'Young women are overtaking the F1 fan base. I know exactly why.'

If you watched the Australian Grand Prix this weekend, you would've noticed something different about the crowd. And no, I'm not talking about the fact that everyone looked like a drowned rat (although we'll get to that).

The stands were absolutely packed with young women. The historically male-dominated sport has had a complete cultural reset, with women now making up 41 per cent of F1's global fan base. And in Australia? Sixty-five per cent of new F1 fans are female.

We're not just joining the party — we're taking over.

As a woman who just attended her first Grand Prix, I can tell you that the women at these events aren't just sitting around in merch taking selfies — although I did do both of those things (don't tell my mum that my Red Bull jacket was $300).

While sitting standing in the grandstand for literally hours (1pm-5pm to be exact), my friends and I couldn't help but notice that we were some of the only people who stayed put the entire time. The men around us? They were doing hot laps of their own, coming and going as they pleased.

Meanwhile, we were screaming our lungs out every time a car spun on the track, we were yelling every single driver's name, we were watching the body language of all the team principals and engineers, and we stayed focused for the entire duration of the event.

At one point, I even heard a woman behind me explaining to her boyfriend the difference between DRS and ERS. I mean... the dedication.

Even when the heavens opened up and it started absolutely bucketing down, we didn't move. Sorry to our carefully applied makeup and hair, but this was important.

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The sport's governing body has clearly noticed this shift, too, because this year's Grand Prix featured a heap of activations targeted at women. I was lucky enough to attend as a guest of Shark Beauty, and their installation was next level. They created a space that was perfect for race day. Due to the wet and wild weather conditions, our hair was… not okay. The hair station was booked and busy and every time I walked past there were crowds of people waiting for their turn.

Let's go racing.

But while it's great to see brands catering to female fans, we can't ignore the elephant in the paddock — the serious lack of women actually competing in the sport.

Despite the massive turnout of women in the crowd, F1 still has a long way to go when it comes to inclusion. The last time a female driver attempted to participate in a Formula 1 race was in 1992 when Giovanna Amati entered three Grands Prix.

Since then, Susie Wolff has been the most recent woman to participate in an official F1 session, taking part in a practice session at the 2014 British Grand Prix as a test driver for Williams.

Of course, we can probably thank Netflix's Drive to Survive for this surge in female viewers. The show has done an incredible job of showing the extreme skill it takes to be in this sport, as well as the drama that unfolds behind the scenes.

But what the show has really done is make the sport more accessible. It's broken down the complex technical jargon and focused on the stories and personalities — something that resonates with everyone, regardless of gender.

If you're still confused about what actually goes down at an F1 race, let me quickly recap the Australian GP for the girlies who want to get amongst it.

The first race of the season is usually in Melbourne, which is great because it sets the tone for the rest of the year. This race in particular was dramatic af.

First up, we need to talk about what happened before the race even started... Poor rookie Isack Hadjar had his race end during the formation lap. That's basically like a professional runner falling down and breaking their ankle while they were walking over to their starting position.

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Buttttt the entire crowd said "aww" when we saw Lewis Hamilton's dad, Anthony, come over to console him. Huge dad energy.

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THEN Melbourne's weather said "you know what would be fun?" and threw everything at us. We went from wet to "oh god, I can't feel my face" in what felt like minutes.

Some visual representations of before and after the storm…

The rain was… bad. However, it made for a more intense race.

Lando Norris, who's clearly done with everyone calling him "Lando No-Wins" (guilty) won the race, keeping Max Verstappen (the flying Dutchman) behind him.

It was much more dramatic than it sounds, particularly because Max is known for being a top performer at wet races.

Now... This is a bit hard to talk about, so grab a tissue because it's time we address the Oscar Piastri in the room. Driving for Mclaren, all of us in the stands were itching for our fellow Aussie to win this race. Like, imagine winning on your home turf?

He was coming in second place (I'm not kidding, the dream was actually happening) when the rain hit… hard. The entire crowd was on their feet, praying he'd break the curse of no Australian podium at their home race. But then... disaster. Both McLarens ran wide at Turn 12, and while Lando managed to save it, Oscar spun off into the grass in the next corner. The crowd's reaction was somewhere between a gasp and that noise you make when someone drops a plate at a restaurant. Me? I screamed like I was being stabbed in a horror movie.

But our bestie didn't give up. He fought his way back through the field and even managed to overtake Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari (yes, you read that correctly, Lewis Hamilton) on the final lap to finish ninth. Not the podium we wanted, but the overtake was chef's kiss.

We also had three Safety Car periods (which is F1's version of "walk slowly so you don't step on the broken glass").

The surprise of the day? Alex Albon (my fave) somehow got his Williams into fourth place. If you're new here, that's like showing up to a Ferrari convention in a Corolla and winning best in show (sorry to Williams' fans).

I recited this exact recap to three of my friends, and it immediately convinced them to get amongst the sport.

So there you have it — rain, drama, redemption, and enough plot twists to keep the girls HOOKED.

If you want more from Emily Vernem, you can follow her on Instagram @emilyvernem.

Feature image: Supplied.