Alice Powell

Alice Powell
Born	(1993-01-26) January 26, 1993 Oxford, England
Occupation(s)	Racing driver, motorsport commentator
Years active	2009–present
Known for	First female to win a Formula Renault championship; first woman to score points in GP3 Series; W Series competitor and race winner

Alice Elizabeth Fraser Powell (born 26 January 1993) is a British professional racing driver and motorsport commentator. In 2010, she made history as the first female to clinch a Formula Renault championship, and in 2012, she became the first woman to earn points in the GP3 Series. Additionally, she captured the International Class title in the 2014 Asian Formula Renault Series.

Powell was selected as one of 18 female drivers for the inaugural W Series in 2019, where she secured four podium finishes, including a victory at the Brands Hatch finale, ultimately placing third in the championship standings. Following a pause caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, she returned to compete in the W Series in 2021 and claimed victory in the opening race at the Red Bull Ring.

Formula Renault

Originating from Oxford, England, Powell began karting at eight years old. At 16, in 2009, she entered the Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship, becoming the youngest female competitor in a Formula Renault event. That same year, she was runner-up for the Young Star Award at the Women of the Future Awards and earned the British Women Racing Drivers Club GoldStars award in their 'Elite' category. In 2010, Powell broke new ground by winning a Formula Renault race in the UK—the first woman to do so—and went on to secure the Formula Renault BARC championship title, marking her as the first female champion of that series. Her race engineer during this period was Sarah Shaw. Returning with Manor to Formula Renault UK in 2011, Powell finished ninth overall without recording a race win.

In 2014, representing FRD Motorsport, Powell competed in the International Class of the 2014 Asian Formula Renault Series, where she achieved five class victories—including four overall wins—and ultimately won the class championship.

GP3 Series

In June 2012, after just two days of testing, Powell joined Status Grand Prix for the 2012 GP3 Series. On 9 September at Monza, she finished eighth in the sprint race, becoming the first woman to score points since GP3 began in 2010.

She made a single appearance in 2013 at the 2013 Yas Marina GP3 Series round as a substitute for Melville McKee. Powell placed nineteenth in the feature race and twentieth in the sprint race, concluding the season ranked thirty-first overall.

Formula 3

After being unable to continue in GP3 for 2013, Powell transitioned to F3 Cup. She participated in the opening round of the 2013 British Formula 3 season held at Silverstone, piloting a Dallara F306 operated by Mark Bailey Racing—an identical chassis used within the MotorSport Vision Formula Three Cup.

During the 2013 MotorSport Vision Formula Three Cup, Powell finished as runner-up to Alex Craven. Her campaign included five victories, with three wins occurring within the first four races.

Formula 1

On 12 November 2014, Powell sought to raise funds aiming to drive a Caterham Formula One car during a free practice session at that year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. However, Caterham had entered administration in October 2014 and had missed their previous two Grands Prix. Ultimately, Powell discontinued this effort due to challenges in securing an FIA superlicence.

Since 2022, Powell has been engaged as Talent Identification & Development Mentor within the Alpine Academy.

Formula E

In 2020, Powell, who represents Dare to Be Different as an ambassador, took part in the Rookie Test following the 2020 Marrakesh ePrix, driving for Envision Virgin Racing alongside Nick Cassidy. From the 2021–2022 season onward, she has held the position of Simulator and Development Driver for the team.

Additionally, Powell participated in the Berlin rookie test in May 2024 and the pre-season women's test at Jarama in November 2024, both events organized by Envision Racing.

MRF Challenge

Powell entered the first race of the 2015–16 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship season at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Despite nearly a year away from single-seater competition, she secured four finishes within the top ten, with her best outcome being eighth place in the final race.

W Series

Powell was a competitor in the inaugural 2019 W Series Championship, where she achieved victory at the season’s final race at Brands Hatch and earned three additional podium finishes, concluding the championship in third place overall.

She returned to compete in 2021 with Racing X, dominating the opening round at the Red Bull Ring by securing pole position, recording the fastest lap, and leading every lap en route to victory. Powell finished that season as runner-up to Jamie Chadwick, accumulating three wins, five podiums, and a total of 132 points.

In 2022, Powell raced with Click2Drive Bristol Street Motors Racing, ending the season third in the championship standings with one win, four podiums, one pole position, and one fastest lap.

Commentary career

Powell joined Sky Sports’ Formula 2 commentary team when the 2020 season resumed in July after interruptions caused by COVID-19. She has provided commentary during events such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed and currently contributes to Whisper Entertainment’s F1 coverage on Channel 4. Furthermore, Powell works part-time as a commentator for Formula One broadcasts on F1 TV.

Coach mentor career

She fulfills a role as a coach mentor and manages Abbi Pulling, a 22-year-old racing driver who won the 2024 F1 Academy and currently competes in the GB3 Championship.

Personal life

Powell is an alumna of The Cotswold School. In 2014, she was featured in the BBC series 100 Women.

