F1 needs a female driver!

F1 needs a female driver!

When will it happen? Imagine it would be a great PR even if the car is not good. Sponsors will be very interested and what about us the fans.

Edited by Lewis, 07 August 2009 - 23:43.

F1 needs a female driver!

When will it happen? Imagine it would be a great PR even if the driver or car is bad! Sponsors will be very interested and what about us the fans.

The actual truth is that at the moment apart from the odd girl that does well in a race and is suddenly splashed all over the motorsport media, there's no female talent out there. Just look at who's winning racing from Cadet Karting, to European level karting, and then single seaters. There is not 1 quality female driver. I am not saying that it isn't possible, but for whatever reason the girls that do well from time to time can never perform consistently at a high level. It's just the trend

If an F1 team hired a female purely because she was a girl and just about ok in a race car it could do the sport more damage. No doubnt she would do badly and you'll get the media spouting nonsense about sexism.

I actually think the 'girl racer' tag puts a lot of unnecessary pressure on female drivers. Somehow they are segregate out and I don't think all this talk of Women in F1 actually does the situation any good.

When you hear about a girl dominating a kart/single series on a world level, who finishing and winning championships consistently then you may be able to dream. At the moment it would just be media driven, and not talent.

What we need to do IS STOP TALKING ABOUT IT! :0

Edited by TinyJim, 07 August 2009 - 23:52.

I can't, and don't assume to, speak for all females but I dislike any sort of "Aww, give her a chance. She's doing good for a girl!" notions. It makes me feel as if the standards are being lowered just to let the poor little girls play too. That, and we ladies are more than eye candy or pr stunts. If there's not a female ready for the series than so be it. Eventually, someone will come along who can make it on her own merits. Anything less is sort of embarrassing, I think.

I can't, and don't assume to, speak for all females but I dislike any sort of "Aww, give her a chance. She's doing good for a girl!" notions. It makes me feel as if the standards are being lowered just to let the poor little girls play too. That, and we ladies are more than eye candy or pr stunts. If there's not a female ready for the series than so be it. Eventually, someone will come along who can make it on her own merits. Anything less is sort of embarrassing, I think.

your right

Its that attitude of "give em a chance!" which pulls the standards down for female racers. This tag they have to race with it really doesn't help. But as long as the media love a good story then it won't change. That just the way it is!

It will be at least 10 years before a female gets into F1. Just looking at the line of talent at the moment it's going to take that long. Maybe 20 maybe never

Imagine it would be a great PR even if the car is not good. Sponsors will be very interested and what about us the fans.

And for that reason alone, women should not be allowed into Formula One.

I'm not being sexist here.

What I mean is that while a woman shouldn't be denied a race seat on the basis that she is a woman, nor should she be promoted to one for the same reason. If a woman is accepted to the Formula One grid, it should be on the basis of her results, and her results alone. Otherwise, we're essentially prostituting her out; teams sign her simply to get media and sponsor attention, even if she's like Milka Duno and intentionally driving around slower than everyone else. It stops being about the racing and starts being about how much money teams can get for her.

Don't get me wrong; I think it's great that women are becoming more and more involved in motorsport. But I just don't think any of them are cut out for the highest echelon just yet. Danica Patrick, Natacha Gachnang, Katheeine Legge, Susie Stoddart and Vanina Ickx have all done a lot for the fairer sex. But on results alone, none of them are good for Formula One. Patrick's best results come on ovals; she really seems to struggle on road courses. Natacha Gachnang is one of six Formula Two drivers yet to score a point. While Katherine Legge placed third in Formula Atlantic, she has struggled in both Champ Car and DTM, her best results being a sixth place and fifteenth overall in the former and twelfth place and seventeenth overall in the latter. Susie Stoddart has done marginally better, her best result being a ninth place in her debut DTM season. And while Vanina Ickx has driven in more racing series than any of the other women, her results have been disappointing.

I know some of those drivers - mostly the last three - are nowhere near a Formula One drive, but my point is pretty clear: none of them have the results to cut it in Formula One. So why should they be given a race seat? If I were an aspiring Formula One driver and had those results to my name, I'd be laughed at even if I waved a very large cheque at team principals. One day there will be a female Formula One driver. But not today, and not tomorrow. If we want women to be taken seriously in motorsport - and I bet Patrick, Gachnang, Legge, Stoddart and Ickx do - then they should be treated exactly the same as men. Because otherwise, someone will be drafted in, garner a whole lot of media and sponsor attention and then languish in the field and it will be proof in many eyes that women simply cannot succeed in the sport.

F1 needs a female driver!

