Why the time is almost here for a female Formula E driver

The second edition of Formula E’s all-female test at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia highlighted one significant thing: it is almost time for a team to take a chance and offer a woman a full-time seat.

Friday’s historic second edition of the women’s test featured 14 female drivers, with each team running at least one car. While it was disappointing that six cars were not filled, a partial clash with an F1 Academy test in Bahrain made participation difficult for some drivers.

Nevertheless, several major names took part in the test, which—unlike last year’s event in Madrid—featured two three-hour sessions rather than just one. 

The day of track action in the Gen3 Evos, the exact same cars used in the championship, included the likes of three-time W Series champion and Indy NXT race winner Jamie Chadwick, Super Formula driver Juju Noda, reigning F1 Academy champion and GB3 driver Abbi Pulling, and several others from the F1 Academy grid.

In fact, it was one of the F1 Academy drivers who stunned the Formula E paddock: American Chloe Chambers. Chambers’ first Formula E experience came in last year’s three-hour test for Andretti, while on Friday she drove for Mahindra.

Chambers topped both the morning and afternoon sessions ahead of Pulling, who represented Nissan and also serves as a simulator driver for the Japanese manufacturer. Topping the sessions was one thing, but the impressive lap times Chambers set were another.

The F1 Academy underdog posted a 1m 22.767 in the afternoon session — a lap time comparable to those set during the official Formula E pre-season test across the four days prior.

"Yeah, I mean, pretty happy with how everything has gone," Chambers told RacingNews365. "I think I've made a big step since last year, and that was definitely something I really wanted to do this year. 

"And, yeah, I think the team’s happy. I’m happy. So, yeah, couldn’t really have done any better."

Despite having very limited Formula E experience, Chambers’ lap time was just four-tenths adrift of Envision’s full-time driver Joel Eriksson’s best from the test. 

When comparing the second women’s test session to the full-time drivers’ second session earlier in the week, Chambers was actually quicker than Cupra Kiro rookie Pepe Martí.

Delivering such impressive lap times represented a major improvement from the Madrid test in 2024, where the best lap was two seconds slower than the slowest full-time driver.

Why so much progress was made

A key factor behind this improvement was the introduction of a second three-hour session, which gave the drivers more time to work with engineers, analyse data, and refine their technique.

On being so close to to Eriksson's lap time, Chambers said: "I think it’s definitely a good thing. I think it’s kind of a testament that track time is the main factor for us. 

"I’ve only had a day and a half in the car, so to be up there matching times with some of the full-season drivers is definitely a confidence booster."

While Chambers topped the timesheets, Pulling was once again hugely impressive, highlighting the positive impact of her official simulator role with Nissan. To maintain this positive momentum, more simulator and track time will be critical — something Chambers also emphasised.

Asked if the key to progress lies in track time or simulator experience, Chambers said: “Yeah, I think it’s a combination. More time in the simulator will then translate to faster driving on track. I think just having seat time again is the most crucial thing. 

"But I think it’s a really good showing that we can have such limited track time and still be as close as we are to the full-season drivers. It’s something you can’t really do in a lot of other series. 

"I’ve said this before, but this car is very different to drive compared to any other car I’ve ever driven. But it’s manageable — it’s something you can work on as a driver to get faster. And it turns out you can reach that level maybe even quicker than in a lot of other cars."

Ultimately, for Chambers, her performance has opened her eyes to the possibility of a future in Formula E. The test left her hopeful that the performance of several women will encourage teams to offer more simulator sessions and, crucially, track time.

"Honestly, I was quite surprised by how close I was able to be to the full-season drivers after the same amount of track time," admitted Chambers. 

"I think it’s definitely a good improvement, and hopefully it’ll make the teams and the series start thinking about getting one of us a full-time seat on the grid in the future."

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Personal opinion on the next step

Just how close some of the women came to the lap times set by the full-time drivers was a huge surprise, given the vast difference in experience, track time, and understanding of energy management.

Had the women’s test also consisted of six three-hour sessions, like the official Formula E test, there is every reason to believe that further lap time gains would have been achieved.

One general point raised by several of the drivers on Friday was the heaviness of the steering wheel — an issue that will improve considerably with Gen4 at the end of next year, thanks to the introduction of power steering.

With Gen4 development well underway, the likes of Pulling could benefit hugely from simulator time in Formula E’s next generation of cars.

A female driver on the grid for the first season of Gen4 feels unlikely, but with the right approach from teams and the championship, there is no reason why a woman could not appear on the grid in Season 14 (2027/28).

Power steering will eliminate perhaps the biggest barrier for female drivers in Formula E. What is pivotal is that the women’s test continues in 2026 with the new cars, and that more teams sign women in development, simulator, or even reserve roles.

A personal suggestion would be to introduce a mandatory rule for the annual rookie test, requiring each team to field one male and one female driver. In that scenario — particularly in Gen4 — a genuine comparison could be made in equal machinery.

Something tells me Formula E is set to see much more from women in motorsport, and that the ultimate goal of having a full-time female driver is significantly closer than many might have realised. Forget F1 — Formula E could very well be the place to be.