91 replies to this topic

[Hakk]

Niki Lauda belives that he is brining the almost 16 year old Natacha Cachnang to F1 in near future.
Niki says, "I'll take care of Natachas F1 career personally. I'll bring her into F1."

Mario Theissen also belives to this young swiss girl: "What I've seen is that Natacha has lots of driving skill. She can get far on her career."

Natacha has met Bernie Ecclestone also. Bernie said to her, "Not too many crashes. We'll be watching you"

Currently she is driving in german Formula BMW class.

Well, it sure would be intresting to see her in F1 some day. If she is that talented already and she'll have many years to develop before she is old enough to enter in F1. Maybe she'll be the first female racer in a long time.

[Williams]

Female drivers have a very tough time making into F1. There's lots of different factors, including strength, level of aggression, resistance from within the sport, lack of sponsor interest. I don't expect to see a female driver in F1 in the forseeable future, no matter how talented they are, unfortunately.

[Hakk]

lack of sponsor interest

I doubt it! If there would be a female driver in F1 I don't think she would have lack of intrest from sponsors. I think the opposite.

[lukywill]

that would be great. since lombardi and galica a long time passed without a female as f1driver.
that will teach juan and michael to not crash into each other!

[Daff]

Originally posted by Williams
Female drivers have a very tough time making into F1. There's lots of different factors, including strength, level of aggression, resistance from within the sport, lack of sponsor interest. I don't expect to see a female driver in F1 in the forseeable future, no matter how talented they are, unfortunately.

Strength would have been issue prior to powersteering, but today, it shouldnt be. Several airforces got female pilots in fast-jets, so they should certainly be able to handle a F1 car....and women can be just as aggressive as men ...ever seen what happens at those big clothing-sales?.
Resistance from within the sport is probably the biggest hurdle, if she got enough talent to make it that far.

Jakob

[coyoteBR]

I don't see why a female could not fight in equal terms with men in car races. From kart to those Big semi races, they are already making a presence.

What the sport need is one, just one gorl to achieve some good results in Formula One, to inspire hundreds of others to follow the same patch.

If Natacha is this gorl, more power to her and to Niki Lauda.

However
I still would like to see a 26-28 car grid again, so giving oportunity to a talented person (like the use of the word "person"? ) would not mean other two competent drivers would be without a seat.

[kenjafield]

It would certainly be nice to see female F1 drivers. There's no reason other than if someone isn't good enough why they shouldn't be allowed in the sport.

[Williams]

Originally posted by Hakk

I doubt it! If there would be a female driver in F1 I don't think she would have lack of intrest from sponsors. I think the opposite.

Fans, myself included, get all excited about the prospect of a female driver coming into the sport and kicking some serious male butt. But when it comes down to laying a serious check on the table, sponsors always back out in favour of established talent and known quantities, which sadly nearly always seems to exclude female drivers.

As for the strength, I can't really argue from experience, but I don't believe that power steering is the only issue, and I think that males will always have a marginal advantage in the area of upper body strength and stamina. Just MO.

[Williams]

Originally posted by coyoteBR
I don't see why a female could not fight in equal terms with men in car races. From kart to those Big semi races, they are already making a presence.

Yes, well what is needed is a critical mass of female drivers to provide some competition and allow the sport enough experience to understand how to properly develop and market a female driver. Once females in the sport become more commonplace, the idea of one actually eventually stepping into an F1 seat won't seem so far-fetched.

There was an intersting article in Autosport a few years back on female drivers, and one thing that it pointed out was that there is, and always has been, quite a bit of interest among young girls in trying out karting and lower motorsports formulae. But once they get a bit older, the interest simply tails off as women move into the more traditional roles and sports that society has laid out for them. Possibly resistance from within the sport, socialization, or simply a lack of interest in continuing to compete in a boys world.

I think what the sport really needs is a women's formula. Every other sport which has it's women's classes, and so should motorsports. This would allow women to operate comfortably and freely in their own style and develop their talent without the extra pressure of dealing with gender issues. The best talents from that division could eventually emerge to take on the mainstream sport, with an experienced organization and proper backing to support them.

