Having witnessed the growing presence of women in motorsport, 2026 F1 Academy rookie Payton Westcott hopes to inspire the next generation to follow in her footsteps.
The 17-year-old American began karting at the age of six before progressing through several junior single-seater categories, including Formula Winter Series, E4 Championship, UAE4 Series, and Italian F4. Now racing for PREMA Racing with Mercedes backing, Westcott has made an immediate impression in her debut F1 Academy season and enters the final round as the championship’s highest-ranked rookie.
In the third part of an exclusive interview with Pit Debrief, Westcott discussed the growing opportunities for women in motorsport, the importance of inspiring the younger generation, and her hopes for the future of the sport.
More opportunities, more female drivers
Opportunities for women in motorsport continue to grow, with initiatives such as F1 Academy, FIA Girls on Track — Rising Stars, and the Formula E Women’s Test creating new pathways for female drivers. Formula 1 has also become increasingly involved, with 11 drivers on the 2026 F1 Academy grid directly supported by F1 teams. Notably, Jamie Chadwick and 2026 F1 Academy champion Doriane Pin made history this year by driving F1 machinery.
However, when Pit Debrief asked what long-term commitment could truly level the playing field for women, Westcott pointed to rising female participation and predicted further progress over the next decade.
“That’s a difficult one. I think that in general there’s more women getting into motorsports as it is now. Me personally, I was not influenced by F1 Academy to then get into motorsports. I was growing up at the track already, and even compared to the decade before, I noticed that there was a lot more females in motorsports.”
“So I think that now, with the addition of F1 Academy and these tests that are for women and all these women-focused initiatives, there’s definitely a bigger influence upon young girls. So even from the decade before me where there was less women, and I noticed that there was a few more women coming in, not obviously anywhere close near to the numbers of the men.”
“But now, with this new influence of women in this new initiative of women getting into motorsports, I think that in the next decade we’ll definitely see a new surge of women all coming through, and it’ll be, I think, even higher numbers than the decade that I’m in and even the decade before that. So I think we’re making steps towards that, but we need to continue.”
Westcott: “It’s incredible” to inspire the next generation
As one of the younger drivers on the F1 Academy grid, Westcott also acknowledged the opportunity she has to inspire the next wave of female drivers.
“It’s incredible. I think that, like I said earlier, from my generation to the generation before, I’ve noticed that there’s a bunch more women coming through. And so I think that now, to be this generation that can influence the younger generation and have them really gain an interest in motorsports is just incredible, and I really appreciate the position I’ve been put in to the point that I can inspire others and I can push others and I can help them achieve what they want to do.”
Westcott on the future of women in motorsport
Looking ahead, Westcott hopes to see women continue progressing through different levels of motorsport. For young female drivers, securing a place in a championship is only the first step, with continued opportunities to develop and advance to higher levels being equally important.
As for her own career, the American has set her sights on reaching Formula 1, with the ultimate ambition of becoming a world champion.
“I think that women can continue to progress through motorsports. Personally, I think that for me specifically I’d like to continue moving up the formula ladder, as my end goal is to be, hopefully, in Formula 1 one day, a Formula 1 world champion.”
“So I think that whether it’s the formula series that the women chooses to go into or whether it’s perhaps GT cars or sports cars or whatever kind of realm of motorsports that they decide to go into, I hope that they can continue to progress, for example up the ladder and just continuing to move up and get closer to that end goal which will then come following that.”
