135 replies to this topic

[Mandzipop]

In the best looking drivers thread, a discussion has arisen to the amount of female F1 fans there are. Now nobody who is a woman on here needs to say. But what is interesting is why would a woman follow F1? Is it because some of the drivers are good looking? Is it because it is a sport they can relate to because they driver themselves.

I know why I'm a female F1 fan. I don't drive but I was brought up on it by my dad who watched it religiously. Also there is the adreneline rush I get at the beginning of a race is amazing.

I also read that the percentage of F1 fans that are female is about 38% which is very high for a primarily male dominated sport (even though there are more women getting involved now).

Also, are there enough female F1 fans? Should it be promoted more to women (the grid guys did nothing for me personally)?

This thread is not related to sexism, it is related to female poularity.

[Coral]

I have been a fan of F1 pretty much since I was a baby...some of my earliest memories are motorsport-related. My Mum was quite into it back then and I started to become interested. Now I am completely obsessed and I know what you mean about the adrenaline rush at the start of a race...I get absolutely sick with nerves. And the feeling of elation when "my" driver wins a GP is something I just can't describe!

I'm not entirely certain about what it is about F1 that gets me going...but it could be something to do with rather tasty-looking guys participating in a glamorous, not to mention highly dangerous activity...

I don't know many women who like F1...certainly not to the extent that I do. When I tell my work colleagues that I like motorsport their eyes usually glaze over. It does annoy me somewhat when my male co-workers assume that as a woman I should be into soaps and reality TV shows, all of which I hate. But it's amusing to see their faces when they ask, for example, if I will be watching the X-Factor this weekend, and I reply no but I will be watching the Brazilian GP. I'm not into stereotyping.

[Peat]

As high as 38%? I'm gobsmacked.

I must know all of about 3 ladies who give a hoot about motorsport.

[Sakae]

There are many more; I am aware of at least three or four. I was all those years wrong about Coral. Forgive me, but I thought that you fight like Samurai; a person of convinctions.

[Mandzipop]

As high as 38%? I'm gobsmacked.

I must know all of about 3 ladies who give a hoot about motorsport.

As I said it is a stat I'd read a few years ago. I think it was in F1 mag. How true it is I don't know, but maybe they've gone through various polls and established this calculation. There are quite a few of us on this forum though. I could name 6 off the top of my head without even checking.

[artista]

Not statistically representative but in my lab we are 4 motorsport loonies: 2 male and 2 female

[Beatrix]

I'm a woman and enjoy F1, not quite as much as I used to but I still watch every race. I don't think it needs to be marketed toward women, and as far as I can see it only has grid girls to generally appeal to men - I don't think it isn't marketed like V8's or BTCC which I would say is positive because I think it dumbs the sport down. The racing needs to be close, exciting and aggressive and the cars exciting for fans of any gender to watch.

I started watching my home grand prix when I was a tot and my family did it as a special occassion, but really started following it in the early 2000's with cases of insomnia that left me up late on Sunday nights and it was the best thing on!

I guess it would be nice to see more women involved higher up the ladders in F1 teams, as far as I know Monisha as CEO at Sauber is the most well known, but that is reflected in a lot of businesses, particularly those based in Engineering - having studied Mechanical Engineering for a while myself and being the only female in all of my classes, I don't see that changing for a while.

I think F1 is a great sport, with some unfortunate politics, and my interest has only dwindled slightly due to the fortunes of my favourite team, but i'm sure it is only temporary.

[KateLM]

I don't know how my experience relates to others because I was fortunate enough to live in Monza when I was young, which gave me a casual interest in the sport from an early age. Though I wouldn't say that this became a real passion until a few years ago.

I don't know many other girls my age in real life who have anything more than a passing interest in F1 though - coincidentally (or maybe not) the only one who springs to mind is someone I know from Monza. Well, actually my housemate claims she used to be into it, although it must have been a while back because she said her favourite driver was Ralf Schumacher!

I'm not sure exactly what interests me about the sport that wouldn't apply to a male fan too. And I guess things like your parents being fans would help both young girls and boys get into the sport. I don't think there are any reasons that a girl would follow F1 that wouldn't also apply to guys, so I can't see it being any simpler than that there are fewer women who get this appeal for whatever reason. 38% isn't a bad proportion though.

