Picture it, 20 Formula 1 cars sat waiting on the grid. 20,000 horsepower stirring into life, poised, ready to tear down to the first corner.
Five red lights come on, revs and heart rates rise in tandem. Then, the lights go out and a Grand Prix roars into action. For 72 and three-quarter years, the responsibility of commanding the starting sequence of an F1 Grand Prix fell to a man. However, in September 2023, Rebecca Lee, hailing from Hartlepool, became the FIA’s first female official F1 starter. Lee’s hard work and determination rewarded her with a frenetic and impressive career in the F1 paddock. Motorsport Week spoke with Lee in an exclusive chat to get to know how she came into the industry, what makes an F1 starter tick and how best to inspire the next generation of female motorsport professionals.
Lee “never set out to want to pursue a career in motorsport,” instead she worked her trade in the transport industry, working in operations and legal compliance. The journey into motorsport began with “a sidestep into a different sector of the business which was service and contracts within the F1 paddock and British Superbikes as well.”
For three years, Lee grew accustomed to the fast-paced, challenging motorsport environment which in her own words was “keeping me on my toes.” A six-month stay away from the F1 paddock came with a role change and that separation confirmed for Lee where she needed to be.
“I realised I wanted to be back [in the paddock] because I was missing the adrenaline, the atmosphere and the challenges,” Lee told Motorsport Monday. “I ended up coming back and staying where I am now.”
Lee’s journey to becoming the F1 starter saw her put in the hard yards, working through multiple aspects of race start procedures. “I was dealing with all aspects of the operation, stroke event management, as well as doing that, I was doing a lot of the manual work as well,” Lee said. “So originally I started doing all of the manual installation on the actual pit wall. And then for the start of the races, I was at the pit wall, ensuring that the marshals were activating the lights at the relevant time. Obviously when the drivers were giving the signals if there was an issue, we needed to deploy the yellow flag. So I started doing that.”
After “covering various other aspects of the whole operation” in a Grand Prix event, Lee was asked to start working on race starts. Initially, this meant covering race starts for FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3, before graduating to Formula 1 starts.
“Originally I was there to support the guy who was doing it previously, and then eventually I ended up getting stepped up to the permanent starter,” said Lee. “So yeah, it was an unexpected journey.”
But what does a F1 starter do, beyond setting the light sequence at the start of a Grand Prix? “It’s very varied like a lot of things we do in advance and we try and plan as much as we can,” Lee explained. “In motorsport, you get a lot of challenges that come up that you don’t expect and it’s just really, really varied. We’ve got all of the relevant marshals, and volunteers so that we can actually facilitate the event in a safe way. And then of course ensuring that we’ve done all of our systems tests, we’ve got all of the equipment facilities so we can do all of the scrutiny. I oversee all that and make sure that we’ve got the right people in the right places to make it all happen.
“With regards to the start, I’m responsible for briefing all of the marshals to ensure that they’re following the correct starting procedure because we also need the marshals, and the volunteers to assist us. It’s not just me, it’s a team of people making all this happen. And then, of course, I’ll get ready, I’ll need to make sure that I’m up at the start gantry in the relevant time scale ready for the pit lane opening and I’ll be up there, I’ll deploy the cars and then I’ll stay up there for the first few laps [of the GP]. Then I’ll go back down and I’ll be just listening to race control in case I need to go back up there for a red flag.”
Lee also ensures the chequered flag, often waved by a celebrity guest, is waved at the end of the race. Formula 1 fans will be well accustomed to seeing cameras zoom in on the VIP guest waving the chequered flag at the end of a Grand Prix and Motorsport Monday couldn’t resist asking Lee if any of the guests stood out.
“I’m not really fazed by celebrities, to be honest, “said Lee. “But Kylian Mbappe was a really, really nice person and obviously like he’s a famous football player and I didn’t expect him to be so, you know, like he was really kind and he was quite nervous as well and I was surprised.”
As the first woman to hold the position of F1 race starter, Lee doesn’t take it lightly. Not only does Lee “feel like I’m very blessed to be in that position,” but her high profile role in the motorsport world means girls often send her questions, seeking advice and knowledge. “I’m really grateful and I think it’s nice, I do get girls asking questions from around the world and I get people messaging me on social media and I always try my best to sort of guide them and give them as much information as I can,” said Lee. “I think that the other thing is in order to get a job in a male-dominated environment, it’s not just about you need to be female or anything like that, you do need to work hard for it and if you do work hard you’ll get a job on merit.”
When it comes to advising the girls messaging her, Lee urges them to “make sure you do the hard work. You need to put yourself out there, you need to do your research,” said Lee.
Lee also points toward the import FIA Women in Motorsport initiative. “There’s a commission and mentoring program as well,” Lee explained. “That’s a good platform to get people integrated into this industry. There’s a Facebook page, FIA Women in Motorsport as well. It’s really good because people can put questions on there, give each other guidance, give each other points. So you just really need to decide what direction you want to go in, go from there and read as much as you can and listen to people.”
The FIA’s Women in Motorsport mentoring programme reflects a shift in greater female representation not only in Formula 1 but other motorsport series and disciplines. “It’s evolved a lot,” Lee acknowledged. “I think there’s a lot more help now to introduce women into the industry and there are a lot of other women as well that are willing to assist and help. I do feel you know like people say that we need to be better with diversity but personally I’ve only had a good experience I’ve never ever struggled. I feel like it’s a lot better and there’s a lot more support out there.”
Lee will no doubt not be the last woman to hold the position of F1 race starter, given not only her willingness but the whole paddocks to bring more female professionals into the industry. However, from speaking with Lee it might be quite some time before she is ready to allow a successor, given her love of the job and determined spirit. Asked to pick out her favourite part of the job, Lee replied “The variation. It’s so varied and we’re always on really stringent timescales. I’m strange, I really like to work under pressure.
“I always work better under pressure. It just keeps me busy as well. Working as a team, it’s always a team effort. Like no one, I can’t do my job single-handedly. I’ve got a really good support network around me and just working together, everyone makes sure that the cogs keep turning and that’s one of the things I enjoy. I like working with people.”
For anyone looking for the ingredients to make up a positive paddock influence that elevates F1 as a whole, look no further than Rebecca Lee. Lee comes across a tenacious spirit working at maximum pace for the better of the Grand Prix collective. Lee is modest too, telling the writer of this piece that she’s not the best interviewee before going into clear and concise detail following each question out to her. Lee serves as an inspiration to young girls looking to get into motorsport and is a shining example of what hard work brings. One can’t help but feel F1 will long be in safe hands with Lee’s steady grip on the Grand Prix tiller.
So proud of my daughter Rebecca Lee nothing fazes her hard work and dedication pays off 👌