By Henry Green
A Southwell motorsport driver is competing for England this week in the Formula Woman Nations Cup qualifier as she sets her sights on a career on the track.
Alicia Barrett, 20, is one of six English drivers in a pool of 50 representing 26 different nations in the Nations Cup qualifier in Dubai on Thursday (December 10).
She is a driver ambassador for Formula Woman and has worked with them since 2021.
Alicia started karting aged eight when her parents took her to PF International karting track in Newark before getting her first kart aged 10.
She went on to progress up through the ranks and race in Europe aged 13.
Alicia says her family has “always been a big support” for “most of their lives” – with her mum joining her in Dubai.
Alicia, who balances her driving career with her Biology studies at Nottingham Trent University, said: “Formula Woman is a female racing community with the aim of getting novices and women of all different backgrounds rather than people with more money or usually males as well.
“They announced last year that they were doing the nations cup so I was approached by Formula Woman and they asked me to try out for England,” she added.
Alicia is also a part of Girls on Track UK and is a McLaren 60 scholar, with both initiatives encouraging women to pursue careers in motorsport.
“Formula Woman gives women the opportunity to come and try the sport out in an environment that is comfortable for them,” Alicia said.
“Half of the time people don’t have the confidence to come and try it out, so it’s really important that there are spaces like Formula Woman for people to come and try this showing that women can race as well,” Alicia added.
Alicia is realistic about her aims of driving in Formula One and thinks “there’s still a bit of a way to go” before women are able to drive regularly at that level.
She said: “The dream is to drive as a career, a lot of people say Formula One but I know that that’s kind of impossible with the background I come from and there’s no way I have the money to make it up there.
“Finding the right women who have the talent but also have the backing for F1 and also from a physical side there’s been a lot of talk around if the cars are actually suited,” Alicia added.
If Alicia qualifies she will race in the Nations Cup in May 2025 with the race possibly opening doors to careers in professional motorsport for her, and also helping her attract more sponsors.