I do notice the assumption that there are mostly males on forums like this. You would think that my set gender and using my name Kate (coming up with an alias screename seems like too much effort) would be clue enough, but I still get referred to as 'he' every now and again.

[KWSN - DSM]

We are 1 male, 1 female and 2 dogs. Only the male follow F1, I do know of some female F1 fans, and on another forum there are a couple who have been posting for all of the +10 years I have been there. Based the non science of attending races, the percentage of female spectators at Spa, Monza, Istanbul, Montreal and Nurburgring is less than 38% I would glancingly put it at 20%. Think as was written above, if F1 is being watched at home when growing up there is a higher chance that the kids will watch it.

Though my younger brother and I watched anything and everything F1 from the early 1970s, actually raced Go-Karts for some years, and used all available funds on English and German auto magazines. Older brother never showed any interest at all, then suddenly around 2000 he started following it, and every second year we take a 3 brothers at a F1 race together.

I would actually think that the percentage of female / male F1 fans will be creeping up slightly as the sport is much more 'mainstream' than it used to be, and the cost of carrying the signal now mean that it is promoted by the carriers much more intently.

[primer]

This thread is not related to sexism, it is related to female poularity.

For what its worth, females are very popular with me. Although within their species some are more popular than others depending on physical attributes.

[pingu666]

I wonder if indycar had a increase of female fans with the influx of female drivers, and also owner with sarah fisher

[KiwiF1]

Again, like many others my Dad got me into motor racing and in particular F1. When I lived in the UK (born 10 miles from Brands Hatch) I saw heaps the rest of my family lived near Towcester so Silverstone was a regular haunt as well. Later on in my life F1 and Rally were my favourites, now that I live in NZ, F1 is my mainstay, however whatever I can get I will watch. I know no other women who watch and never have. I remember when I was in the UK for the start of A1GP (we were visiting) that I went to the toilet and it is the one event where the ladies loo has no queue and the men's has a queue a mile long, so one advantage.

For me it is not about the drivers, more and more I am interested in the team, strategy etc. From my profile people will know I am a life long Williams fan, but this has seriously been challenged in the last year not over the performance but in Adam Parr I do not see a racer and the team is suffering. He is no Frank Williams, it is the drive about the team you need and to me this is what is disappearing from this team. I am sad to see the departure of Sam Michael and Patrick Head as these guys are both true racers as well, it is not about corporate business. To me this became clear the moment they let Nico Hulkenberg go with Maldonaldo as a replacement. Still 2012 is another year!!!!

Would love to see more motor racing on NZ TV but it will only ever be what Sky will show (it doesn't stand a hope unless it has an odd shaped ball to get on terestial TV).

I do think men sterotype the women who like motorsport as being butch masculine types. This now all said I will get back to clearing dinner table for my family and finishing some sewing ready for the start of the school term!!!!

Edited by KiwiF1, 24 January 2012 - 06:20.

[cordell777]

In the best looking drivers thread, a discussion has arisen to the amount of female F1 fans there are. Now nobody who is a woman on here needs to say. But what is interesting is why would a woman follow F1? Is it because some of the drivers are good looking? Is it because it is a sport they can relate to because they driver themselves.

I know why I'm a female F1 fan. I don't drive but I was brought up on it by my dad who watched it religiously. Also there is the adreneline rush I get at the beginning of a race is amazing.

I also read that the percentage of F1 fans that are female is about 38% which is very high for a primarily male dominated sport (even though there are more women getting involved now).

Also, are there enough female F1 fans? Should it be promoted more to women (the grid guys did nothing for me personally)?

This thread is not related to sexism, it is related to female poularity.

Well, after I told one my female-friends (few years ago) about F1, she is now-days totaly obsessed with F1 .

Edited by cordell777, 24 January 2012 - 08:43.

[whoisjohngalt]

Same here, my dad sort of got me into F1 (now i'm more obsessed than him), never looked back since then.

