On Wednesday morning, Alisha Palmowski, the 2025 Red Bull Racing Pepe Jeans F1 Academy driver, rang the opening Nasdaq bell alongside Rokt’s chief commercial officer, Elizabeth Buchanan. The duo was honored as part of Women’s History Month and to advocate for women in STEM and motorsports, two fields that are dominated by men.
This is a continuation of Rokt’s partnership with Red Bull Racing’s F1 Academy; last year, they announced their partnership and support of Hamda Al Qubaisi, who also rang the Nasdaq bell. Rokt’s collaboration with Red Bull and its academy program is more than just racing. The e-commerce technology company highlights the women engineers at Red Bull and their contributions to the team in its “Driven Beyond Limits” video series. The videos shed light on women in all aspects of motorsports, break down barriers within STEM and racing and inspire the next generation.
“Rokt remains committed to fostering diversity in motorsports and STEM through its partnership with Oracle Red Bull Racing,” said Buchanan. “By continuing this partnership, Rokt ensures that female talent — both on and off the track — has meaningful opportunities for growth and visibility in motorsports. Real diversity isn’t a one-time campaign — it’s a long-term commitment. By continuing our commitment beyond a single season or campaign, we ensure that female athletes and engineers receive consistent support, rather than momentary attention.”
Palmowski, an 18-year-old British motorsports driver, started her karting career in 2015 and has achieved the junior vice champion title twice in the Daniel Riccardo Series for 2020 and 2021 and was vice champion of the GB4 Championship; she also made her F1 Academy debut in Qatar as a wild card entry — finishing fifth in the first race.
Calling her joining F1 Academy with Red Bull a “life changing opportunity,” Palmowski told WWD after the bell ceremony that she’s still speechless when talking about it and calls it “a dream come true” — especially given that Red Bull boasts the reigning champion Max Verstappen. Palmowski has already met and spent time with Verstappen and also sat with the Red Bull table at the F175 event live launch.
With the F1 Academy’s season underway later this month (coinciding with the Formula 1 calendar), Palmowski is most excited to get the racing underway in Shanghai and to race down the Sin City strip in Las Vegas for the championship’s last race.
One of the challenges women face in motorsports is a lack of representation, which F1 Academy is tackling — Palmowski said all the aspects involved with motorsport beyond drivers such as engineers, mechanics or media are lacking in gender diversity. While she hasn’t personally experienced being treated differently for being a woman, Palmowski noted that she’s one of the fortunate ones; others can’t say the same.
Photo by Vanja Savic
“When girls and women see it, they can be it,” said Buchanan. “Representation unleashes possibility. Representation matters year-round because visibility leads to unleashing the dreams of possibilities for girls everywhere. When girls and women see role models in business, sports and technology, it shows them that they belong in those spaces.”
Buchanan went on to explain that Palmowski embodies the commitment to talent, perseverance and breaking barriers in motorsport that Rokt shares. With supporting women drivers like Palmowski, Rokt said it’s using its partnership to create more opportunities for women in racing.
“It’s a matter of when, not if we will get a [woman become a] Formula 1 driver,” emphasized Palmowski.
Palmowski cites Susie Wolff as an inspiring figure; many drivers see her as a beacon of hope for being one of the most recent women involved with the sport and for her role in spearheading the F1 Academy initiative as managing director.
Motorsports continue to be an expensive sport, with progression to higher levels requiring more money to offset the funds required — making competing for sponsorships of major companies for people without familial financial backing all the more crucial. “It’s an opportunity that doesn’t come around every day and it’s not available to me without the support of these guys,” said Palmowski.
Rokt’s financial and structural backing of Palmowski will allow her to solely focus on competing and to reach her full potential and achieve victories, Buchanan said. “Beyond financial support, we’re also working to increase visibility and create a platform for female drivers, making them more attractive to future sponsors and partners. This kind of sustained investment is what creates lasting change — not just for one driver, but for the next generation of women in motorsports.”
The opportunity in F1 Academy is not one Palmowski will be wasting; she said that this Red Bull backing will afford her the chance to showcase her skills, further move up the ladder and eventually become a Formula 1 driver — the dream that many motorsport drivers growing up are hoping they can achieve.
“We’re not just here to race. We’re here to make noise and drive change for the next generation in motorsport,” said Palmowski.