Career summary

MSV F3 Cup – Class A Mark Bailey Racing 18 5 1 11 8 396 '2nd' British F3 International Series – National B Mark Bailey Racing 3 2 2 3 NC† 2014 Asian Formula Renault Series – International Class FRD Racing Team 11 5 5 1 9 242 '1st' British Formula3 International Series Carlin Motorsport 3 0 0 0 1 16 15th MSV F3 Cup – Cup Class Mark Bailey Racing 4 2 1 1 4 116 11th 2015 Silverstone24 Hours – Class3 Andrew Palmer 1 0 0 0 N/A 4th 2015–16 MRF Challenge Formula2000 MRF Racing 4 0 0 0 9 18th 2018–19 Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy Jaguar VIP Car 1 0 NC† 2019 W Series Hitech GP 6 1 4 76 '3rd' WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD Heinricher Racing with Meyer Shank Racing 1 19 59th 2019–20 Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy Jaguar ran racing eTROPHY Team Germany 10 70 4th Formula E (Test driver) Envision Virgin Racing 2021 W Series Racing X 8 3 2 4 132 '2nd' 2021–22 to present Formula E (Simulator/Development driver) Envision Racing

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
2007	Ginetta Junior Championship	Tockwith Motorsport	11	0	0	0	0	62	16th
	Ginetta Junior Winter Series		3	0	0	0	0	?	5th
2008	Ginetta Junior Championship	Tockwith Motorsport/Muzz Racing	24	0	0	0	4	326	9th
2009	Formula Renault UK	Manor Competition	20	0	0	0	0	88	18th
	Formula Palmer Audi	Motorsport Vision	3	0	0	0	0	33	25th
2010	Formula Renault BARC	Hillspeed	12	2	2	0	7	288	'1st'
	Formula Renault UK Winter Series	Manor Competition	7	0	0	0	0	53	12th
	Ginetta G50 Cup	Tockwith	14	0	0	0	0	163	16th
		CDR	3	0	0	0	0
2011	Formula Renault UK	Manor Competition	20	0	0	0	0	258	9th
	Formula Renault NEC	SL Formula Racing	2	0	0	0	0	24	35th
	MRF Formula1600 Delhi	Sidvin/Petes	2	0	0	0	2	33	'2nd'
	rowspan=2 align=left InterSteps Championship	align=left Motaworld	1	0	0	0	0	12	14th
rowspan=2 align=left GP3 Series	align=left Status Grand Prix	16	0	0	0	0	1	19th
align=left Formula Ford Walter Hayes Trophy	?	1	0	0	0	N/A	12th
2012–13	MRF Challenge Formula2000	MRF Racing	10	0	0	1	2	79	5th
rowspan=3 align=left GP3 Series	Bamboo Engineering	2	0	0	0	31st

^† Powell participated as a guest driver and was therefore not eligible to earn points.

Full Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Results

(key) (Entries in bold denote pole positions) (Entries in italics denote fastest laps)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Final Position	Total Points
2011	SL Formula Racing	HOC 1	HOC 2	HOC 3	SPA 1	SPA 2	NÜR 1	NÜR 2	ASS 1	ASS 2	ASS 3	OSC 1 10	OSC 2 8	ZAN 1	ZAN 2	MST 1	MST 2	MST 3	MNZ 1	MNZ 2	MNZ 3	35th	24

Full GP3 Series Results

(key) (Entries in bold signify pole position) (Entries in italics signify fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final Standing	Points Accumulated
2012	Status Grand Prix	CAT FEA	CAT SPR	MON FEA	MON SPR	VAL FEA	VAL SPR	SIL FEA	SIL SPR	HOC FEA	getHOC SPR ... Full W Series Results (key) (Events shown in bold denote pole position) (Events in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Final Position Points 2019 Hitech GP HOC 2nd ZOL 3rd MIS Retired NOR Retired ASS 2nd BRH 1st 3rd overall 76 points 2021 Racing X RBR1 1st RBR2 8th SIL 1st HUN 2nd SPA 4th ZAN 1st COA1 3rd COA2 6th 2nd overall 132 points 2022 Bristol Street Motors Racing MIA1 Retired MIA2 2nd CAT 3rd SIL 14th LEC 5th HUN 1st SIN 2nd 3rd overall 86 points Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Results (key) (Pole positions are in bold) (Fastest laps are in italics) Year Team Entry Category Car Model Engine Type 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Overall Rank Points Accumulated 2019 Michael Shank Racing#Heinricher Racing with Meyer Shank Racing GTD Class Acura NSX GT3 Acura 3.5L Turbocharged V6 2019 24 Hours of Daytona race event name#DAY ` 2019 12 Hours of Sebring race event name#SEB ` 2019 Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio race event name#MDO ` 2019 Chevrolet Sports Car Classic race event name#DET ` 2019 6 Hours of The Glen race event name#WGL ` Canadian Tire Motorsport Park race event name#MOS ` 2019 Northeast Grand Prix race event name#LIM ` 2019 Road Race Showcase at Road America race event name#ELK ` style="background:#EFCFFF;" | Virginia International Raceway race event name#VIR "12th" ` Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca race event name#LGA ` Petit Le Mans race event name#PET 59th position 19 points Full Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy Results (key) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole positions) Season Team Vehicle Category 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 D.C. Total Points 2018–19 Jaguar VIP Car Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY G ADR 5 MEX HKG SYX RME PAR MCO BER NYC NYC NC† 0 2019–20 Jaguar ran racing eTROPHY Team Germany Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY P ADR 33 ADR 33 MEX 85 BER 65 BER 76 BER 55 BER 55 BER 106 BER 55 BER 44 4th 70 † Powell participated as a guest driver and was therefore not eligible to earn points.