You do recognize the difference between Needs and Wants?

Given that you know that, may I counter with Why?

Bia...

Jp

F1 needs a female driver!

When will it happen? Imagine it would be a great PR even if the car is not good. Sponsors will be very interested and what about us the fans.

why? all F1 needs is star drivers. We have 3-4 at best, while in the 50s-90s period with would have at least 10 stars at the start of each GP. Whether they are male, female, transsexual or hemaphrodite, it is of interest only to the media and the sponsors. I just want a very talented and fast human being driving the car

I agree, a female F1 driver would probably be good for F1 in general.

But, the highest profile woman in open wheel racing (DANICA) has admitted that she is not comfortable globe trotting.

She is happy racing at home, close to her family, making mega $$$$$

IMO she could probably do well in a competetive F1 car, but that's not her thing right now.

She's a tough cookie allright, holding her own with her peers, 5th in the points right now.

I would look hard for the the next toughest woman to be an F1 driver, but right now, there's nothing on the horizon.

Ain't gonna happen in the immediate future.

F1 needs a female driver!

When will it happen? Imagine it would be a great PR even if the car is not good. Sponsors will be very interested and what about us the fans.

When there is a female Euro Series F3 champ, Renault World Series champ or GP2 Top-2 finisher then if the F1 teams go to their senses this driver should find it straight-forward to obtain a reasonable F1 drive (without the usual politics that were required for Glock, Bourdais, Grosjean, Alguarsuari to get to F1 whilst Pantano, Di Grassi, Premat etc don't get to F1).

What I mean is that while a woman shouldn't be denied a race seat on the basis that she is a woman, nor should she be promoted to one for the same reason. If a woman is accepted to the Formula One grid, it should be on the basis of her results, and her results alone.

Yes, like I am saying, hopefully a woman with a GP2 title in pocket will be able to avoid the usual politics and obtain an F1 drive with less difficulty than usual,

It's not so simple with teams preferring to promote their own 'prodigies' who often happened to be Renault World Series also-rans, or promote drivers from lowly series like Formula Renault, and make all sorts of bizarre driver choices, with many Euro Series and GP2 champs not being able to get drives with this political blockade in place! Honda's program with tens of young drivers with little more than a few F1 tests each etc...

we ladies are more than eye candy

That is evident by your cute username and even more cute avatar! I love the cuteness within most females even more than looks most times, awwww!

Was there not a female F1 driver back in the " 50s out of Italy or some place in Europe?

Was there not a female F1 driver back in the " 50s out of Italy or some place in Europe?

There was: Maria Teresa de Filippis. Her best result - and only finish - was tenth place in the 1958 Belgian Grand Prix. However, the best-known female racing driver was Lella Lombardi. She participated in seventeen events between 1974 and 1976 and scored half a point for finishing sixth at the 1975

There was: Maria Teresa de Filippis. Her best result - and only finish - was tenth place in the 1958 Belgian Grand Prix. However, the best-known female racing driver was Lella Lombardi. She participated in seventeen events between 1974 and 1976 and scored half a point for finishing sixth at the 1975

Janet Guthrie? Danica Patrick is the best known for real though. If you mean best known that's not racing now, what about that South African dame who won a non-points Grand Prix? Her names escapes me at the moment.

EDIT: Desiré Wilson

Edited by OfficeLinebacker, 08 August 2009 - 04:47.

What are women doing out of the kitchen anyhow?

/end 1920's

Seriously, the most hyped female racer in the world atm, Danica, would be so pathetic in a F1 car it would be embarrassing for all involved.

When one earns it on talent alone, then so be it.

Hmm but maybe she would always win though right! For it's 'ladies first' yea? LMAO!

Janet Guthrie?

Sorry, I meant best-known female Formula One driver.

I can't, and don't assume to, speak for all females but I dislike any sort of "Aww, give her a chance. She's doing good for a girl!" notions. It makes me feel as if the standards are being lowered just to let the poor little girls play too. That, and we ladies are more than eye candy or pr stunts. If there's not a female ready for the series than so be it. Eventually, someone will come along who can make it on her own merits. Anything less is sort of embarrassing, I think.

http://en.wikipedia..../Giovanna_Amati

Last female driver in F1.

Funny thing is, she was:

1) NOT attractive ("Dude looks like a lady..." only backwards)
2) Flavio's F buddy
3) basically a pay driver

A combination of all three most definitely is never going to work out in F1.

http://www.f1rejects...mati/index.html

At least she has a webpage dedicated to her...

Sorry, I meant best-known female Formula One driver.

