Curations: How Richard Mille levelled the track for women in racing with a detailed vision and state-of-the-art equipment
- The watchmaker’s hand-picked, all-women team was provided with a high-performance Oreca 07 prototype car backed by the winning Signatech technical crew
- The Richard Mille Racing Team took on a second cause, dedicating the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in support of the Paris Brain Institute
In 1958, Italian driver Maria Teresa de Filippis steered women into the formidable terrain of motorsports by becoming the first female racer in Formula One. With this feat, women’s involvement began to accelerate in what had been a traditionally male-dominated sport.
It inspired a new generation of women to pursue new opportunities in motorsports around the world, from drivers to engineers, mechanics and strategists. These growing ambitions were realised in 1981, when French driver Michèle Mouton tasted victory at the World Rally Championship for the Audi Factory Team together with her teammate, Fabrizia Pons of Italy. From that point on, women drivers received greater respect and attention on the racing track.
Today, Mouton is president of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, where she continues to open doors for women in the racing world. The role sees her collaborate frequently with the racing body’s Endurance Commission, headed by Richard Mille, the man behind the Swiss watch brand. They have spent over 10 years working together to promote women in the sport in all capacities and up to the highest levels. “It’s our duty to do everything possible to change the discipline,” Mille explained.
Mille’s ongoing mission to make motorsports fully accessible to women led to the announcement earlier this year of a premier all-women team to compete in the 2020 European Le Mans Series as well as the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. The Richard Mille Racing Team also received support from the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, and became the talk of the motorsports world.
“Through this team we want to showcase the talent and expertise of many women drivers who still find it hard to get the opportunity to sit behind a steering wheel,” Mille said. “All sports are mixed, why not motorsport?”
Mille wanted his team to compete with state-of-the-art equipment, and so the women were put behind the wheel of a French-made Oreca 07 prototype chassis powered by a 600hp Gibson engine and fitted with Michelin tyres. Technical support for the racing car was provided by the Signatech team under Philippe Sinault, which previously won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in the LMP2 category.
In response to the incredible support extended to her team, British driver Legge said: “It’s true that we have had to fight a lot, but it’s also true that we’ve never had the equipment to be able to go out and perform. Now, for the first time we do, and there is an immense amount of pressure with that because we have all of the tools and equipment to succeed.”
Yet that’s exactly what they did. The 88th 24 Hours of Le Mans in September was one of the year’s most-awaited races, and the Richard Mille Racing Team finished in the top 10 of the LMP2 class without any errors.
The team’s performance promoted not only advancements for women in motorsports, but advancements in medical research as well. Richard Mille decided to link two of his passions together by dedicating the 24 Hours of Le Mans race to the Paris Brain Institute, of which the watchmaker is a board member.
The 10-year-old institute is the second-largest in the world dedicated to researching brain and spinal illnesses. Mille called attention to its work by placing the Paris Brain Institute’s logo on the Richard Mille Racing Team car, with an aim to garner additional support for research into innovative means to treat Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, ALS, strokes, brain tumours, multiple sclerosis, psychiatric disorders and more.
After this successful and inspiring first season, the women of the Richard Mille Racing Team are ready to go full throttle with their shared ambition to achieve victory at the top of their sport.