For many Formula 1 fans, attending a race weekend is straightforward. Finding someone to share it with, as a female, is often much harder.

This simple challenge is what led to the creation of Girls Across the Grid, a community that has grown from a small social media group chat into a global network of female motorsport fans, with more than 20,000 members in its Facebook community alone.

What began as a way to help women connect over a shared love of racing has evolved into something much bigger. Girls Across the Grid is now a support network, a friendship group and, for many members, a place where they feel they belong within motorsport.

"Motorsport is more fun when you have people to share it with," founder and director of marketing and community Corryn Banham tells The Race Extra.

Like many fans, Banham loved the sport but understood how intimidating it could feel to attend events alone or be the only woman in a friendship group interested in F1.

The origins of Girls Across the Grid go back to the 2022 Mexico Grand Prix. A small group of women met in London to watch the race together after connecting online. Banham documented the gathering on TikTok and was overwhelmed by the response.

"The comments were full of women who said they wanted the same community," she says.

As more fans joined, an Instagram group chat quickly outgrew its original purpose. WhatsApp groups were set up, then regional communities, race-specific chats and organised meet-ups.

Four years later, Girls Across the Grid has become a global network helping women attend races together, navigate the sport as newbies and build friendships that often extend far beyond motorsport.

"It's gone from racing first, to friendship first," says Banham. "And I think that is really special."

One example of how those friendships develop is Soraya Both, who joined the Dutch Girls Across the Grid WhatsApp group and slowly began connecting with members spread across the country, including fellow members Fenne, Daisy, Mandy, Laura, Steffie, Marian and Cleo.

At first, she admitted, she didn't know any of the group members well but that changed after a last-minute trip to Silvegas - an event staged by Girls Across the Grid at Silverstone, featuring a Las Vegas Grand Prix watch party - in 2023, where many of them met in person for the first time.

"In the group chat that had been created beforehand, I started getting to know some of the girls better," Both says. "Once we were at Silvegas, those friendships grew even more. We spent a lot of time talking, and I quickly realised that I actually really liked them."

From there, the connection moved quickly. Back in the Netherlands, the group stayed in constant contact, before one moment in particular changed everything.

"On my youngest daughter's birthday, I suddenly got a phone call," Both recalls. "There they were...all having travelled from different parts of the country to celebrate her birthday with us."

What followed were regular meet-ups, shared trips to Zandvoort, long conversations, and weekends spent together - sometimes even sleeping in the same tent at races.

Life has since become busier for the group, and they don't see each other as often. But the bond remains.

"These girls have helped me gain confidence and taught me how to set boundaries," Both says. "I honestly think that without them, I might never have started my current education, and I certainly would never have become the ambassador for the Netherlands. They have had a bigger impact on my life than they probably realise."

Stories like this have become increasingly common within the community.

Director of business and events, Hannah Reek, believes one of the key reasons is that Girls Across the Grid removes a barrier many women experience when trying to engage with motorsport culture.

"The biggest difference is that nobody is expected to already know someone," she says.

Before major race weekends, members use dedicated group chats to discuss travel plans, accommodation and practical advice. Community spreadsheets allow attendees to share where they are travelling from, where they are staying and where they are sitting.

For solo travellers, particularly those attending races for the first time, it provides an immediate community.

"It's designed to make introductions easy," says Reek.

That approach has proven especially valuable as female engagement with motorsport continues to grow.

The success of Netflix's Drive to Survive, increased visibility of women across the industry and initiatives such as F1 Academy have all helped attract new audiences to the sport. But Banham believes there are still misconceptions about women in motorsport and lingering assumptions about who belongs in racing spaces.

"There are still a lot of negative connotations and historical stereotypes around motorsport generally," she says.

While progress has been made, Reek argues that visibility alone is not enough.

"For many women, the challenge isn't a lack of interest in motorsport," she says. "It's feeling like they belong within the space."

That sense of belonging is at the heart of Girls Across the Grid's biggest annual activation: the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Across the F1 weekend, hundreds of members are expected to engage with the organisation's activities, making Silverstone one of the most visible examples of how the community operates in practice.

This year's theme is 'Memories' - celebrating friendships already formed through the community while creating opportunities for new connections.

Working alongside F1 Academy, Girls Across the Grid will host a special Thursday event for 100 members before running activities throughout the weekend, including its "Glitz on the Grid" activation featuring festival glitter, friendship bracelet exchanges and community games.

But perhaps the most important element is the simplest: the Girls Across the Grid stand serves as a meeting point.

Whether someone is attending the British Grand Prix alone, feeling overwhelmed by the scale of the event, has become separated from friends, or simply wants to spend time with fellow fans, the stand provides a familiar place to gather.

"We want people to leave Silverstone with memories and friendships that last long after the chequered flag," says Reek.

For a community that began with a handful of women getting together to watch a race, Girls Across the Grid has come a long way. But according to Banham, the reason it exists hasn't really changed.

Banham says the aim has never been to tell women how they should enjoy motorsport.

Whether someone is attending their first race alone or has followed F1 for years, the community exists to help women connect with others who share the same passion.

Because ultimately, every experience is better if you have someone to share it with.

To discover more about Girls Across the Grid and their events, check out their website.