Oh, and to comment on the main topic of the original post, I give kudos to Niki for his determination to bring young Natacha into the sport, but I don't think he is really the guy to do it. I hope she finds some good management.

[ensign14]

Originally posted by Williams


Fans, myself included, get all excited about the prospect of a female driver coming into the sport and kicking some serious male butt. But when it comes down to laying a serious check on the table, sponsors always back out in favour of established talent and known quantities, which sadly nearly always seems to exclude female drivers.

Yet some sponsors will insist on putting money behind slow drivers who generate more publicity or gladhand better or whatever...Alex Yoong, Johnny Carwash...Mario Haberfeld...it is strange because a female F1 driver will IMMEDIATELY get mainstream publicity which cannot otherwise be bought, and which will last every time she races.

Someone put Jodie Kidd in a car...she could team-mate with Justin Wilson...

[Ed Kooij]

Originally posted by Daff


Strength would have been issue prior to powersteering, but today, it shouldnt be. Several airforces got female pilots in fast-jets, so they should certainly be able to handle a F1 car....and women can be just as aggressive as men ...ever seen what happens at those big clothing-sales?.
Resistance from within the sport is probably the biggest hurdle, if she got enough talent to make it that far.

Jakob

I don't think the comparison to jet fighter pilots is all that acurate. Those pilots have G suits and sustain higher G-forces, but only for short times. Severe constant beatings of G forces in a 1.5 hour dogfight is not all that common. The strength required to drive F1 is not just turning the wheel. How would a simple thing as seatbelts deal with breasts for example? Forces (especially during braking and turning) in an F1 car are much fiercer than in any other racing class, so that she's coping with it now does not mean she'll have no problems at all in an F1 car.
How would PMS interfere with concentration during a race?
What would happed if she decided she wants a child? Many male drivers have children, so why shouldn't she want one? What would that do to her career and the investments made into that carreer?
If she has the talent & strength, I'd love to see her in an F1 car. But I would understand if team bosses and other investers consider the risk of wasted money too high. Then again, considering the amounts of money wasted on drivers like Yoong and Rosset, I'd rather see a woman with lots of talent driving F1

[skinnylizard]

are you guys kidding. no sponsorship.hahahaah
let me see
Lipstick
hair colour
sports bras
contact lenses
bloating pills
tampons.
breast implants
breast reduction
grocery shopping
there is a whole bunch of untapped product placement potential here that you guys have just ignored.
Tampax McLaren Mercedes
LoReal Honda
Revlon Ferrari..
talk about cash infusion
xxx
www.pi-media.com

[Ghostrider]

This is maybe "Jenna Turbo" that Sean was talking about some year ago.

[Williams]

"untapped product placement potential". That's the whole point.

[kenjafield]

Originally posted by skinnylizard

Tampax McLaren Mercedes

I would LOVE to see Ron in a black shiny leather jacket with Tampax in huge white letters over the back of it. And how would he Ronspeak that deal?

"Here at McLaren we have had our best designers working on the Tampax MP4-1 tampon, which is designed with the function of maximising the operational potential of the product along with out main sponsors to ensure a good night's sleep with no worries for female gender specific persons"

[RTH]

Originally posted by ensign14
Yet some sponsors will insist on putting money behind slow drivers who generate more publicity or gladhand better or whatever...Alex Yoong, Johnny Carwash...Mario Haberfeld...it is strange because a female F1 driver will IMMEDIATELY get mainstream publicity which cannot otherwise be bought, and which will last every time she races.

Someone put Jodie Kidd in a car...she could team-mate with Justin Wilson...

I don't know whether you were just joking because they are both over 6ft - but Jodie Kidd looked mighty impressive in that recent "Top Gear" fastest lap track test when she topped the time sheets. - I thought at the time someone could do worse that give her a days testing somewhere just to see if she can and wants to do it . As for sponsorship - unlikely to be a problem for a fashion model that looks as good as she does.

[molive]

If Danica Patrick ever makes it to CART and does well, maybe she could be a hot property for a "novelty" sponsor in F1?

[mhferrari]

Bringing an American (US) driver to F1 would be better for F1 than bringing a female driver to F1.

