The rising interest from women in such a wide range of motorsport is often attributed to the ‘attractiveness’ of the drivers.

However, as a woman who just last year began to show interest in and adore the sport, I can tell you that is not the only reason.

That view is actually insulting to women. It is as though they can only appreciate the looks and not understand the sport.

The misconception that women only like Formula 1 because Charles Leclerc has a nice face baffles me.

No offence Charles, I’m sure you’re a lovely guy, because why would any woman who wants to see athletes with raging six pacts and sweaty hair pick the one sport in which you can’t actually see the drivers when they are suited up inside the cars?

Now this isn’t to say that the attractiveness of the driver hasn’t contributed at all to the popularity of the sport with women.

I know the easiest way to get my friends interested in Formula 1 is to show them Carlos Sainz post-race, which is followed by the more technical questions: “what team?” and “what is a DRS?”

The growth of the sport regardless of gender is forever in debt to Netflix’s Drive to Survive, following the release of its sixth season with plans to release a seventh next year.

According to one source, Netflix only pays a licensing fee to Formula 1 or the FIA itself, which is subsequently distributed to the teams, who then pay their drivers and the crew.

There are even rumours that the teams that reportedly draw the most attention to the show – such as Mercedes and Ferrari – are given a higher salary than other teams on the grid.

However, I struggle to understand how people find the bleak and militaristic Mercedes garage more entertaining than whatever was going on at Haas in 2021.

The increase to 1.55 billion Formula 1 viewers in 2021 worldwide was always going to involve an increase in female viewership.

Approximately 40% of viewers are female, and I can only assume that number will grow following the release of the Drive to Survive equivalent in F1 Academy, which plans to follow the all-female grid in the category’s second season.

So is that it? The only reason more women are watching Formula 1 and motorsport as a whole is because there are just more fans?

No. Well, kind of.

The initial increase in viewership as per Netflix’s Drive to Survive meant that more women were watching, absolutely.

However, the mass growth that seemed to come from nowhere can be more appropriately attributed to what those women did.

The ‘Tiktok-ification’ of Formula 1 is something old-school fans despise.

The edits, the memes, and even the recognisable community formed on the app seem to have drawn in thousands of fans who probably didn’t even have their licence yet.

By appealing to the aforementioned fan culture that Formula 1 has now developed, women are more likely to want to explore the community and the incredible sport it is based on.

While yes, they are still learning, there is a growing interest across female audiences in the technology and science behind the sport.

The perception that men understand it better still runs deep, but considering the beer guts and brain sizes of some of the men supporting Formula 1, maybe more women interested isn’t a bad idea.