Netflix’s Drive to Survive isn’t the only thing pulling women into F1
By Nell Geraets
It’s impossible to deny the impact that Drive to Survive has had on Formula 1’s female following.
Women have flocked to the sport since the Netflix racing docuseries launched in 2019. Before this, women made up 20 per cent of Grand Prix attendees. Now, they make up about a third.
But Drive to Survive can’t take all the credit.
Kimerah Ramnath and Amy Pejkovic’s TikTok content is driving women to Formula 1 fandom.Credit: Chris Hopkins
If Kimerah Ramnath’s follower count is any indication, women are also connecting with the sport on TikTok. The 27-year-old Sydneysider, who began creating F1 content in 2022, has nearly 62,500 followers and 8.6 million likes on the platform. From videos rating drivers’ paddock outfits to race-day vlogs, Ramnath says content such as hers works in tandem with Drive to Survive, often bridging the gap between the show and the historically male-dominated sport.
“Drive to Survive fans often don’t feel accepted into the space,” Ramnath says. “So, I’ll do a beginner guide each year to show that everyone is welcome, and to explain what it’s all about in a digestible way.”
Ramnath is one of a growing number of female F1 TikTokers, including Amy Pejkovic, Toni Cowan Brown and Tasia Johnson. The space is growing so fast that the Aston Martin team introduced a TikTok Creator Collective this year.
Despite recent progress, Ramnath says it still doesn’t always feel like a welcoming space, particularly given the lack of female engineers, drivers and managers – both at the races and on-screen. Research by volunteer group Females in Motorsports in 2023 revealed that women spoke for just over six minutes in season five of Drive to Survive – equivalent to about 1.54 per cent of the entire season.
“You just don’t see much [representation] on Drive to Survive. Whereas F1 content creators will highlight women in the sport. Maybe they’ll do a profile on a female engineer,” Ramnath says. “It shows young girls that the sport is bigger than just cars, and that they belong ... The most important thing for me is that my content makes everyone, particularly young women of colour, feel like there’s a seat for them at the table.”
F1 TikTok content also highlights significant elements of the sport that may not feature as prominently on Netflix. Some of TikToker Amy Pejkovic’s most popular videos have focused on fashion, through F1 style guides and brand sponsorship news. This content is far more rooted in the day-to-day fan experience, she says.
“In the show, there’s a whole production team who’ll pick certain parts of certain races to show us. But with TikTok, it’s just us sitting on our phones and yapping away. It feels more authentic.”
Pejkovic’s TikTok following is now about 70 per cent female, something she takes great pride in. “We [women] can get quite shy when entering something we’re not usually included in. So, I just wanted to make it easier to understand. If you understand it, you’re more likely to enjoy it.”
The Australian Grand Prix will take place between March 13 and 16. Season 7 of Drive to Survive is streaming now on Netflix.
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