This subject has been well discussed here in the past.See TNF.
Current situation no females in F3000/GP2 since 1991(Amati)

Likely candidates;
Simona de Silvesto -F.Atlantic
Natasha Gachnang -F2
Rahel Frey-German F3
Leanne Tander-Australian F3
Emma Kimlanen -F.Palmer Audi

Its an undisputable FACT that any driver who fails the ugly stick test should be immediately replaced with a stunning piece of skirt in figure hugging racing duds regardless of talent

Sometimes I do worry about you lot not having your priorities right.....

Edited by Keith68, 08 August 2009 - 07:05.

This subject has been well discussed here in the past.See TNF.
Current situation no females in F3000/GP2 since 1991(Amati)

Likely candidates;
Simona de Silvesto -F.Atlantic
Natasha Gachnang -F2
Rahel Frey-German F3
Leanne Tander-Australian F3
Emma Kimlanen -F.Palmer Audi

Candidates, but not likely ones.

There isn't a girl in sight that is ready for F1..

I mean.. you could draw a number out of a lucky hat and find a female schumacher.. fact is there is alot of people, males, who actually deserve a chance.. there is not much more to say... it just doesn't add up right now..

Must agree with some of the posts; no female driver should be hired just for being female. Then again, there have lots of drivers hired for being Malaysian, or owning a female lingerie company (yup, Ricardo 'Rocket' Rosset), or for other very secondary motives. Damn, we'll even have a team that holds being American as a qualification for an F1 race seat...

We'll just have accept that some things make hype happen - be it Danica, a gurl racing, or Bruno Senna, F1 legend's relative. In the end, very rarely do the hyped drivers reach the level they could be said to have succeeded. Personally I find the 'B.Senna to F1' chanting equally annoying to any possible female driver hype. Many others, though, seem to be wanting Bruno to F1 because of his last name. Then they can go on and moralize on female drivers topic.

Does F1 need a female driver then? Hardly. But Bernie naturally would like one. Especially if she were black and Jewish...

Simona de Silvestro must be the best one out there. Ana Beatriz looks good as well, whereas Gachnang seems to be out of depth even in anemic F2 field. She might be closest, though, with her rumoured Campos test. There was much of fuss about Kimiläinen couple of years back, but she hasn't really progressed - a fact proven by her current series, FPA.

IMO Taru Rinne was a huge talent wasted. A 125 cc front row during a brief career.

Edited by sir jackie walker, 08 August 2009 - 07:52.

F1 doesn't need females who are not good enough. Maybe we need FF1, female's formula one instead?

Maybe we need FF1, female's formula one instead?

Aside from not having enough women drivers to make a grid, the concept would just be written off as entirely sexist.

That, and we ladies are more than eye candy or pr stunts.

Uuh, and thats a very cute 'pinky' bouncing ball you got there.

IMO Taru Rinne was a huge talent wasted. A 125 cc front row during a brief career.

Yep. In karting she was equal with her toughest competitors - Mika Häkkinen, Mika Salo and JJ Lehto.

1979: 1st (Häkkinen second)
1980: 2nd (Salo 1st)
1981: 2nd (Häkkinen 1st)
1982: 1st (Häkkinen 2nd)

Not bad, huh?

Unfortunately she was DQ:d for illegal fuel, and received 1-year personal ban. Taru quit karting & moved to bikes, showing great skill on two wheels in RR (leading in Hockenheim, 2nd place in Assen, etc). This time nasty crash at Paul Ricard ended her career. She did recover, but at the time none other than Bernie Ecclestone called the shots regarding who could participate the next season. Bernie´s reply was "no", so that was it.

I watched Michelle Mouton at her peak and saw her as just another driver, a bloody good one too - being female had no bearing on it.

It probably helps in a rally car, especially one with 500+hp, that you can clearly see the aggressiveness of the driver. 1 second slower on a rally stage hurling a Quattro about gives a person a lot more credability than 1 second slower on a circuit.

I agree, a female F1 driver would probably be good for F1 in general.

But, the highest profile woman in open wheel racing (DANICA) has admitted that she is not comfortable globe trotting.

She is happy racing at home, close to her family, making mega $$$$$

IMO she could probably do well in a competetive F1 car, but that's not her thing right now.

Danica hasn´t looked particularly good even on IRL road courses. I cannot see anything suggesting she could perform anywhere near the level of somebody like Bourdais, who got fired not so long time ago. Also, I dislike the way she makes it sound like F1 is her choice; "gee, not sure if I´m interested" - even though, in reality, ATM no team in F1 wants her.

I´d like to see more results and less hype.

