> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.the-race.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# The Formation's mission to bring women together through F1
- URL: https://www.the-race.com/extra/the-formation-mission-to-bring-women-together-through-f1/
- Published: 2026-09-17T11:40:56.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-17T11:40:56.000Z
- Description: As F1's female fanbase continues to grow, Amy Mansell wants to ensure no woman has to experience the sport alone.
- Author: Fleur Mealing
- Tags: Extra

For Amy Mansell, The Formation began with a pattern she could no longer ignore.

After spending two decades working in sponsorship, partnerships and fan engagement around F1, she found herself having the same conversations over and over again. Women would approach her after industry panels, keen to talk about the sport they loved. Their backgrounds varied, their stories differed, but a common thread kept emerging.

“Although they all had different stories, there was one thing many of them had in common… They loved F1, but often experienced it alone,” Mansell says.

“Some wanted people to go to races with. Others wanted somewhere to ask questions without feeling judged. Some worked in the industry and wanted to meet other women who shared their passion. Others simply wanted people to talk to during a race weekend.”

At the same time, F1 itself was changing, bringing with it a whole new wave of female fans.

“We’ve all seen the numbers from the Global F1 Fan Survey, so we know that women now make up 42% of its global fanbase and account for three in four new fans entering the sport, but the experiences surrounding that audience had not always evolved at the same pace.”

## From observation to opportunity

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dd/af/ddafbd99-2ccd-468c-b622-4b3cccf80b49/content/images/2026/09/Amy-Mansell-Headshot.jpeg)

**Founder of The Formation, Amy Mansell*

Those observations would eventually inform the creation of The Formation, a new community aimed at bringing together women who love F1.

Mansell explains: “At its heart, we are creating a community. It’s a place where women can come together to share their passion for the sport, whether they’ve been watching since the days of Schumacher and Senna or discovered Formula 1 through Drive to Survive.”

The concept is deliberately broad. Mansell describes a community that will exist both online and in person, through online conversations, premium live events, race watch parties, intimate dinners, industry discussions and experiences that connect women through a shared love of F1.

“But if I had to sum it up in one word, it would be *belonging*.”

That word appears repeatedly throughout her vision for The Formation and reflects what she witnessed during her years inside the sport.

While leading the groundbreaking partnership between Elemis and Aston Martin that brought F1's first official beauty brand into the sport, she heard directly from women who felt increasingly represented by F1's changing landscape.

“Many said that despite loving the sport, they hadn’t always felt like it had been built with them in mind,” she says.

“That really stayed with me, and eventually I realised this wasn’t just a sponsorship conversation anymore - it was a conversation about community.”

## Building a bridge

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dd/af/ddafbd99-2ccd-468c-b622-4b3cccf80b49/content/images/2026/09/WEB-The-Race-Extra--1-.png)

**The Formation advisory board (from L-R clockwise: Amy Mansell, Natalie Pinkham, Katharina Nowak, Silvia Schweiger and Natalie Neal)*

The Formation arrives at a time when female-focused F1 spaces are becoming increasingly visible, something Mansell views as overwhelmingly positive.

“Firstly, I genuinely think it’s fantastic that we’re seeing more communities emerge for women who love F1,” she says.

“With more than 350 million women following F1 globally, there is room for many different communities, each with its own personality, purpose and approach.”

For Mansell, the opportunity was not simply to create another fan community. For her, it was about creating a bridge between the women helping shape F1 today and the women shaping its future as fans.

“Having spent twenty years working in and around F1, I wanted to create something that brought those two worlds together.”

The Formation's vision is also reflected in the women who have joined its advisory board. Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham, Miami Grand Prix president Katharina Nowak, NKrush founder and CEO Natalie Neal and motorsport communications specialist Silvia Schweiger all signed on early, bringing experience from across the sport and wider industry. 

For Mansell, their immediate support was a sign that the need for a community like The Formation extended far beyond the conversations she'd been having herself.

Those women, and others within the sport, she believes, also have an important role to play in helping shape the sport's future.

“There are so many incredible women across teams, media, circuits and the wider industry who have broken down barriers to build careers in F1, and I believe they have an important role to play in helping the sport feel even more welcoming and accessible for its rapidly growing female fanbase.”

The result is a community intended to appeal equally to lifelong followers, Drive to Survive converts, industry professionals and casual race-weekend viewers.

“One of the things I love most about F1 is that there isn’t one definition of what makes a ‘real fan’,” Mansell says.

“Some people have followed the sport for decades. Others discovered it through Drive to Survive. Some can tell you every Constructors’ Champion since the 1950s, while others are still learning what a pit stop strategy is. They’re all F1 fans. The Formation has been built for all of them.”

## Shaping the next generation

> [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/p/DdWTjNIkbcG/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)
> 
> [A post shared by The Formation (@wearetheformation)](https://www.instagram.com/p/DdWTjNIkbcG/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading)

But creating a space for women to connect is only part of the plan.

Bringing the online community into the real world is a key part of the vision. The Formation's events programme will range from race watch parties and intimate dinners with women working across F1 to larger conversations with industry leaders, giving members opportunities to build friendships, hear personal stories and gain insights into the sport from those helping shape it.

“One of the things I’m most excited about is creating more opportunities for fans to connect with the incredible women helping shape F1 today,” she says.

“There are so many inspiring stories within the sport that fans rarely get the chance to hear in a personal setting, and I want The Formation to help bring those worlds a little closer together.”

That mission is informed, in part, by Mansell's own experience working in the sport.

“When I first started, there simply weren’t many women in the room,” she says.

“Thankfully, that’s changed enormously over the last two decades, and it’s one of the reasons I’m so optimistic about where F1 is heading.”

Building The Formation has also required a leap of faith.

“Probably convincing myself to press publish,” Mansell says when asked about the biggest challenge.

“That said, launching a global community while eight months pregnant probably says quite a lot about me and my tendency to take on ambitious projects!”

Any doubts she may have had were quickly put to rest.

“Within a few days, thousands of women had joined, our social channels had grown beyond anything I expected, and we’d received messages from fans, broadcasters, engineers, journalists and people throughout the paddock saying, ‘We’ve been waiting for something like this.’”

Ultimately, Mansell hopes success will not be measured by membership numbers or geographic reach.

“I’d love to see The Formation become the place women naturally think of when they think about F1,” she says.

“A truly global community with local events, meaningful partnerships, unforgettable experiences and opportunities that genuinely make a difference.”

But the real benchmark is simpler.

“Long-term success won’t be measured by the number of members we have or the number of countries we’re in. It will be measured by whether we’ve helped more women feel that they belong in this sport.”

Among all the feedback received since launch, one message remains her favourite: *“I’ve found my people.”*

“Honestly, that’s exactly what we hoped The Formation would become.”