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Last Updated:July 15, 2025, 15:45 IST
Formula E aims to see a female driver return to its grid, but Monday's rookie test in Berlin showed progress is needed.

(Credit: X)
Formula E is eager to see a female driver return to its starting grid, but based on lap times from Monday’s rookie test in Berlin, that goal still appears to be a work in progress.
Four women participated in the test following the weekend’s races at Tempelhof. Among them, Abbi Pulling—last year’s F1 Academy champion and current GB3 driver—was the highest-placed female, finishing 17th overall with Nissan.
Modest Finishing Positions for Female Drivers
British racer Ella Lloyd, who competes in British F4 and the F1 Academy, placed 18th for McLaren. Jamie Chadwick, a three-time W Series champion and current Williams F1 development driver now racing in the European Le Mans Series, finished 19th for Jaguar.
Bianca Bustamante of the Philippines, who races in GB3 and has a significant online following with 1.7 million Instagram followers, finished 22nd and last for the Cupra Kiro team. Despite the final positions, the entire grid was covered by just 1.550 seconds—an indication of a tightly packed field.
Italian driver Gabriele Mini posted the fastest time for Nissan, outperforming a competitive lineup that included former Formula One driver Daniil Kvyat, Arthur Leclerc (younger brother of Charles Leclerc), and several leading Formula Two competitors.
A Brief History of Women in Formula E
Three women have raced in Formula E since its inception 11 seasons ago:
- Katherine Legge (Britain), who competed twice in 2014
- Simona de Silvestro (Switzerland), who made 12 starts in 2015-16
- Michela Cerruti (Italy), who appeared four times in 2014-15
Only de Silvestro managed to score championship points during her time in the series.
(with inputs from Reuters)
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...
Read More
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News sports Formula E's Berlin Rookie Test Witnesses New Batch Of Female Drivers
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