It's a pretty solitary place to be in , but i'm used to it, I only have 1 female friend who's into it as well but not into it enough to shell out some money for a live race or go berserk to look for live stream when on vacation. (heck not even my male friends are willing to spend for f1)

Just booked my plane ticket to Kuala Lumpur for the Malaysian Grand Prix (alone) no worries though, like I said, im used to it.

And just for the record, im not a lesbian and i dont watch it because the drivers are "good-looking" (though i would love it if they change the grid girls to guys sometimes).

Edited by whoisjohngalt, 24 January 2012 - 09:30.

[KateLM]

I wouldn't really want grid boys actually. I'm no bra burner and it doesn't exactly occupy much of my thinking time, but I will admit that I think the grid girls are unnecessary. I think it would be a bit hypocritical if I wasn't keen on them but happy with grid guys!

On the grid girls - I know they are models being paid, I have no issue with that. I'm not silly enough to think that they are being exploited or any of that rubbish. But that doesn't mean I have to think they are a necessary part of the F1 circus.

[kismet]

As far as any of you know, I'm female so here goes... I don't know why I watch F1 but I rather doubt my reasons, if I could articulate them, are any more exciting than and/or different to those of non-female fans. I'll watch most sports, and that may or may not suggest that something about competition appeals to me but that's about as deep an analysis as I can provide off the top of my head. There's nothing particular about F1 and motorsports in general that separate them from the bazillion other sports I also follow. At the end of the day, as unexciting as it may be, it probably is a simple matter of exposure; motorsports are kind of a big deal in Finland (where, as far as you know, I'm from) and, because they've traditionally been easily accessible in media, I've pretty much grown up with them.

In response to some of the specific questions in the OP, why wouldn't a woman be a F1 fan? I'm not posing a rhetorical question either; I honestly don't understand. It's not exactly a manly sport even if the competitors appear mostly male. No one wonders why women watch, say, ice-hockey or skiing so why is F1 any different? I'm also somewhat amused by the idea that someone would watch a sport purely because the competitors are good-looking. Does anyone actually do that?!? I mean, I suppose it doesn't hurt to have some eye candy around but I see that as a bonus - something you can enjoy when you're already interested in the sport but hardly something that would draw you into a sport you're not already following. Heck, I'm so out of the loop in the looks department that I don't even know what a good 30 % of the current F1 grid look like and I'd probably struggle to pick some of the remaining 70 % from a line-up if they were in their street clothes! This, by the way, is a good thing for F1's continuing popularity in my household because if the male totty quota was the deciding factor, F1 would show up around #37 on my list of sports to watch.

And while I'm at it, I'm not sure I believe F1 needs to concentrate its marketing efforts more on female audiences. In my experience women are already well aware of F1 and what it entails; it's difficult to see how a bunch of marketing people trying to appeal to the female demographic would improve the situation. Especially when it seems like these attempts tend to go along the lines of: "Right, so it's semi-final time here and it just occured to us that we may have some female soccer fans watching as well so here's a picture of Cristiano Ronaldo with no shirt on." Yeah, OK. Maybe if they could put a little more thought or effort into it - perhaps even focus on, and I know this is a radical idea but I'm such an infidel that I'll just run with it, the sporting side of the sport. I'm not watching 90+ minutes of football if all I want to see is someone's abs, for crying out loud - there's Google for that! I'm also not a big fan of being condescended to; don't give me muscle definition because you assume I couldn't possibly understand the apparently incredibly complicated (as if!) offside rule - show me the effing offside situation and discuss whether it was or wasn't one, and then, IF there's still intermission time left, do whatever you want with all the 'human interest' fluff and stuff. While I was on a football tangent there, the principle is equally applicable to F1: market to your heart's content, but only if the end result isn't something totally cringeworthy.

[PretentiousBread]

I just always assume, almost by default that everyone is a male on here. I've never met a girl in real life who has any interest in f1 whatsoever, nevermind being a 'fan'. I'm highly dubious of that 38% stat. This forum is a veritable cock-fest.

[SPBHM]

same for me, something like 5% I could believe, but I don't know any female that could be called a "F1 fan" in real life,
also on the internet forums I visit some 95%+ of the users seem to be male, so it's natural to always refer as "He".


as for grid girls, I don't see why anyone would complain... it's a tradition, and... F1 is composed by a huge male majority... grid boys, right there are already too many of them...

