Formula E: Why Is Gender Equality in Motorsports Important?

Beth Paretta, VP of Sporting at Formula E, oversees all sporting and championship activities at Formula E, driving key stakeholder relationships and cultivating new business opportunities. She works closely with the FIA, existing teams and manufacturers while attracting new participants to the series’ ecosystem.

As owner of Paretta Autosport and a trailblazer for gender equality in racing, Beth brings more than two decades of experience in the automotive and motorsport industries to the role. 

She has an impressive legacy in the world of motorsport, leading the women-forward Paretta Autosport team to compete in the Indianapolis 500, and serving in executive roles at major automotive firms including Volkswagen Group, Aston Martin Lagonda, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (now Stellantis).

Beth’s pioneering work includes being the first woman to lead a performance brand and motorsport for a global automaker, as Director of Marketing and Operations for SRT - Street and Racing Technology.

She shares her insights around gender equality - on and off the track - with Sustainability Magazine.

Please introduce yourself and your role.

My name is Beth Paretta and I am the VP of Sporting for Formula E. 

As such, I am the interface between the key elements of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship: from the Series itself to the teams, our governing body (the FIA), and the car manufacturers that supply and work with the teams.

As a trailblazer for gender equality in racing, what does that mean to you?

Being a trailblazer is about opening people's eyes to a gap (in market, in access, in innovation) and then opening doors and developing opportunities to address that gap. 

I have worked diligently for the past decade to not only create programmes for women to learn and showcase their skill, drive and succeed within this sport, but also to bring a broader audience (all young people) into the fold and show them what opportunities exist in the motorsport industry. 

The goal is inspiring the next generation, be that future racing drivers, engineers, race personnel, fans, who will ultimately help drive our sport forward on all fronts. 

Why is it important to work towards gender equality in sports, and in racing in particular?

Working for gender equality is important in all industries, and this applies just the same in sports. 

Racing is made up of such a wide variety of roles, beyond the driver, which are also needed and can be filled by women. 

Part of the work has been telling that story. Showing young women that there are a whole host of opportunities available to them within the sport, and then helping to open those doors so that they can fill them. 

At the end of the day, broadening the talent pool helps us all. And since the most important part of our sport is the fans, this extends just as much to growing our fan base so that young girls and women find enjoyment in motorsports too. 

What initiatives are you involved in to promote gender equality in sports, particularly in racing?

I have been a leading champion of Formula E’s Women's Initiative to create opportunities for women racing drivers, so that they can connect with our teams, get time in the cars, get more exposure overall – with the plan to have women racing on our grids in the future.

I have a women-majority professional team concept that has proven successful in INDYCAR where we broke barriers in the biggest single-day sporting event in the world: the Indianapolis 500. 

I co-founded a professional organisation with former racing driver Lyn St James called Women in Motorsports North America (WIMNA) to connect women throughout the industry across all roles and racing disciplines.

I serve on the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission where I work with representatives from around the world to advance programs and share ideas and best practices on initiatives to increase the amount of women participating in our Sport at all levels of development. 

Much of this is women and men working together to identify challenges and remove barriers where possible, to make the journey for all more equitable. 

Can you tell us more about the recent Women’s Test that Formula E held in Madrid?

The test was a first of its kind for an FIA World Championship. Our teams invited professional women racing drivers to participate in an official test session with our new racecar, the GEN3 EVO. 

This car can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 1.82 seconds, making it 30% faster than a current F1 car, at the Jarama Circuit. 

Although motorsport is one of the few sports where men and women can compete together, it remains predominantly male, with only 3% of current top-tier racing licenses worldwide held by women (FIA). 

This gave the drivers an opportunity to learn more about Formula E as a series, expand their networks by meeting teams, other drivers, and the media, and gain valuable on-track experience through running laps. 

We will continue to work with these drivers and our teams to try to integrate them in more testing opportunities,so that this can lead to roles as official test drivers and official drivers in the Championship. 

What plans does Formula E have coming up to support greater gender equity in motorsports?

We are kicking off a research program with More than Equal to define the specific skill set needed to be a top-level driver in Formula E. 

There are nuances to our series that we want to uncover that will help all drivers in their development on the ladder. 

There are obvious things like the size of the steering wheel grip that has been homologated (standardised) for larger hands which could make it difficult for people with smaller hands to grip and drive. 

Does it need to be that larger size? No. 

It may seem obvious, but we can all fall victim to a business-as-usual mentality  because  ‘it's always been this way.'  

But now we are actively asking, "Why?" 

And some of these barriers - however small they may seem - can be considered and potentially changed, which is a step in the right direction for greater parity within the sport. 

Watch for more announcements around our programmes soon!

What can leaders do to promote gender equality in their organisations?

Don't be afraid to keep asking the tough questions. 

Why are things done a certain way? 

Sometimes we fall into the status quo, but often it can just be because we are busy and we don't realise that a barrier exists. 

All growth happens when people push for progress. 

Ultimately, this isn't about women taking someone else's seat at the table, this is about building a longer table. If we don't grow our audience, our sport will suffer like any other business, so this is a proactive way to invest in ourselves.

 Change should be for the good, and it may be bumpy along the way. Sometimes you have to pull people along and show them the value because just telling them isn't enough. 

Let's show women that there is a place for them in motorsport whether it's as a driver, engineer, attorney, medic, circuit manager, or fan. 

We need you all and we welcome you with open arms. 

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