There are some beauty collaborations that give me serious stomach flutters. But nothing compares to the excitement I felt seeing mega-beauty brand Charlotte Tilbury partner with Formula 1 – one of the most male-dominated sports in the world. Not only is this sponsorship a powerful sign to the sporting world that the beauty industry has entered the chat, it is the first ever female-founded brand to sponsor a Formula 1 car. To further cement the relationship between the brand and the sport it has also become the official partner of the F1 Academy, which aims to develop and prepare future female F1 drivers to compete. This move is hugely important, opening doors previously unexplored and giving hope to future generations of women.
“Empowering everyone, everywhere to unlock the magic of confidence has always been my passion and purpose,” says Charlotte Tilbury MBE, President, Chairman, CCO, and Founder of Charlotte Tilbury . “My brand was created for everyone, everywhere, and as a female-founder I’m thrilled that we’re the first ever beauty brand to support these powerhouse drivers through our partnership with the F1® Academy. We are standing proudly behind the incredible young women making waves in the fast-paced world of Formula 1.”
Although the first ever female Formula 1 driver, Maria Teresa de Filippis, competed in 1958, women’s involvement in the sport has been few and far between ever since. The last time a woman entered a competitive F1 race was over 30 years ago. Which is crazy considering 40 percent of F1 fans are female, which means in 2022 alone a whooping 1.5bn women watched the sport.
Something Susie Wolff MBE, Managing Director, F1® Academy is determined to change. One of the few women to be involved in the sport at this level, she joined Williams Racing as part of the research and development team in 2012, and was part of the practice team during the British Grand Prix in 2014. However, as she is now at the helm of the F1 Academy the plan is to change all of that. “We want young women and girls to feel confident to chase their dreams, no matter the odds,” says Wolff. “We are on a mission to transform access to our sport, celebrate trailblazing female pioneers in our industry, and inspire a new generation of young women to pursue a career in motorsport.”
The fancy fully-branded car has the iconic lip and lipstick emblem pattern, proving there’s nothing you can’t achieve when you’re wearing your favourite shade. It will be known as the ‘Charlotte Tilbury operated by Rodin’ car, with the livery, helmet, and racing suit all branded to match. The car will even contain Charlotte’s empowering mantra ‘Makeup Your Destiny!’ to ensure the message that anyone can achieve their dreams is made loud and clear to the billions of F1 fans around the world.
Starting as the collaboration plans to go on, the car will be driven by 18-year-old rising star Lola Lovinfosse . Born in France, Lola has been racing since 2018, and will compete in the 2024 F1 Academy season for the first time at the end of March 2024.
Personally I can’t wait to watch her zoom around the track and inspire a generation of girls that nothing is impossible if you want it enough and you’re prepared to work hard. I feel this is just the starting line up, get it, for beauty brands bursting into what has always been a male-orientated market. Who said makeup is just frivolous and unimportant? Not me, that’s for sure.