[BRK]

I know plenty of women that follow F1, I guess I'm in a minority here am I'm beginning to doubt most of the other men that post here even know any women at all apart from their mums, girlfriends\wives, and grandmas. (just kidding)


Most women I know call themselves casual fans, they don't care about the cars, the pitstops, or the technology, only tune in for the start of the race and check the results later -pretty much the same as any male casual fan, but they do tell me it's good eye-candy for them (like women's tennis is for me, I guess)

Then there's the die-hards that really know the sport as well as any of us here, probably more knowledgeable, although they rarely post on the internet. I don't think they like the confrontational attitudes of keyboard warriors but that's just my theory.

[KWSN - DSM]

...

Great reply

[krapmeister]

Pics or ban

[pazza]

It was my mother whom I can thank for my interest in Formula One, I remember watching races with her as a young boy in the late eighties and early nineties. It's strange actually as the old man was the car man but had no interest in F1, and my mum not being into cars at all loved and regularly watched F1 races. I should ask her why as to be honest I have no idea.

[UPRC]

Even though I've met a few female F1 fans, I still feel really surprised when I meet one. I don't know why that is and I suppose it's odd, but like Mandzipop says, it's a mostly male dominated sport so I guess it comes with the territory.

If the gals can get really hardcore over hockey and American football, then I see no reason why F1 should be any different. I think it's a more welcoming sport anyway. I've always thought that the idea of "going fastest" has pretty universal appeal.

[karne]

Seems there's a very large group of us introduced by our dads!

Ever since I can remember there was always motor racing of some form on the TV. We all knew from the time we were old enough to understand that there was one weekend in October that we did NOT disturb Dad at all! I grew up hearing Dad talk about Brocky and Moffat and Alan Jones and Sir Jack Brabham (and woe betide you if you forget the "Sir"!).

But it wasn't just on the TV - one of my earliest memories is of my mum taking me and my little sister, in our dressing gowns, out to the local servo which was serving as the official start for a local rally that Dad was competing in. Those were the days when rallies were started at night, after dark, and went on til 2 or 3 in the morning. Can't do that nowadays...

When I started to get a bit bigger, I was able to sit through the races more readily, and Dad would explain it to us. We would watch all the V8 supercar races, and every year, the Australian Grand Prix. I have some very vague memory of Mika Hakkinen winning.

Soon I started to watch it by myself, with no encouragement from Dad. I picked Lowndsey as my driver. I enjoyed watching the racing, and you know what? To this day, I can't really say why I love motorsport so much. It's everything. It's the speed, the competition, the risk, the thrill, the courage, the danger. It takes more balls to tackle Eau Rouge flat than to run at some other big guy with a football in hand.

I first really started paying attention to F1 in 2002 when, would you believe it, this sweet little Aussie kid brought a hunk of junk Minardi home in the points at Albert Park! I remember to this day my Dad jumping up and screaming when Salo spun! After that Dad started watching it a lot more religiously than he had been in years (he was a Damon Hill fan), and I would always ask him for the results the next morning (because I was too young to be allowed to sit up that late!). I can remember foolishly showing my joy and confidently predicting a win at the 2004 Malaysian Grand Prix when Mark stuck it on P2...er, oops. I still had much to learn.

It wasn't til I was in college (17/18 years old) that I was allowed/able to sit up and watch some more of the races. I distinctly remember the groans of horror when Mark's engine let go at Monaco 2006...he could have won that for sure. And I remember taking bets with my Dad all through 2006 about how many laps Mark's engine would last. That was an atrociously horrible year.

I didn't start to get really obsessed with it until the Nurburgring 2007. So much happened in that race that I needed to know the answer to. I got to see Markus Winkelhock lead a grand prix! I remember nearly falling off my couch in the dying laps - when Fernando and Felipe nearly collided, I thought for sure they would wipe each other out, and then Mark would win! Haha, oh dear.


But to address one common misconception: No, I don't watch F1 for the pretty boys. The fact that my favourite drivers happen to be good-looking is purely coincidental. My criteria for admitting someone to my favourites list is pretty strict nowadays. I got burnt once. Never again.

