In recent years, content creators have become an increasingly visible part of motorsport culture. From technical explanations to comedy skits, creators are gaining traction and adding to the accessibility and visibility of the sport. With backgrounds in video editing and EDI within STEM, Manon and Maia created ManiaOnBoard—a female-led platform blending technical analysis with humorous recaps of race weekends.
From becoming fans during the COVID-19 era to presenting at the Autosport Awards and being featured on Sky Sports, ManiaOnBoard have steadily built a platform that balances entertainment with visibility. We sat down with them to discuss the reality of being a queer couple online, their influences for their content, and how the industry can grow.
From Fans to Creators
Manon was the driving force in the pair falling in love with motorsports. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, she began exploring new sports—including the NFL—before a friend introduced her to Formula 1 through an impromptu presentation. She then began watching in 2021, which she described as a “fantastic season to start with,” before Maia soon followed.
With a background in video creation and extra time during lockdown, Manon launched ‘Unbiased F1 Fan’. The account focused on driver edits, particularly of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, and quickly began to gain traction. As the account grew, the pair discussed Maia joining and the future direction of the platform.
“We thought, do we want to put our faces in it?” Manon explained, reflecting on how visible they wanted to be online. But eventually, they struck a balance. Manon leaned into comedy skits, while Maia focused on explaining technical aspects of the sport. ‘Unbiased F1 Fan’ was reintroduced as the popular ‘ManiaOnBoard’.
Previously, Maia worked with the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers and Mission 44, where she helped introduce young people to motorsport. Today, she works in engineering outreach, and Manon is a video editor. Whilst ManiaOnBoard isn’t their main career, it has proved important. Now, they produce popular series such as the ‘Red Bull Comedy Club’. The duo also works alongside Racing Pride as community champions.
Inspirations and Discovering Their Niche
“When you look at our content, we can’t hide that we’re women, and we can’t hide that we’re interracial,” Manon stated. While the pair don’t promote their sexuality in their work, they are open about who they are. They aim to create a “platform that allows us to have those conversations”. Aware that they face “barriers to break through every time we make a video”, ManiaOnBoard focuses on comedy, video edits, and explaining Formula 1. With a niche to fill, did the pair have any inspirations?
For Manon, it was other creators. One in particular was James Coker, who is “really witty and really good at writing”. His humorous skits influenced the direction of her own edits. However, the video editor recognised, “You can’t make the same content as the men do and expect the same result,” explaining how inspiration evolved into a distinctly different style.
Looking beyond motorsports, NFL content creator Annie Agar was another key influence. Manon admitted that while attempts to replicate Agar’s format didn’t always work, she remains her “biggest inspiration”.
Maia’s influences took a different shape. Initially unsure, she noted, “There are not a lot of people in this space who are like us.” She ultimately pointed to Jenny Fletcher, Girls on Track Manager. Maia admitted how Fletcher’s journey from outside of motorsports to running a key female-led initiative is inspiring to many people and claimed, “She’s like a legend.”
Being a Queer Couple Online
As a queer and married couple operating in a global sport, Manon and Maia are acutely aware that their visibility is not universally accepted. As a result, they keep their content firmly centred on motorsport, choosing not to share much of their personal lives online. While they do not describe ManiaOnBoard as an LGBTQ+ account, they are not closeted. “We’re very careful,” Manon explained, adding that their lack of interest in oversharing is as much about safety as it is about boundaries.
They also reflected on the dynamics of online audiences. Maia noted that some female creators gain followers through relatability or admiration, while others attract attention rooted in desirability. She noted how that can disappear quickly if a partner is revealed. ManiaOnBoard’s audience, by contrast, sits at roughly a 50-50 gender split, which they attribute to the tone and focus of their content. They know that they’ve “got a smaller audience” but feel as though they have a “friendly type of following”.
Manon believes they have experienced less sexism than expected, partly because they are not presenting themselves as conventionally attractive online. They aren’t “trying to be attractive”, she said, suggesting this removes a common avenue for dismissal or hostility. While they have encountered “occasional homophobia here and there”, they don’t let that bring them down. And they place responsibility firmly with the audience. “You made the choice to follow us when there’s a picture of us getting married … it’s not on us.”
