What I would have done if I was in charge of PR and marketing for ABH/Redbull/F1 academy [Part 2]:
1. Bring in actual female drivers. Bring in the F1 Academy drivers that could have helped showcase the parallels between the hard work of being a racing driver and challenging the stereotypes by embracing make-up and feminity outside of a race track. Show Alisha and Rafaela being the hardworking drivers they are while showing how they embrace their feminity in their own ways. Liking or not liking makeup does not make anyone vain. Makeup is a form of art, a way to express yourself freely.
2. "But they are not popular enough and won't get the brand enough likes and spotlight":
The post has 76k likes and 119k shares as of right now. That has 'alleged' bots, yes. I understand that likes and popularity matter a whole lot when it comes to sponsorships, but ABH had the option to go for female drivers. You think the Redbull F1A drivers are not popular enough? Fine.
What about the famous F1A champion Abbi Pulling? Racing in GB3 with Rodin Motorsports. Had an extremely dominant title-winning run in the 2024 F1 Academy season. Made history by becoming the first-ever female driver to secure a pole position and win a race in the GB3 Championship during a weekend at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Famously known as the "First Women", a nickname given to her by her fans.
What about Doriane Pin? Another F1A champion. A famous name. She is competing in the LMP2 Pro-Am class driving for the Duqueine Team, where she has put in strong competitive stints, including front-running pace at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. She serves as an official Development Driver for Mercedes, which involves simulator work, trackside support, factory correlation, and mentoring young drivers. She has also expanded her manufacturer roles, acting as a development driver for Peugeot's World Endurance Championship (WEC) hypercar program as well as a GEN4 Development Driver for Citroën Racing focusing on energy management and simulator packages.
Is that not good enough for the brand?
3. "We wanted someone related to Max Verstappen":
Sophie Kumpen. Max Verstappen's mother.
A former champion kart racer who won two Belgian Karting Championships. She claimed victory at the prestigious Andrea Margutti Trophy in Parma, Italy, in 1995. Finished 9th in the 1991/mid-90s Formula A Karting World Championship (ranking in the global top 10 for junior karting), beating future Formula 1 drivers like Giancarlo Fisichella. Competed across five Karting World Championships, racing directly against future F1 icons and champions such as Jenson Button, Jarno Trulli, and Christian Horner.
THAT is a women in motorsports.
4. "We wanted someone with millions of followers":
Was named the British Kart Racing Driver of the Year in 1996 at age 13. Won the 24-Hour Middle East Kart Championship in 1997. Honored as the Top Female Kart Driver in the World in 2000 after progressing through Formula Renault and Formula Three. Competed professionally for Mercedes-Benz in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) series across multiple seasons. Signed as a development driver for the Williams F1 team in 2012. Became the first woman to participate in a Formula 1 race weekend in 22 years at the 2014 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Served as Team Principal of Venturi Racing and later CEO in the FIA Formula E Championship, guiding the team to its most successful historical season. Appointed as the F1 Academy Managing Director Appointed in March 2023 to spearhead the driver pathway and championship designed to develop young female talent toward higher levels of racing.
And she has a staggering 1.1 million followers on Instagram.
The brand HAD more than enough options and yet went ahead with the ad in one of the least impressive ways. Lets not act like WAGs are women in motorsports just because they're dating F1 drivers/were born in a racing family. Not when we have women still fighting for equality and respect in motorsports. Lets actually shine light on the actual women in F1 and other racing categories. The drivers, the engineers, the mechanics. The ones working in broadcasting, journalism, digital content creation, photography, and team PR/social media management.
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