What can F1 do to market to women: Don't promote female drivers who do bikini shoots to get sponsors for a start. For seconds, grid boys don't work. For thirds, I don't really give a rats' about the grid girls - but I do like the US NASCAR way of having soldiers on the grid! For fourths - all right, I'll admit this one - do a shirtless (or better yet, naked!) calendar for charity. List of drivers to be excluded: Maldonado, Barrichello, Buemi. Sorry guys.

And for lasts, stop judging the WAGs on how pretty they are or how old they are. Judge them instead on how awesome they are. Some airhead singer bird? Not awesome. Ann Neal? Kickassly awesomely cool.


One last thing:

PLEASE DON'T ACT LIKE GIRLS ONLY WATCH SPORTS FOR HOT GUYS, IF YOU SIT THERE AND PERV OVER GIRLS IN CERTAIN SPORTS.

This double standard bugs me the most. In some places, there are whole threads devoted to grid girls, but apparently it's not allowed to drool over a driver. (The same double standard applies in figure skating and peeves me even more - apparently I only watch the men's competition for the "nice backsides" (well, they are nice) and not the technical merit, but when asking the same male person why they watch the ladies' competition..."Oh you know, cute young girls in short skirts!" Uh huh. RIIIIIIIIIIIGHT.)

Edited by karne, 24 January 2012 - 12:37.

[tkulla]

Same here, my dad sort of got me into F1 (now i'm more obsessed than him), never looked back since then.

It's a pretty solitary place to be in , but i'm used to it, I only have 1 female friend who's into it as well but not into it enough to shell out some money for a live race or go berserk to look for live stream when on vacation. (heck not even my male friends are willing to spend for f1)

Just booked my plane ticket to Kuala Lumpur for the Malaysian Grand Prix (alone) no worries though, like I said, im used to it.

And just for the record, im not a lesbian and i dont watch it because the drivers are "good-looking" (though i would love it if they change the grid girls to guys sometimes).

Dagny, is that you?;)

[sumpthy]

Out of my university housemates I could only get the female ones interested in Formula One, and although they fawned over Vettel I think they were interested in more than how good looking the drivers were.

[aray]

i do believe girls can really love F1/motor racing..as passionately as boys....

but one things i noticed(by viewing diff F1 forums),that there are girls who first came to watch the sports due to a good looking racer they like.....i am yet to see this phenomena in boys..
for example you will find girls who like this sport because they like kimi,but i am yet to 'meet' a guy who started to watch racing after seeing danica patrick's sexy pictures...

or say any other sports...i don't think boys hang on to a sport because they like to see a particular specimen of fairer sex playing...girls do that..

[Trust]

I like girls, does that count here?

[helioseism]

My wife is from Detroit and is interested in, but not consumed by, all motor sports. For F1 she likes the starts the best, that's when the noise is the loudest. Along those lines, not surprisingly, drag racing is her favorite. In fact when we go to an NHRA event, the line for the women's facility is longer than that for the men's!

[wewantourdarbyback]

My mother is one of the main reasons I have such a consuming interest in motorsports.

[jonpollak]

This site's founder is female.
Jp

[Tufty]

...I still get referred to as 'he' every now and again.

You're a great guy!

[aray]

This site's founder is female.
Jp

boy.!..oh! boy...

[babbel]

This site's founder is female.
Jp

Not true but I'll leave the entire history lesson to someone else

[olliek88]

I wouldn't really want grid boys actually. I'm no bra burner and it doesn't exactly occupy much of my thinking time, but I will admit that I think the grid girls are unnecessary. I think it would be a bit hypocritical if I wasn't keen on them but happy with grid guys!

On the grid girls - I know they are models being paid, I have no issue with that. I'm not silly enough to think that they are being exploited or any of that rubbish. But that doesn't mean I have to think they are a necessary part of the F1 circus.

To be honest i don't think grid girls are really needed, i'll admit that as a bloke its not something that i'm going to complain about!

On the other hand though it is a bit 1970s and something that can't be good for F1's imagine, does makes it look out of touch and also perpetuates the old myth about motorsport being a purely male sport which just isn't true.

