Nyawira’s love for Formula One began at the office eight years ago. She is a techie and her male colleagues were always talking about races and the Formula One technical jargon. Those conversations sparked her curiosity and she started learning all about Formula One.
The ‘boys’ took her in and Nyawira soaked in what the sport is all about and began following the races religiously. Last year, together with her husband and a couple of friends, she traveled to United Arab Emirates to watch the race of the year, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. “It’s one of those things that you need to do in your lifetime,” says Nyawira, whose adoration for the sport has taken her down a path of isolation from her girlfriends on race days.
A conversation with a girlfriend on a race day could end up with the question, “You’re watching this ‘thing’ again?” which she is now used to.The love for Formula 1 in Kenya has developed largely by the young and savvy fans who want to travel and experience the glamorous and high-tech Formula One first-hand.And as demand among fans grows albeit slowly, Nyawira says the reason why most women have not taken a liking for such sports is because they have nobody to explain to them what the rules are.
