Woman Spotlight Wednesday: Laura Villars
- Annalise Huang
- Oct 8
- 3 min read
Written by Annalise Huang, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Women have played an influential role throughout the history of motor racing. Many have taken to the wheels of motorsport machines, while numerous figures have worked tirelessly on the sidelines in various roles, shaping the motor racing world to the present day.
Laura Villars is a Swiss and French racing driver who not just dominates on the track, but also champions the role of women in motorsport on an institutional level. Her contributions have had significant impacts on the racing community and continue to push historic barriers in motorsport gender equality.
Early life
Villars was born in 1997 in Geneva, Switzerland. She discovered her passion for racing at the relatively late age of 14, making for an atypical start to her racing career.
Much of Villars’ initial professional career was detached from the racing world. Her primary focus remained on her studies, with Villars receiving her bachelor’s degree in business management from the French university CREA-OMNES Education in 2021.
According to Villars’ LinkedIn profile, she has founded or co-founded three companies: Villars Racing Management, the LSVM Group, and Starimmobilier.
Racing Career
Villars’ racing career boasts an impressive 58 race starts across a range of top-tier racing series.
Her single-seater debut came in 2023 with the Ultimate Cup Series Challenge Monoplace for Formula Motorsport. After competing in all but two rounds, she finished fifth in overall standings, including a fourth-place finish at Magny-Cours.
In the same year, she competed with Xcel Motorsport in the Formula 4 UAE Trophy Round at Yas Marina. She continued on a similar route with three rounds of the Meritus.GP F4 Saudi Arabian championship, taking her best result with fifth place in Jeddah.
With Zenith Scuderia, Villars competed in the Pro-Am class of 2024 Ferrari Challenge Europe, ending the year 20th in overall standings and claiming the Ladies’ trophy as the division's sole female entrant.
Her most recent racing endeavours have been in the JS P4 class of the Ligier European Series. In the first three rounds, she drove with Swiss driver Dario Cabenelas, the pair taking a best result of 10th at Le Mans.
Media and Advocacy
Beyond her competitive racing career, Villars has spearheaded efforts to advance the role of women in motorsport.
In 2023, she was featured in a Swiss television broadcast by the program Couleurs Locales. In her feature, she highlighted her experiences as a women driver in a male dominated industry.
Villars created her own YouTube channel in 2025 dedicated to her racing career. Through her videos, which have accumulated hundreds of thousands of views, she tests cars and shares content from racing events.
FIA President Candidacy
In September 2025, Villars shocked the motorsport world by announcing her candidacy for FIA president in what was previously predicted to be a two-man campaign battle. She is the first woman to run for the position in FIA history.
Villars challenges the current president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who has served as the organisation's head since December 2021. Her other opponent, previously believed to be Sulayem’s only challenger, is American motorsport official Tim Mayer.
The next FIA presidential election is scheduled for 12 December 2025, where Villars hopes her combination of racing experience and entrepreneurship success will help her secure an underdog victory.
Villars stands out, even more so as a young female candidate at only 28 years old. However, she’s made this quality a pillar of her campaign, stating in a press conference her hopes for the FIA to be “open to women and new generations”.
“I always militate for women. And I really respect women like Susie Wolf about what she did with F1 Academy… And all those women that are breaking barriers,” said Villars. “And for me, nowadays, I think it's the time to break barriers, especially as a woman and as a young person also.”
Villars’ success in her FIA presidency candidacy is yet to be determined. Regardless, her racing career, impassioned advocacy, and even the simple act of challenging historic institutional powers in a male dominated sport make her an inspiration for all women in motorsport.
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