On Wednesday morning, Alisha Palmowski, the 2025 Crimson Bull Racing Pepe Denims F1 Academy driver, rang the opening Nasdaq bell alongside Rokt’s chief business officer, Elizabeth Buchanan. The duo was honored as a part of Ladies’s Historical past Month and to advocate for ladies in STEM and motorsports, two fields which can be dominated by males.
This can be a continuation of Rokt’s partnership with Crimson Bull Racing’s F1 Academy; final yr, they introduced their partnership and assist of Hamda Al Qubaisi, who additionally rang the Nasdaq bell. Rokt’s collaboration with Crimson Bull and its academy program is extra than simply racing. The e-commerce know-how firm highlights the ladies engineers at Crimson Bull and their contributions to the group in its “Pushed Past Limits” video collection. The movies make clear girls in all facets of motorsports, break down boundaries inside STEM and racing and encourage the subsequent technology.
“Rokt stays dedicated to fostering variety in motorsports and STEM via its partnership with Oracle Crimson Bull Racing,” mentioned Buchanan. “By persevering with this partnership, Rokt ensures that feminine expertise — each on and off the observe — has significant alternatives for progress and visibility in motorsports. Actual variety isn’t a one-time marketing campaign — it’s a long-term dedication. By persevering with our dedication past a single season or marketing campaign, we be sure that feminine athletes and engineers obtain constant assist, reasonably than momentary consideration.”
Palmowski, an 18-year-old British motorsports driver, began her karting profession in 2015 and has achieved the junior vice champion title twice within the Daniel Riccardo Sequence for 2020 and 2021 and was vice champion of the GB4 Championship; she additionally made her F1 Academy debut in Qatar as a wild card entry — ending fifth within the first race.
Calling her becoming a member of F1 Academy with Crimson Bull a “life altering alternative,” Palmowski instructed WWD after the bell ceremony that she’s nonetheless speechless when speaking about it and calls it “a dream come true” — particularly on condition that Crimson Bull boasts the reigning champion Max Verstappen. Palmowski has already met and hung out with Verstappen and likewise sat with the Crimson Bull desk on the F175 occasion reside launch.
With the F1 Academy’s season underway later this month (coinciding with the Formulation 1 calendar), Palmowski is most excited to get the racing underway in Shanghai and to race down the Sin Metropolis strip in Las Vegas for the championship’s final race.
One of many challenges girls face in motorsports is a scarcity of illustration, which F1 Academy is tackling — Palmowski mentioned all of the facets concerned with motorsport past drivers akin to engineers, mechanics or media are missing in gender variety. Whereas she hasn’t personally skilled being handled in another way for being a girl, Palmowski famous that she’s one of many lucky ones; others can’t say the identical.
Picture by Vanja Savic
“When women and girls see it, they are often it,” mentioned Buchanan. “Illustration unleashes risk. Illustration issues year-round as a result of visibility results in unleashing the goals of prospects for ladies in every single place. When women and girls see position fashions in enterprise, sports activities and know-how, it exhibits them that they belong in these areas.”
Buchanan went on to clarify that Palmowski embodies the dedication to expertise, perseverance and breaking boundaries in motorsport that Rokt shares. With supporting girls drivers like Palmowski, Rokt mentioned it’s utilizing its partnership to create extra alternatives for ladies in racing.
“It’s a matter of when, not if we’ll get a [woman become a] Formulation 1 driver,” emphasised Palmowski.
Palmowski cites Susie Wolff as an inspiring determine; many drivers see her as a beacon of hope for being some of the current girls concerned with the game and for her position in spearheading the F1 Academy initiative as managing director.
Motorsports proceed to be an costly sport, with development to greater ranges requiring extra money to offset the funds required — making competing for sponsorships of main corporations for individuals with out familial monetary backing all of the extra essential. “It’s a chance that doesn’t come round daily and it’s not out there to me with out the assist of those guys,” mentioned Palmowski.
Rokt’s monetary and structural backing of Palmowski will permit her to solely deal with competing and to achieve her full potential and obtain victories, Buchanan mentioned. “Past monetary assist, we’re additionally working to extend visibility and create a platform for feminine drivers, making them extra engaging to future sponsors and companions. This sort of sustained funding is what creates lasting change — not only for one driver, however for the subsequent technology of girls in motorsports.”
The chance in F1 Academy isn’t one Palmowski might be losing; she mentioned that this Crimson Bull backing will afford her the possibility to showcase her expertise, additional transfer up the ladder and finally change into a Formulation 1 driver — the dream that many motorsport drivers rising up are hoping they will obtain.
“We’re not simply right here to race. We’re right here to make noise and drive change for the subsequent technology in motorsport,” mentioned Palmowski.