[jonpollak]

Not true but I'll leave the entire history lesson to someone else

Ok ok Paul Kaizar ...but bira did the deal to make ATLAS into 'Autosport.com'
Jp

[BullHead]

I imagine female fans become so exactly for the same reasons as males do. It's the sport, dammit, not any gender based marketing...
At Silverstone last year I was pleased to see what appeared to be a rise in the number of whole family groups. Plenty of females and kids of all ages... can only be good for the sport.

[tifosiMac]

Back to the topic and its great to see or realise that some of the posters who I have discussed topics with are infact female. I wish more women were interested in F1 but for some reason it doesn't appeal to the wider range like it does when males. I don't think we will have to wait too long before we get another female F1 driver and hopefully that will bring alot of interest with it. My wife finds the techinical side of the sport dull but enjoys a race epsecially if a British driver is winning. Can't get her to convert fully though.

[Apollonius]

That might be a joke but it does come across as very chauvinistic without you making it clear you are infact joking. I hope you are.

Nope - it's not a joke. Women have no place in F1 other than marrying drivers and jumping up and down in the pits when something vaguely exciting happens.
You can call me a misogynist but that's my opinion and I'm entitled to it.

The day there is ever a female F1 driver is the day I stop watching F1. Thankfully the cars are beyond the limits of females both physically and mentally.

[tifosiMac]

Nope - it's not a joke. Women have no place in F1 other than marrying drivers and jumping up and down in the pits when something vaguely exciting happens.
You can call me a misogynist but that's my opinion and I'm entitled to it.

The day there is ever a female F1 driver is the day I stop watching F1. Thankfully the cars are beyond the limits of females both physically and mentally.

So will you explain why females shouldn't be fans of the sport? I'd also be interested to know why you'd have such an issue with a female F1 driver?

I didn't think views like this were still around.

[Apollonius]

So will you explain why females shouldn't be fans of the sport? I'd also be interested to know why you'd have such an issue with a female F1 driver?

I didn't think views like this were still around.

As I've already explained, an F1 car would be beyond the limits of a female therefore any female driver would simply be a token effort - she wouldn't be there on merit and I can't stand that. We live in a society that constantly seeks to punish those whom succeed and push them down to mediocrity so that we all feel "equal", that doesn't happen in F1 but I'll be damned if I'll watch F1 if that starts that.
Remember when that Kathy Legge tested a Minardi?? ROFL! 'nuff said.

As for females being fans of the sport - meh, they just look at the pretty colours and gossip about the hottest drivers, wouldn't call them fans really.

[tifosiMac]

Remember when that Kathy Legge tested a Minardi?? ROFL! 'nuff said.

That is just one example, and there have been plenty of male drivers who have performed worse and also not got into the sport. Saying women couldn't handle the forces of an F1 car is total rubbish and I don't believe you are that thick.

As for females being fans of the sport - meh, they just look at the pretty colours and gossip about the hottest drivers, wouldn't call them fans really.

Have you read this thread and seen that females fans exist in more of a capacity than what you have described here? The fact they appear to have more knowledge of the sport than yourself and are able to put together an intelligent arguement in a debate should at least worry you, but then again you are probably only seeking a reaction writing such rubbish I would think.

[Tufty]

Have you read this thread and seen that females fans exist in more of a capacity than what you have described here? The fact they appear to have more knowledge of the sport than yourself and are able to put together an intelligent arguement in a debate should at least worry you, but then again you are probably only seeking a reaction writing such rubbish I would think.

Answering is what he wants, just leave him be. Views like that never die, they just get more and more ostracised.

[Apollonius]

That is just one example, and there have been plenty of male drivers who have performed worse and also not got into the sport. Saying women couldn't handle the forces of an F1 car is total rubbish and I don't believe you are that thick.

Have you read this thread and seen that females fans exist in more of a capacity than what you have described here? The fact they appear to have more knowledge of the sport than yourself and are able to put together an intelligent arguement in a debate should at least worry you, but then again you are probably only seeking a reaction writing such rubbish I would think.

