Automoto, an iconic show in the French automotive world, continues to demonstrate innovation and boldness after 50 years of existence. In 2025, it welcomes a new recruit who brings freshness and expertise: Sarah Bovy, an internationally recognized Belgian professional driver. Sarah’s arrival achieves a dual objective for the show, now broadcast every Sunday morning on TF1. On the one hand, it revitalizes the traditional role of test drivers by introducing a true female competitor to French-language television. On the other hand, it embodies the changing mentalities in a historically masculine sport, while maintaining its sporting authenticity. Sarah Bovy, despite her media commitment, firmly reiterates that she is not abandoning her racing career. This dual role perfectly symbolizes the evolution of a discipline that is renewing itself to remain relevant to an ever-wider and more diverse audience. Sarah Bovy, a real-life test driver for Automoto on TF1
Since August 2025, Sarah Bovy has joined the Automoto team as a test driver. This role isn’t limited to occasional appearances: she’s now one of the key figures in conducting timed tests for the cars featured on the show. This commitment represents a major first for French-language television, where a female driver holds such a prominent place in this category. On the show, she shares the wheel with veteran drivers like Anthony Beltoise and Bruce Jouanny, demonstrating that she’s at the level required to compete with Automoto’s veteran experts.
As Sarah points out, she doesn’t see this position as a career change, but rather as a natural extension of her sporting career. By maintaining an average competitive schedule of 15 to 20 weekends per year, she keeps her feet on the ground and her head in the race, particularly in endurance racing with the Iron Dames team in ELMS and IMSA. This dual role increases her credibility and also gives the program credibility among enthusiasts. She expertly tests vehicles of all types, ranging from the popular Renault Clio to powerful supercars like Lamborghini. 👩✈️ High-level professional driver
⌚ Conducting timed tests for Automoto
- 📅 Maintaining an active racing career
- ⚙️ Various tests on consumer and sports cars
- 🎬 First female TV test driver in France
- Role at Automoto 🏁
- Current Competitions 🏆
| Vehicle Specialties 🚗 | Test driver | ELMS, IMSA with Iron Dames |
|---|---|---|
| Renault Clio, Lamborghini, DS Automobiles | This collaboration with TF1 and Automoto fits perfectly into a broader strategy aimed at attracting a diverse audience and giving women a greater role in the world of motorsport. Seeing a Belgian driver shine on the official channel of the longest-running automotive show is also a powerful symbol for Belgium and fans of renowned racing brands like Peugeot, Alpine, Citroën, and DS Automobiles. Discover everything you need to know about drivers: roles, functions, installation, and tips for optimizing the operation of your computing devices. | A media opportunity that doesn’t signal the end of your sporting career. |
Sarah Bovy’s move to television is unambiguously a springboard for her professional visibility. However, the driver insists that she doesn’t consider this move a « change of career. » The idea is to take on a hybrid role while maintaining her commitment to sport. This gives her a rare position in the media landscape, where former athletes often become consultants once their careers are over. Here, Sarah extends her career while sharing her expertise with a wide audience.
🏎 Maintaining a busy sports schedule
💼 Professional development without abandoning the race
📊 Bringing enhanced technical expertise to the show
- ⚡ Promoting women’s motorsport in the media
- Sarah’s approach also draws attention to the growing professionalization of the role of car tester in the media. This profession requires more than a good knowledge of vehicles, but also the ability to analyze their performance and clearly convey it to the public. The fact that Automoto chose an active driver to lead this task demonstrates the attention paid to the quality of the information delivered during the show, which is now more competitive than ever in the French TV channel.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEAhRmRoDMQ
- The Rise of Women in Motorsport and the Role of Sarah Bovy
- The position of women in motor racing continues to progress, as demonstrated by the example of Sarah Bovy. At 36, she is well aware of the challenges associated with a sport long perceived as a male preserve. However, she asserts that this macho image is now a thing of the past, largely thanks to projects like the Iron Dames, of which she has been a member since 2018. This all-female team excels in international endurance competitions, receiving positive reviews from sporting authorities.
Sarah firmly emphasizes that female drivers are capable of performances equal to, or even superior to, those of their male counterparts. Her success in demanding competitions is a testament to this. In a world that values technique and precision, size or gender no longer matter, except in the outdated mentalities that sport tends to sweep away. In addition, legendary brands such as Alpine, Peugeot, and Citroën are directly or indirectly involved in promoting diversity on the racetrack.
