Woman Spotlight Wednesday: Rachel Robertson
- Kavi Khandelwal
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
Written by Kavi Khandelwal, 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.
Woman Spotlight Wednesday aims to take a look at the tales of these superwomen, who have surpassed various hurdles to reach where they are today. In this article, we spotlight a titanic name in the world of rallying, someone who remains a forerunner of females in motorsport today.
The organised chaos of the metallic scent of fuel and hot rubber behind the scenes of a paddock hides the true measure of racing talent in the quiet rhythm of their preparations.
Rachel Robertson, a young Scot, vaulted from Edinburgh rental karts to Formula One in three years. Her rhythm was an accelerating crescendo in the organised chaos of this motorsport.
She does not carry the generational expectation of a racer raised in the sport’s aristocracy. She has no deep-seated family history of competition either.
Her journey began with a profound curiosity about control and speed at the age of 14. Her delayed beginning only gave her an almost superhuman ability to consume and process experience, defining her strength.
From the local track to the national stage
Robertson needed less than a year to transition from rental karts to securing her own equipment, as she entered the competitive sphere of motor racing. She was recruited by a professional and found herself in the British Kart Championships.
She was the sole female competitor in grids of 50 or more drivers in her Senior Rotax class. However, being the only female also spurred her on to beat out the competition, regardless of gender.
Her competitive journey began in 2022, and by 2024, she was a part of the competitive shootout hosted by Radical Motorsport and Wera Tools UK. She secured the factory with a new Radical Racing Rebels team for 2025.
The challenge came with jumping from small, low-powered karts to the Radical SR3 XXR, a 232 bhp, closed-wheel prototype sports car. Driving a machine of this sort demanded precision, technical insight and a completely different style of racecraft, all of which Robertson adapted to without hesitation.
The technical crucible of prototype racing
The Radical Cup UK was Robertson’s crucible. It fused her technical mind with innate speed. The SR3 XXR is a complex machine that is sensitive to aerodynamic changes and setup adjustments, a stark contrast to the simple mechanics during her go-kart days.
In her debut season, Robertson went head-to-head with veterans who spent years mastering the Radical chassis. Her adaptability certainly helped, as she finished in the top five thrice at her very first round. This only demonstrated an impressive combination of raw pace in sprint races, as well as strategic maturity in endurance races.
She secured multiple podiums, and finished the championship third overall.
Robertson not only balanced the frantic demands of a professional racing season but also committed full-time to her education, studying a Level 3 Motorsport Engineering course at Wiltshire College & University Centre.
This dual pursuit built the foundational layer of her career, giving her a unique vantage point for setup and performance data. The ability to speak the technical language of the paddock has given her a critical edge in debriefings, with greater clarity in feedback helping her dictate performance improvements.
The dream manifests: Racing in F1 Academy
As much as racing in the Radical series was a wish fulfilled, single-seaters remained Robertson’s ultimate childhood dream. Her success in the Radical series was the perfect audition for the next tier of motorsport as she appeared on the radar of F1 Academy.
Robertson’s selection for the inaugural F1 Academy Rookie Test happened at the Circuito de Navarra, where she delivered back-to-back top-five performances, validating her talent. This was followed by the first taste of competitive single-seater action in the F4 Saudi Arabian Championship, where she got her first top 10 finish, finding immediate pace in the high-downforce machinery.
The final act of her rookie year happened in November 2025, when Robertson made her F1A debut in the high-profile, global season finale in Las Vegas, driving the Hitech TGR car.
Jumping into a car mid-season on a challenging street circuit that’s relatively new in front of an F1 crowd is the greatest pressure-cooker test for a young racer. However, this pressure was the acceleration she craved. She scored fourth in the first race of Las Vegas weekend, earning points on debut.
Her story showcases the power of late discovery, yet focused effort. Her resilience is the kind that adapts instantly, learning faster than the forces trying to slow it down. Robertson is the embodiment of raw talent seizing its moment.
Robertson will turn out in the PUMA-liveried car for the 2026 F1 Academy season, driving for the same Hitech outfit that gave her the first foray into the series. She will be looking to channel the same speed and adaptability to succeed in the ever-competitive F1 Academy championship!
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