Danica should do it. She could make much more of an international celeb status if she was to drive in F1. Not even necessarily with USF1.
Would be nice, but I think they're not ready. It's sad that in the US they only tend to think of their world being the US. So racing in an international series, technically superior to anything, doesn't appeal at all. It's a strange thing.

F1 needs a female driver!

Well, we have Sutil...

F1 doesn't need a female driver at all. It needs talented drivers and we have the in abundance. That isn't to say a female driver isn't welcome, not at all, just that the word "needs" is a bit strong.

Danica should do it. She could make much more of an international celeb status if she was to drive in F1. Not even necessarily with USF1.
Would be nice, but I think they're not ready. It's sad that in the US they only tend to think of their world being the US. So racing in an international series, technically superior to anything, doesn't appeal at all. It's a strange thing.

Not so strange really. In USA she's a highly paid superstar (the only one of ICS besides Hélio the Dancer), in F1 she would be averagely paid female version of Kazuki Nakajima (does this imply Kazu is a male!?). She is not a podium finisher even on Indycar RC/SC races and tends to qualify very low on the grid. Not good, as F1 does not have five full course yellows per GP. So why would she want to come to F1?

Not so strange really. In USA she's a highly paid superstar (the only one of ICS besides Hélio the Dancer), in F1 she would be averagely paid female version of Kazuki Nakajima (does this imply Kazu is a male!?). She is not a podium finisher even on Indycar RC/SC races and tends to qualify very low on the grid. Not good, as F1 does not have five full course yellows per GP. So why would she want to come to F1?

Yep. If we imagine a situation where Danica had the option of coming to F1 (currently her chances are something like 0,1%, and only because of PR value), I too consider it likely she´d say no. Not because of reasons she has given; travelling, etc. Simply because she knows the skill and experience isn´t there. "I must improve my performance on road courses" & F1 career aren´t exactly winning combination. Based on her CV thus far, chances are she´d be clearly the worst driver out there. Not even close to Nakajima, who has at least shown flashes of speed now and then.

Right now Danica is seen as the next great thing in the US. The fans and the media believe in her. The sponsors love her. And really, she is doing rather well in the IRL. Even one embarrassing season in F1 could endanger all that. I´m pretty sure she can imagine rather unpleasant scenario where she´ll return to US, only to find out somebody else has replaced her as the next great thing. It is better to be top IRL driver who "could succeed in F1" than former IRL driver who wasn´t good enough to succeed in F1. For the same reason I don´t think we´ll see Danica in NASCAR, either.

If Danica goes for F1 or NASCAR - regardless of whether she gets the seat or not - I´ll take my words back and congratulate her for gutsy move. You can quote me on this.

Edited by Spunout, 08 August 2009 - 10:42.

I actually hold very strong views on this subject. Surprised, aren't ya?

I don't see why a woman should not compete in F1, and I do not see why - talent permitting - she shouldn't do just as well as the boys. I'm glad to see that so far nobody's come in this thread and said in a nasal whine "Women aren't strong enough for F1, they can't handle the G's" because I would just have to smack them down.

Saying that, it's a shame there are no decent girlies in karts at the moment, and I think it's perhaps there that changes need to be made, to make driving more accessible and attractive for young girls. I know there's a female F1 WDC out there, but she's probably wasting her talent working behind a desk rather than behind a wheel.

id say F1 is tailor made for female drivers....the only reverse parking required, another bloke grabs the wheel anyways.

Bia...

Jp

She's reasonably good, trouble is she's spending too much time learning to go round in circles, not good for an F1 career.


For any female to be successful in F1, she'll need to be at least as good a driver as the men, and she'll need to be reasonably good looking.
She can drive better than Michael Schumacher, but unless she's attractive, she'll stand no chance.
For evidence I submit this thread.

F1 needs a female driver!

F1 doesn't need a female driver, you just want 1 so you can see her in her overalls and think 'phwoarrrrrrrrr', but F1 doesn't actually need 1

I actually hold very strong views on this subject. Surprised, aren't ya?

I don't see why a woman should not compete in F1, and I do not see why - talent permitting - she shouldn't do just as well as the boys. I'm glad to see that so far nobody's come in this thread and said in a nasal whine "Women aren't strong enough for F1, they can't handle the G's" because I would just have to smack them down.

Saying that, it's a shame there are no decent girlies in karts at the moment, and I think it's perhaps there that changes need to be made, to make driving more accessible and attractive for young girls. I know there's a female F1 WDC out there, but she's probably wasting her talent working behind a desk rather than behind a wheel.

Keep an eye out for Sara Moore who is driving in the Ginneta Junior Championship at the moment. I think she will surprise a lot of people in the near future. There is brother and sister in the same discipline and she is showing her brother how to race.

