championships, there are many young women working in the sport, but because they are not drivers they are not in the limelight. We need to increase the awareness of what women are quietly achieving.

I believe that if our sport can show more feminine presence in all areas it will inspire more women to join. I don’t have to look very far into the world of rallying to see women working in all areas, and women working in top organisational positions too. Like anyone, they have worked hard to succeed in their chosen field and have a passion for what they do. 

As the Commission has developed, have the major issues that need to be tackled changed? Have your investigations revealed new information about the success or otherwise of female participants in motor sport?

One of our biggest tasks is to collate data from around the world to ascertain the true facts about women in motor sport. As you can imagine, this is an enormous job but we are gradually building up a database. We have the most valuable resource in our hands – the FIA’s national sporting authorities – and many of these ASNs have nominated national representatives to help us with this work. But, as I said, it is a big job, it will take time and even then it will continue to evolve.

The holy grail is obviously to see a woman race at the highest levels in F1, sportscars or rallying but is it more important to see a greater number of women taking part in motor sport at grassroots level – in club competition or at national level?

I think the most important thing is to encourage people to do what makes them happy and to promote what is available to everyone. Yes, of course I would love to see a woman drive in Formula One or compete at the highest level in one of our other world championships but it will take time and this will only come when someone has the passion and determination at grassroot level.

It is important we get people into our sport at a young age, and not just girls. You only have to look at the top drivers and you see they have all progressed through the formulas from karting. It is not just a mission of the Women in Motorsport Commission to encourage more girls, but it is something the FIA as a whole is looking at seriously with its ASNs.

I am personally convinced that it is only with a higher number of girls involved in motor sport that we will have a chance to see some succeeding. Compare the proportion of men competing and how many succeed with the proportion of girls trying and you will understand why we still don’t have enough women at the top in all disciplines.

What have been the major landmarks on the Commission’s journey so far?

Our first Women in Motorsport International Seminar in Paris back in 2012 was a great step for us and brought together our national representatives from around the world. It was really inspiring and a great opportunity to discuss the issues that women face around the world.

At the same time we launched our Ambassadors programme and I am proud that these successful women represent us in many different areas on a global basis. At the beginning of this year we were also invited by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation to be partners in a regional seminar in Doha, which brought together representatives from within the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa). That was a fascinating exchange of experiences and ideas and a great initiative by Nasser Khalifa Al Atya, the President of QMMF and FIA Vice President for Sport in the Middle East.

We are also very pleased the FIA signed the Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport, underlining our Federation’s commitment to supporting equality. The signing took place at the 6th International Working Group World Conference on Women and Sport in Helsinki in June and the Commission was also in attendance during the whole conference. These types of networking opportunities are also a big benefit as we can all learn from each other to help raise the involvement of women in sport, as a whole.

From a purely sporting perspective, we are delighted to have created opportunities in various disciplines, but we could not have done this without invaluable support from Volkswagen Motorsport and the CIK-FIA.

What are the future plans for the commission? What action would you like to see being taken in the next five years?

We will continue building on our original objectives but one of our biggest goals would be to get involved in a worldwide selection for a fast young driver. The idea is very much in its infancy at the moment, but we have to have ambition!