💪 Empowering female drivers at the highest level
🏁 Engagement through women’s teams like Iron Dames
🌍 Impact on the visibility of women in automotive media
- 🔄 Changing attitudes around motorsport
- Year 📅
- Key event 🎯
- Impact on women’s sport 🚀
- 2018
| Creation of Iron Dames | Women’s team engaged at the highest level | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Sarah Bovy joins Automoto | First female test driver on French-language TV | On a personal level, Sarah often talks about the reactions of those around her. While safety in this sport has significantly improved, some close friends remain worried, especially her mother, who has difficulty watching her race. This human dimension reflects the passion and respect this profession inspires, even more so when practiced at this competitive level. Sarah’s dedication contributes to a lasting change in the image of motorsport as a sport open to all, without discrimination. |
| Discover everything you need to know about drivers: role, installation, updates, and tips for optimizing the performance of your computer equipment. | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQsSRbDdz9s | Automoto: A historic turning point with a Belgian driver in testing |
The rise of Automoto on TF1, a major channel in the French audiovisual landscape, requires a renewal of its codes. The introduction of Sarah Bovy as a test driver brings a breath of fresh air and marks an unprecedented symbolic turning point. For the first time in the history of automotive television in France, a female driver is conducting timed tests of the cars presented.
🇧🇪 Promoting Belgian talent in a French media outlet
⏱ Timed tests conducted by an active driver
📈 Strengthening Automoto’s technical credibility
- 🎥 Integrating diverse profiles into sports media
- Automoto TF1
- Before 2025
- After Sarah Bovy’s arrival
- Test drivers
| Exclusively male | Mixed, including a female pilot | Media visibility |
|---|---|---|
| Classic, traditional | Renewed and more current | Sports consistency |
| Based on retirees or occasional experts | Based on active pilots with professional commitments | The challenge is to reach an ever-wider audience, relying on current sporting references and tangible technical skills. Sarah’s presence also offers fans a guarantee of seriousness and rigor, which can help promote the Automoto brand and its historic partners, such as Michelin, Motul, Elf or TotalEnergies. |
| The challenges ahead for a new chapter of Automoto and future prospects | Despite her aura and her experience, Sarah Bovy places her career in a dynamic of learning and adaptation to the specificities of television. Communicating with a non-expert audience requires a subtle balance between technique and entertainment. She knows that the objective is to make precise and useful evaluations accessible to all, without sacrificing the passion that has driven the show since its origin. | In this context, it can rely on a solid network of partners and key brands in the automotive sector, such as Alpine, Citroën, and Peugeot which regularly provide cars to test, as well as technical suppliers Michelin or Motul. The Automoto show therefore relies on these entities to guarantee high-quality content for its viewers. |
Among the main challenges:
🛠️ Succeed in transmitting driving sensations on the screen clearly
🚀 Adapt to media constraints without losing sporting authenticity
🧑🤝🧑 Promoting greater inclusion in motorsport
📊 Provide detailed analyzes taking into account technical innovations
- 🔄 Maintain a balance between professional challenges and sporting commitments
- The future looks bright for this collaboration between Sarah Bovy and Automoto. She could inspire other female drivers to follow this path, thus contributing to a more representative, inclusive, and modern motorsport. This episode undeniably marks an important milestone in the history of a show that has become a true benchmark for all enthusiasts.
- Challenges 🎯
- Associated Objectives 🚩
- Balancing sport and media coverage
Engage a wider audience without losing authenticity
| Strengthen the image of women in motorsport | Paving the way for greater inclusion |
|---|---|
| Present accessible technical analyses | Enable everyone to understand |
| Maintain a work-life balance | Maintain professional credibility |
| Frequently asked questions from viewers about Sarah Bovy and Automoto | Who is Sarah Bovy at Automoto? |
| She is a test driver, setting lap times and providing her technical expertise on the vehicles tested. | Is she still a competitive driver? Yes, Sarah continues to race regularly in competitions like the ELMS and IMSA with the Iron Dames. |
Why is choosing a female driver important for the show?
- It reflects a step towards greater inclusion and showcases female talent in a predominantly male field.
What impact does this collaboration have on Automoto’s credibility? - It increases the show’s sporting legitimacy by relying on an active driver with proven experience.
What types of vehicles does Sarah test? - From mainstream cars like Renault or Peugeot to powerful sports cars like Lamborghini and DS Automobiles models.