F1 teams including Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes have submitted their 2017 to 2018 gender pay gap information. Results show that median hourly pay amongst UK staff is between 17 and 27 percent lower for women working within these three teams.

Compared to some industries these figures aren't completely shocking - Ryanair revealed a 71.8% difference yesterday - but equally they aren't anything to be proud of either. Just last week Ikea pegged their pay gap at only 6.9%.

Below is a breakdown of the figures so far reported, but first a quick recap about what these reports mean and why they're important.

What is the gender pay gap?

The gender pay gap is the difference between the average hourly earnings of men and women. The figure is displayed as a proportion of men's earnings.

Two figures are listed, the mean and the median. The mean hourly rate is average wage across an organisation, whereas the median is calculated by ordering employees from highest to lowest paid, and taking the hourly wage of the person in the middle.

What is gender pay gap reporting?

Every company in the UK with 250 or more employees must submit figures comparing men and women's average pay across the organisation by 4 April. Companies also must publish details of the proportion of men and women in the company who receive bonuses, plus the breakdown of men and women in four different pay brackets.

In addition to reporting pay gap information to the government each company must publish a written statement on their website. Calculations are based on figures collected 5 April 2017, but companies have had 12 months in which to publish the information.

The gap to Formula 1

Every large F1 team or association that is based in the UK are required to submit pay gap data, while smaller organisations are encouraged to do so too.

The following table shows the F1-related companies who have submitted data to date. While the mean and median figures are shown for brevity, be sure to follow links to government submissions for the full details including bonuses paid and pay bracket breakdown. Links are also provided to each company's report.

Updated 3 April to add Force India and Renault data. Updated 4 April to add F1 Management and Williams data.

Within their report Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff noted "We strive to create a culture where our female colleagues can thrive and succeed. I'm pleased to see a growing number of women in engineering roles across all the technical functions of our team but there is still more to do if we are to also encourage the next generation."

McLaren, clearly aware there is much work still to be done, state "We are committed to taking action to reduce the gender pay gap."

Disappointingly Christian Horner and Red Bull made no effort at all to address their 27% median pay difference and simply stuck to the figures.

A very long road ahead

On average, women working in this team earn 35% less per hour than men

It's easy to be disappointed by these figures. we've long thought Formula 1 to be a complete disaster when it comes to the subject of gender equality and the data backs that up.

While some small steps have already been taken for the 2018 season there is obviously much, much more to be done. The Mercedes report pulls no punches in this area and provides a quote worth repeating "On average, women working in this team earn 35% less per hour than men."

Reading each website statement suggests that the people with the power to make change at least understand they have a problem, but will that translate to any meaningful improvement? The good news is everybody gets to file an updated statement this time next year and any successes or failures will be clear for all to see.

Motorsport is not all about winning on track, now it is just as easy to lose in the factory too.