Alpine has announced it’s launching an initiative to promote equal opportunities in motorsport and automotive – including scouting talented females from karting and helping them move through the ranks to F1.
The Rac(H)er programme is designed to reinforce equality and provide opportunities based on merit, from scientific and technical fields through to their racing drivers. BWT Alpine F1 Team’s workforce is currently only 10% female – the motorsport industry average – and in 72 years of Formula One racing, there has been only six female drivers out of a whopping 885.
However, Alpine have pledged to begin to increase their diversity step-by-step, aiming to have the company gender-balance at 30% within 5 years – overall, Alpine is currently employing 12% females in 2022. To combat this, they will start recruiting a 50-50 split of males and females immediately.
Talented female drivers are often spotted and supported too late in motorsport, stopping them from pursuing a long-term career at the highest level, and funding tends to be scarcer; the Academy’s programme aims to identify females who want to enter F1 from an early age and nurture the talent through the formulas. In their roadmap, Alpine say they will set out racing plans, testing plans, physical training plans and mental training programs to support the prospective champions.
To put these training plans together, Alpine will set out physical, mental and wellness studies to pinpoint the training needs of drivers to bring them to a competitive level. Supported by research carried out by the Paris Brain Institute, the programme will also look at breaking down alleged issues, such as whether females are physically able to compete for an F1 title and bust any myths surrounding womens’ capabilities in the sport.
The Rac(H)er programme aims to work with organisations in the sport and the motor industry, starting with F1 and the FIA Women in Motorsport Committee, and creating links with existing programmes that promote inclusion such as Girls on Track.
In Alpine as a business, managers within the company will take part in multiple training programmes to tackle any pre-existing prejudices, and as a whole the programme will aim to make every staff member an ambassador of Rac(H)er to promote inclusion and equality.
“Our role, as a Formula 1 team and a brand of the Renault Group is to commit to making our ecosystem more inclusive and making diversity our strength. We are aware of the need for a profound transformation of both the sport and the industry so that all talents can flourish in the future. By launching Rac(H)er, this long-term transformation programme, we hope to be joined by all the players in the sector, because it is only by uniting that we will be able to make real progress. And that would be our real success.”
Laurent Rossi, Alpine CEO hopes the Rac(H)er programme will be the first step for change
“With Rac(H)er, we want to create a true meritocracy and not just move statistics. We have designed a unique, long-term programme that relies on the commitment of all Alpine employees. The challenge is to encourage reflection within the teams but also to put in place concrete means to move things forward both within the company. We commit to doing this in all areas of the company and are leading by example. Fifty percent of the Alpine Management Committee are now female – not because this is a quota but because they are the best in their field of expertise to lead the role and its responsibilities.”
Claire Mesnier, Alpine Human Resources VP