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‘My biggest challenge was being a pioneer’ – Silvia Bellot on her journey to becoming F1 ACADEMY’s Race Director
At the forefront of racing, Silvia Bellot knows exactly what it takes to be a pioneer for women in motorsport. Carving out her own place in one of the sport’s most senior roles, we shine a spotlight on her story as part of our Pathways Into Motorsport series.
Although the lure of becoming a racing driver first drew her in, it was the management side that ultimately struck a chord with the Spaniard. Whilst her father José Bellot worked as an official with the Royal Spanish Automobile Federation for more than 40 years, she absorbed all that race control had to offer from a young age and eventually decided to follow in his footsteps.
“I remember when I was very young, waking up with my dad at 4AM to watch the Australian Grand Prix,” explains Bellot. “I always wanted to be part of it. I didn't know which would be the best way to get into the sport, but I knew that one day I would end up here in an F1 paddock.”
She adds: “I specifically know this race control very, very well. I remember when I was a kid just sitting here at the back and being able to see how the experienced people worked. My experiences as a Steward help a lot, not necessarily here in race control — but with the systems, knowing the people and what are the procedures around Formula 1 and F1 ACADEMY.
Starting a marshalling course on the day of her 16th birthday, Bellot’s extensive CV continued to grow from there. Two years later, she became the country’s youngest female steward. Unsure whether it could be her full-time career at the time, she also pursued degrees in Human and Medical Biology and later Design.
“Being a woman 20 years ago, there was no clear path,” she notes. “There were no role models at that stage that I could look at. For me, the clearest path was just to come here to the racetrack in Barcelona and also support as a race official, so that's what I did when I was 16. I took the course to be a track marshal and I passed my exam, but I never thought that actually it could be my all-year-round job and what I will be living from.”
Climbing up the ranks to steward for international level races, Bellot made history as the first person from Spain to be appointed a permanent steward in Formula 1, serving her first race aged 24 at the 2011 Turkish Grand Prix. Learning more with every race that passed, her stewarding role saw her experience all that racing had to offer across single-seaters, rallying and touring cars.
Later serving as the Deputy Team Manager for Carlin’s IndyCar team for the 2018 season, Bellot then took up the reins as the Race Director for the FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 Championships for 2020. The youngest person and first woman to hold those roles, she admits the transition away from stewarding was daunting, but she was determined to be a trailblazer and become the role model she’d missed out on growing up.
“When they approached me a few years ago and asked me to be an F2 and F3 Race Director, it was something that was out of my comfort zone,” she reveals. “I spent more years being a Steward, so that was an easy role for me, but I couldn't say no to being a Race Director. It was important for me, obviously because it was a bit out of my comfort zone, but also, I felt that I had a lot of responsibility for the next generation as no woman had ever had this this role before. My biggest challenge for me was being a pioneer in this sport.”
Taking up the Race Director mantle with F1 ACADEMY, Bellot’s role might be centred around the on-track action, but her vital work begins before the first tyres even hit the circuit. Scouting out the venue’s layout, she must prepare and define the track procedures alongside ensuring all sporting, technical and safety standards are followed.
Whether it be the wide-open gravel traps of Barcelona or the closed-in walls of Jeddah, the track walk is one of the most essential parts of her preparation, regardless of the series’ familiarity with the circuit. This enables her to identify any potential challenges or changes the drivers and teams may face, which are fed back during their mandatory briefings.
Bellot explains: “When we start the weekend, normally I do the track walk together with our FIA colleagues to make sure that the track is ready, that we are aware of the modifications for this year and any particular items for the track. For example, track limits, any chicanes, any items that might be newly included and that I have to report to the drivers.
“Later on, I do a briefing with the drivers where I explain to them where the changes to the track are. We evaluate the previous races and also, we discuss the regulations in case they've got any questions.”
Every second counts once the cars head out and stationed over in race control, Bellot won’t miss a moment of it. Alongside the footage broadcasted worldwide, she has typically 25 or more camera feeds to keep an eye on, covering every inch of the track.
Bringing order to the unpredictable, the weight of overseeing the racing and safety measures rests on her shoulders. However, it’s not a task she faces alone and Bellot believes that strong teamwork and effective cooperation are fundamental qualities ensuring the success of a race weekend.
“When the track activity starts, I'm sat here in race control and making sure that everything runs smoothly, working together with the locals to recover any (cars from) track and making sure that the sessions are being run in a safe way,” she details.
“I love to take decisions in a split second. It’s important that they are done in a safe way and they are also done in the correct way. This pressure to make the right decision with the minimum time is one of the things that I find much more exciting.
“I think it's very important to know how to work in a team. As you can see, there are lots of seats here, so I'm not alone here and without all these people working in race control, it would be impossible. I'm not the only woman as well. My deputy Neus (Santamaría) is also a woman and then, we've got a lot of people here in the local team in Barcelona who are women as well. Then, the other important thing is to know how to work under pressure, have attention for detail, but also be able to see the full picture.”
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Standing out as a beacon of inspiration for the next generation, Bellot hopes that her example and those of others in the industry can provide a source of encouragement to young women to pursue their own paths to the paddock.
“The Discover Your Drive programme from F1 ACADEMY is amazing,” she says. “I think F1 ACADEMY is giving a lot of visibility around women in the sport, which is really good for the young girls who want to be drivers. But also, all these women that want to be part of the sport and they don't know how.
“Even if you don't see a clear path — like it was in my case with no role models at that time. Working hard and being sure of what you want to achieve in life, any experience you can gain, even if it's not single-seater racing, rallies, or any of that type of racing, it will be very valuable for a future career in motorsport.”