First woman to hold FIA superlicence reveals progress in female representation

Claire Dubbelman, the first woman to hold an FIA race director's super licence, has opened up on how a traditionally male-dominated sport is evolving.

Dubbelman achieved a lot of firsts this winter, not only becoming the first woman to hold that licence but also the first Dutch person, and the youngest person ever.

The international communication graduate's first full-time role at the FIA was Championship Manager (overseeing junior series, not the video game precursor to Football Manager) before she became a Race Control Operator in F1 in 2023, jumping up to the Deputy Race Director role in 2024.

As recently as 18 months ago, Dubbelman admitted that she was often the only woman in a number of working situations, but told Motorsport.com that things are beginning to turn around – although the road ahead still looks like a long one.

Dubbelman: I'm still usually the only woman in drivers' briefings

"Yes [things are changing], but slowly. For instance, during the drivers’ briefing, where FIA and FOM representatives, team managers, sporting directors, and the F1 drivers are present, nine times out of ten I’m still the only woman in the room. I don't want to say it’s difficult, but it is confronting – and sometimes it hurts a little.

"We've come a long way in many areas of the sport, but if you're still the only woman among fifty people in a room...It shows there’s still a long road ahead."'

Of course, despite the burgeoning success of the new F1 Academy series and more investment in getting female drivers into the sport, this weekend marked 50 years since Lella Lombardi became the first and only woman to score points in F1, a timely reminder of the work still to be done at all levels.

The 38-year-old did also reveal a shift in culture at the FIA, adding: "Within our team at the FIA, we are seeing more women, and more women in important roles. When I first joined the FIA, there were a lot of women, but mainly in administrative positions.

"Those roles are important too – I don’t want to take anything away from that – but out in the field, women were much less visible. Now, if you look at the FIA, you see a very different picture. We have women across all departments.

"We have a female scrutineer in our technical team, our head of operations is a woman, our starter is a woman, and our head of ceremonies is a woman. These are all very visible roles. I’m actually quite proud that the FIA has achieved good female representation across so many different areas."

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