Toronto muralist straddles 2 male-dominated industries in 1 weekend

Kirsten McCrea doesn't mind being the only woman in the room, but it does get old sometimes.

That's why the opportunity to design the livery for a female race car driver in a series meant to accelerate the careers of women in motorsports is so exciting.

"When I started out in murals and street art it was 16 years ago. It was very male-dominated," she said.

The Toronto muralist designed the wrap for the car that 18-year-old British driver Alisha Palmowski will race in F1 Academy, which will compete in support of Formula 1 during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend in Montreal. 

F1 Academy was launched in 2023 as a female-only, single-seater racing series that is part of the ladder to Formula 1. All of the drivers are women and many of the team executives and mechanics are women, too.

McCrea has been active as a muralist in Toronto for more than a decade. Her many works can be seen throughout the city: in underpasses in the Riverdale community, on downtown patios on King Street and even in Meta's main Canadian office hub. Working on unique surfaces is something she looks for in new projects.

"This is the coolest canvas I've ever had an opportunity to be a part of and the fact that it's going to be in motion has been really incredible. I'm just happy to be a part of it," McCrea said.

McCrea says her work in designing the look of this race car felt deeply personal.

"I really wanted to create a design that would smash the stereotypes of what women can achieve in motorsports and put all eyes on Alisha," she said.

"It's inspired by the Expo 67 logo because the race track in Montreal is right next to that site," McCrea said. "I just loved this logo and how it looks like a dandelion. I thought about dandelion seeds, how they spread out, totally unfettered, and they really represent ambition to me."

Palmowski said McCrea did "an incredible job" in designing the race car's livery, adding she feels privileged to race it in front of the fans in Montreal.

"It's a really bold design. Lots of bright, vibrant colours, which I absolutely love," she said.

Breaking barriers in art and motorsport

McCrea and Palmowski have both broken barriers in male-dominated industries. 

While women are more accepted in motorsport now, Palmowski has faced her share of ups and downs. 

"Rising through the ranks being a female within the male-dominated sport of motorsport has been difficult," she said. 

"It's got its challenges, but I think F1 Academy has really changed the landscape of motorsport. I think it's doing an amazing job at inspiring the next generation."

Palmowski's financial backers are breaking their own kind of barriers, too. 

1Password, a Toronto-based cybersecurity company, sponsors Palmowski. Its chief operating officer is a woman in another male-dominated industry.

"When we think of 15 years ago, when you think about motorsport, when you think about artists, when you think about cybersecurity, you don't think it's women-dominated." said Jeannie De Guzman, COO of 1Password.  

"It's a testament to show the progress we've made."

Palmowski is part of the Red Bull Academy,  a talent pipeline that has produced drivers such as four-time Formula 1 champions Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel. She's one of only a handful of women who have ever belonged to the program, bringing a sense of pressure and privilege.

"Nobody wants me to succeed more than me. If anything it just gives me more motivation and more determination to put the hard work in behind the scenes," Palmowski said.

She has already won once this year and sits fourth in the points standings. Palmowski hopes she can win again in Montreal in one of the series' three races this weekend and stand on the top step of the podium, this time with McCrea's special livery.

"I've got no interest in finishing second or third. I have a real winner's mentality."