{"id":2468,"date":"2025-06-05T17:11:58","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T16:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sidelinesmag.co.uk\/?p=2468"},"modified":"2025-06-06T11:52:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T10:52:27","slug":"fierce-and-feminine-the-women-changing-f1-on-and-off-the-track","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/sidelines\/2025\/06\/05\/fierce-and-feminine-the-women-changing-f1-on-and-off-the-track\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0\u201cFierce and feminine\u201d: the women changing F1 on and off the track"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Shannon Tobin\u2019s journey from racing novice to working for a top F1 team shows how women are steering the future of motorsport.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Formula 1 is a sport often dominated by men. Throughout history, women\u2019s voices have often been silenced, but stories like Shannon Tobin\u2019s deserve to be heard. Hers is a journey through racing, business management and marketing, which encapsulates the true spirit of feminism in motorsport. Her story isn\u2019t just about the cars or being on track: it\u2019s about paving the way for future generations of women to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Shannon Tobin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The starting line<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tobin\u2019s welcome to motorsport was unexpected. \u201cI got into motorsport quite late in life. I\u2019d competed with horses all my life, and I had to retire them, I was like \u2018I need a new sport, I need a new venture, I\u2019m not great at being on the sidelines doing nothing\u2019,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a casual online advert which sparked her interest. \u201cAre you a woman who\u2019s always wanted to get on track? Would you like to participate?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI only live once, so I might as well,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside a group of like-minded women, Tobin entered C1 endurance racing, which involves a 24-hour race around Silverstone every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were the only all-female team on the grid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That team became Valkyrie \u2013 a name from Norse mythology.  They aimed to challenge the stereotype that if women want to be competitive, they have to ditch their femininity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s this perception that you have to be that kind of tomboy vibe\u2026 we didn\u2019t want that. We wanted to be fierce and feminine.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The race at Silverstone was just the beginning for the team. \u201cIt was about really working together, mucking in and just getting out racing. It meant we could say \u2018Yes, we can definitely do this\u2019,\u201d says Tobin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, driving skill alone is not enough to start a race team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSponsorships are the ones who maintain a race car and its team. It\u2019s hard\u2026 It\u2019s expensive. 90% of your time is looking for sponsorship, talking to people that will never answer, cold emailing, cold calling \u2013 just continuous asking for money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite limited followers or race history, her persistence finally paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe saw that there was an OnlyFans car at the British GT, and we were joking in the paddock about whether we could get sponsored by them, but at the same time, I was like, we could contact them. And that\u2019s when I dropped them an email.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The adult content platform OnlyFans is often associated with controversy, but it could be argued that they\u2019re breaking stigmas for females.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was shocked they got back to me, and they were really interested in helping us get on the grid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Team Valkyrie OnlyFans Citroen C1 was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this sponsorship initiative was often met with prejudice. \u201cSome people found it quite controversial. There\u2019s a stigma around that company, and there are a lot of preconceptions about their platform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think OnlyFans wanted to step away from the stigma around it. They wanted to step into the idea that they\u2019re also a platform for sport,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, you can have your opinions, but they\u2019re the ones supporting us. They\u2019re cheering us on. They\u2019re providing us with the opportunity. They were just really excited to see women in motorsport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tobin\u2019s embraced the controversy; she wanted people to talk about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were the only all-female team there, and we were in an OnlyFans car, and it came with all the jokes, but it also came with a lot of talking points. To this day, I still bump into people sometimes and explain what series I was in, and they\u2019re like \u2018was that the OnlyFans car?\u2019, \u201csays Tobin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think the fact that they were somewhat controversial, I enjoyed it because I wanted them to come talk to me. Let me change your mind!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by Team Valkyrie Racing (@teamvalkyrie_racing)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n