Some thoughts on the subject from Justin Wilson.
Patrick, Sarah Fisher (5-3, 120) and Milka Duno (5-4, 120) are the lightest drivers listed in the IndyCar Series media guide. The lightest male driver is Alex Lloyd (5-7, 125). Lighter cars can be quicker and use less fuel.
"In every form of motorsport I've come across, especially Formula One, the weight is so critical (to a car's performance)," said Wilson, one of several former Champ Car World Series drivers making their IndyCar Series debut. "Usually on a road course, 10 pounds equals one-tenth of a second, so if you're 100 pounds heavier than somebody it's a second a lap you're giving away.
"Champ Car always had a great rule," said Graham Rahal, 6-2, 175, and another former Champ Car driver. "The heaviest driver, everybody's got to equal his weight."
Patrick thinks the IndyCar Series should takes its cue regarding weight from other sports.
"There's no weight limit in football," she said Thursday. "There's no height limit in basketball.
"And what about the strength aspect? What are they doing to fix that? As a smaller driver, I have to work harder in that area."
NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series takes a driver's weight into consideration. The minimum weight for its stock cars, 3,450 pounds, is based on a 200-pound driver. If a driver weighs less than 200, weight is added in 2-pound increments up to a maximum of 50 pounds.
In 2005, driver Robby Gordon said Patrick's light weight was an advantage in the Indy 500 and said he would not race against her at Indy unless a weight-equalization rule was put into use".
In no way am I knocking Danica Patrick's achievements, but this can't be ignored when assessing her against her male and female contemporaries.