Do you have a basic grasp of physiology? I'm assuming that you don't. Have you ever wondered why in the Olympics that men and women have different events for the same sports? Have you ever noticed that world records set by men are vastly superior to those set by women?
When an F1 car pushes highly trained world class male athletes to the limits of their strength and endurance how exactly would a female whom BIOLOGICALLY have lower limits of strength and endurance than men manage to cope? The short answer is that they wouldn't........hence why we don't have female F1 drivers. Now if you can point me to any female F1 drivers racing right now then you might have a shot at winning this argument......but you can't. End of debate chum (unless you want to overturn currently understood biological science, in which case I'll nominate you for a Nobel myself).


They appear to have more knowledge than myself do they? Can you quantify that? List examples? No? Well you can apologise here or via PM (to spare your blushes).






That's how you win an argument on the internet btw ;)

[KiwiF1]

That is just one example, and there have been plenty of male drivers who have performed worse and also not got into the sport. Saying women couldn't handle the forces of an F1 car is total rubbish and I don't believe you are that thick.

Have you read this thread and seen that females fans exist in more of a capacity than what you have described here? The fact they appear to have more knowledge of the sport than yourself and are able to put together an intelligent arguement in a debate should at least worry you, but then again you are probably only seeking a reaction writing such rubbish I would think.

If I were you I wouldn't rise to this, most men feel more comfortable thinking that women can only be interested in a sport because of the drivers etc. That we could understand the technology involved or the strategy employed is obviously above their intellect.

[wewantourdarbyback]

Nope - it's not a joke. Women have no place in F1 other than marrying drivers and jumping up and down in the pits when something vaguely exciting happens.
You can call me a misogynist but that's my opinion and I'm entitled to it.

The day there is ever a female F1 driver is the day I stop watching F1. Thankfully the cars are beyond the limits of females both physically and mentally.

I have no words for how much of a [redacted] you seem to be.

[dave12]

Nope - it's not a joke. Women have no place in F1 other than marrying drivers and jumping up and down in the pits when something vaguely exciting happens.
You can call me a misogynist but that's my opinion and I'm entitled to it.

The day there is ever a female F1 driver is the day I stop watching F1. Thankfully the cars are beyond the limits of females both physically and mentally.

Disgraceful

[Afterburner]

We live in a society that constantly seeks to punish those whom succeed and push them down to mediocrity so that we all feel "equal", that doesn't happen in F1 but I'll be damned if I'll watch F1 if that starts that.

This I agree with, however...

As for females being fans of the sport - meh, they just look at the pretty colours and gossip about the hottest drivers, wouldn't call them fans really.

I think you're more than extremely mistaken with this, unfortunately. Female fans have as much a right to like and follow the sport as male fans, for whatever reasons they want.

I'm not going to be replying any further, because I believe there's great potential for this to go off-topic very quickly. Just my opinion.

[pinkypants]

I just like fast cars. I introduced my family to F1, nagged and nagged until my dad took me to my first F1 race, used to go to a few Autosport shows, marshall etc when I was younger. I like quite a few different formula's, but none that I follow as religiously as F1. I got my boyfriend into F1.. I know a lot of female friends watch it not just casually for the results on a Sunday afternoon. The idea that women only watch it for the men and should be confined to being pit girls is just absurd. I didn't there was a place for this uninformed, sexist and offensive dross on the official Autosport forum. The driver's personalities are secondary to skill and fearlessness they show on the track.

[fieraku]

Do you have a basic grasp of physiology? I'm assuming that you don't. Have you ever wondered why in the Olympics that men and women have different events for the same sports? Have you ever noticed that world records set by men are vastly superior to those set by women?
When an F1 car pushes highly trained world class male athletes to the limits of their strength and endurance how exactly would a female whom BIOLOGICALLY have lower limits of strength and endurance than men manage to cope? The short answer is that they wouldn't........hence why we don't have female F1 drivers. Now if you can point me to any female F1 drivers racing right now then you might have a shot at winning this argument......but you can't. End of debate chum (unless you want to overturn currently understood biological science, in which case I'll nominate you for a Nobel myself).


They appear to have more knowledge than myself do they? Can you quantify that? List examples? No? Well you can apologise here or via PM (to spare your blushes).






That's how you win an argument on the internet btw ;)

Yeah you certianly deserve a Nobel prize for discovering that males produce testosterone thus we're physically fitter/faster and whatnot.

I don't understand what's that got to do with being a fan.