I agree with those saying Danica won't be coming to F1. She's not dumb; she knows she has a good job that suits her best skills right now. If she moved anywhere, I expect she'd think NASCAR before switching to a series without ovals.

See, the problem, from my perspective, is that being a "girl racer" is a negative label, just like "pay driver". It comes with implications that the woman has gotten her seat just because she's ...a woman. Since there has been only limited female success in F1 over the years, the next girl to take the plunge – and it may be some time before this happens, though I suspect the Danica phenomenon may have drawn more talent scouting in the female direction and more girls to the sport – had better be good. Really good. And I don't mean good looking. Someone who can reliably bring home points and earn her place. Otherwise, she'll be held up as an example of how women don't really belong in F1, because they aren't as strong, or as competitive or any of the other regular descriptions. Female athletes are serious about their sport, they aren't there to amuse people or be patted on the back for being tough little ladies.

It's true that side by side, in most sports, the majority of female athletes are not as quick or as powerful as their male counterparts. It's rare that you find situations where direct competition isn't one-sided. Show jumping comes to mind, as both female riders (and female horses) often beat the males. As has been shown, both by success in the past and current female drivers, it is possible for a girl with a good car to outrace the boys around her. It's just a matter of getting the right girl in the right car. That said, I do not want any women who isn't top level coming into the sport at the expense of more qualified males. That's unfair, just as unfair as pay drivers or legacy drivers or nationality or racial preferences. Sadly, the world isn't perfect and driver selection often isn't fair. I just hope that if a female driver is someday chosen for the supposed excitement she'd bring, it will be a deserving female who will fit in to the point that folks start forgetting, when she's in the car, that she's a girl.

Oh, and my choice of avatar hasn't got a thing to do with the discussion, 'k boys?

There aren't enough girls taking up karting in the first place. It would be more instructive to wonder why that is, than worrying about Danica bloody Patrick or whoever.

The law of averages suggests the few that do are unlikely to be good enough.

Let me just say that if what happened to Massa happened to a woman I would have cried! Just being honest is all...I'd have cried Royal tears! Maybe when F1 is more safer then women can be drivers there? Sure you may say that women don't need to be wrapped up in cotton, but I say they should be lol, safe and sound!

Edited by Henrytheeigth, 08 August 2009 - 12:13.

Giovanna Amati is quite an interesting story.

She didn't do that well at the start of 1992, but she was driving a car Damon Hill and Eric van de Poole struggled to qualify.

Interesting how she is also a former lover of Tommy Byrne, another driver who failed to make it in F1.

F1 doesn't need a woman...
but if there's sooner or later a womand that's good enough or better then other male drivers..
then why not give her a chance!

I thought Katherine Legge could have cut it had the dominos fallen her way.

Everyone's talking about her being 'competitive'. I was wondering, suppose she joined and beat all the boys - how would she be treated?

F1 doesn't need females who are not good enough. Maybe we need FF1, female's formula one instead?

Clever idea. Kind of like the WNBA or LPGA. It would be fun to watch for about 2 races.

Stick Danica in the USF1 car and the USA's media coverage and general race fan interest of F1 would at the very least quadruple. That translates to money which is what the sport is always looking for. But I don't think she would be quick in an F1 car.

Everyone's talking about her being 'competitive'. I was wondering, suppose she joined and beat all the boys - how would she be treated?

Try reading some threads about Michael Schumacher around here.

Hard to think it's possible to hate anyone any more than that guy is hated.

For other examples, see Kimi Raikkonen (especially after he pushed that photographer), Lewis Hamilton, Max Mosley, et al.

Edited by OfficeLinebacker, 08 August 2009 - 13:07.

I don't see why a woman should not compete in F1, and I do not see why - talent permitting - she shouldn't do just as well as the boys. I'm glad to see that so far nobody's come in this thread and said in a nasal whine "Women aren't strong enough for F1, they can't handle the G's" because I would just have to smack them down.

Honestly, i dont think women are strong enough to compete in F1. I reckon they'd be fine in quali, but come a full race distance over 90mins, i dont think females would be competitive enough. Patrick already struggles immensly in the IRL on road courses, what makes you think she could handle an F1 car that would lap about 10secs faster over a grand prix lap? You might not want to hear it, but F1 is incredibly physical. Why do you think Patrick does so well on ovals? theres no effort appart from constant lateral Gs. She is a good driver but as soon as she has to turn left, right and break she falls apart.

I'd be very happy to be proven wrong, but sadly i just dont see it happening. I welcome the incoming smack down aswell