As Manon put it: “We’re F1 fans, we’re F1 content creators. And we happen to be gay, but it’s not all that we are.”
The Reality of Pride
For Manon and Maia, Pride in motorsport is a complicated subject. Manon described Formula 1 as an “elitist sport”. While she is glad Pride is part of the conversation, she believes it is “very brave” to demand it within the current cultural and economic barriers of the sport. “If people are not willing to accept poor people in a space, and women, and people of colour,” she said, “asking them to accept sexuality and gender? It’s a lot.”
Motorsports, Formula 1 specifically, originated in Europe and therefore holds a lot of Europe’s ideals. However, as it’s expanded across the globe, it needs to remain respectful of the countries it visits. The duo believes that Pride is important, yet complicated, to talk about due to it being an international sport. Maia followed this up by sharing how “in Europe, we’re able to be open. I think it’s hard to catch everything up.”
The French creator also recognised the differing laws, as she shared that she “has some respect” for those who may oppose LGBTQ+ rights and that she has “a bit more patience” for them. “It’s ignorance; it doesn’t come from hate.” She stressed that this is the reason why conversations are important to have, but you have to remain understanding and respectful.
Maia also shared the unfortunate reality of being a gay driver. “You have to be closeted. It’s the only way to be safe.” She reflected on the current climate and how a gay driver wouldn’t be allowed to travel to certain countries or how sponsors may drop out of deals. For her, Pride in Motorsports currently reflects raising awareness to gain equal access.
Change From The Top
While awareness and education are important, the pair questioned their effectiveness in isolation. With strong opinions on further diversity, Maia believes that “ultimately, at some point, you do have to have somebody pushing and forcing things.”
Both believe progress must begin with leadership. They praised Mercedes-AMG Petronas for explicitly including transphobia in an updated community guidelines post. “That’s a big deal that they recognise and put transphobia at the same level as racism, especially in the current climate.”
The influencers also admitted that all the teams need to be included—suggesting that every driver should participate in a mandatory Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) training. Manon reflected on the impact of visible allyship, citing Sebastian Vettel’s public support as an example of how drivers can influence culture, even if social issues are not their primary focus. Ultimately, they believe change will come only through collective effort.
“You can make a big difference within a company by [the] leadership saying these things are unacceptable.”
Visibility in Action
Despite describing themselves as a “mid-sized account”, Manon and Maia are proud of what they’ve achieved. Being taken seriously by brands and teams stood out as a past key milestone, alongside participating in Racing Pride panels, workshops, and leadership talks.
In June, they represented Racing Pride on Sky Sports F1. Manon shared how “it was scary at first” as they weren’t talking about themselves, and Maia shared how the project stressed her out whilst in process. Despite the nerves, the segment went well, and the pair got a “you guys did great” from founder Richard Morris. The duo commends Sky Sports for showing this segment: “There was no space for people to be mean about it; it was like a representation that’s just there, and Sky Sports values it.”
Manon and Maia aren’t aiming to make a difference with the content itself, but they recognise the fact that them being in this space is what “makes the difference”. Their impact comes from occupying space, openly and consistently, within the sport.
Mania On Board on Pride in Motorsports
For the duo, it’s all about “baby steps”, with progress coming from access and visibility rather than perfection. With each video, they show that gay people can exist openly within the sport—and belong there. They recognise that their content isn’t about activism in the traditional sense, but about representation. Each video, appearance, and collaboration they do helps normalise queer visibility in motorsport. This creates a space for others to see themselves reflected in the sport, perhaps for the first time.
And sometimes, that progress is felt in the smallest, most human moments. In a sport where visibility has long been limited, moments like these matter—quietly, steadily, and with lasting impact.
“We kissed on Sky Sports F1, and the world didn’t end. I can’t believe we’re actively a part of the sport getting better for queer people.”
You can read more from our Pride in Motorsport series here.