Formula Equal: Inside the plans to launch a '50 per cent male, 50 per cent female' F1 team

Craig Pollock's latest project, Formula Equal, would be the first team in the sport that's 50 per cent men and 50 per cent women, he says, with that equal split applying across the whole organization -- from the cockpit to the engineers to the boardroom.

For the past four years, Craig Pollock has been secretly laying the groundwork for a new Formula One team unlike any other already on the paddock. Now he's ready share his plans with the world.

Pollock knows how to build an F1 outfit from scratch having served as founder and CEO of British American Racing (BAR), which is now owned by Mercedes.

His latest project, Formula Equal, would be the first team in the sport that's 50% men and 50% women, he says, with that equal split applying across the whole organization -- from the cockpit to the engineers to the boardroom.

"Our ambition to deliver and build opportunities and pathways for women to get to the very top level inside motorsports," Pollock tells CNN Sport's Don Riddell in an exclusive interview.

"The concept and the idea was to try and build a Formula One team, 50% male, 50% female, which is extremely hard to do if you have an existing Formula One team; it's a lot easier with a clean sheet of paper."

If Pollock's application for the team is successful, Formula Equal would potentially debut in 2026. It would be a notable development in a sport and industry often spotlighted for its lack of gender diversity.

A 2016 survey conducted by the FIA, motorsport's global governing body, found that, in European motorsport, women accounted for 6.5% of drivers, 16% of institutional employees, and 19% of volunteers.