[Vilenova]

Originally posted by kenjafield


I would LOVE to see Ron in a black shiny leather jacket with Tampax in huge white letters over the back of it. And how would he Ronspeak that deal?

"Here at McLaren we have had our best designers working on the Tampax MP4-1 tampon, which is designed with the function of maximising the operational potential of the product along with out main sponsors to ensure a good night's sleep with no worries for female gender specific persons"

Yeah...and Michelin has developed a rain tire with maximum absorbancy that's also ultra-thin.

Seriously, I wouldn't mind seeing some fresh faces as long as they belong there and are just not there for the spectacle.

Female drivers are no problem, I draw the line at grid boys though.

[Ed Kooij]

Originally posted by mhferrari
Bringing an American (US) driver to F1 would be better for F1 than bringing a female driver to F1.

slightly off topic: why is it more likely that a female driver comes to F1 than a black driver? Considering their success or even dominance in other sports, what's keeping them out of car racing? Don't they like fast cars? R&B clips suggest otherwise...

Maybe one of the Williams sisters knows how to drive a car? US, black & female... talk about potential sponsership oppertunities

[Superman]

Does anyone have pic of her

[Bumper]

Originally posted by Vilenova
I draw the line at grid boys though.

Now there's an idea ;) Gives us girls something to look at

[MacFan]

I'm a bit suspicious of Lauda's motives...the last time he was supposedly helping a female driver into F1, he ended up shagging her (according to the tabloids anyway), and she never did get an F1 drive through her association with him (She was Giovanna Amati, and she had previously failed to qualify a Brabham for 3 races)

[kismet]

A couple of years back, Sanna Pinola was asked in an interview if the physical aspects of driving an F1 car would prove too tough for female drivers. If the memory serves, she had the same fitness instructor/trainer/whatever as Mika Salo and according to that guy the physical side of driving isn't an issue that couldn't be taken care of with an appropriate training program.

[coyoteBR]

Originally posted by Williams


I think what the sport really needs is a women's formula. Every other sport which has it's women's classes, and so should motorsports. This would allow women to operate comfortably and freely in their own style and develop their talent without the extra pressure of dealing with gender issues. The best talents from that division could eventually emerge to take on the mainstream sport, with an experienced organization and proper backing to support them.

Oh, and to comment on the main topic of the original post, I give kudos to Niki for his determination to bring young Natacha into the sport, but I don't think he is really the guy to do it. I hope she finds some good management.

Actually, in some sports most woman do want to compete with men in the same event. I just read an article on SuperInteressante magazine about some success examples in this field. I don't have the mag with me here, but I remember that it was only when a female runner was allowed to take a marathon race with the men that she improved her record in 2 minutes.

Maybe a schooll category just after kart for gorls could help the passion for race burning and give some incentives, but that's it. See:

- In kart, makes no difference, because there's no men and women there, only kids (who, sadly, start racing earlier and earlier - but that's other history).

- A school category after that would teach the gorls the basic (and most important) about open wheel race and would motivate the 3 or 5 better ones to keep going.

- After that, they better take the usual patch: f-Renault, f-3, f-3000 and/or CART. Otherwise, people will say she only win because runs in a female series. Plus, CART and Premier GP showed there was no space for another F-1 in the world, making a top girls category a comercial nightmare.

Comments? Just an Idea...

[Ross Stonefeld]

Originally posted by mhferrari
Bringing an American (US) driver to F1 would be better for F1 than bringing a female driver to F1.

F1 will never be popular in this country. Not even if Michael Schumacher was from South Bend Indiana.

[ensign14]

Originally posted by RTH


I don't know whether you were just joking because they are both over 6ft - but Jodie Kidd looked mighty impressive in that recent "Top Gear" fastest lap track test when she topped the time sheets. - I thought at the time someone could do worse that give her a days testing somewhere just to see if she can and wants to do it . As for sponsorship - unlikely to be a problem for a fashion model that looks as good as she does.

My thoughts exactly. Alternatively, put her in a one make series race. And film the results to sell it to a TV company.

(Only problem: this could lead to a ghastly series of 'celebs Faking It reality TV'...following Paul Daniels trying to become a chef or something...)

[HSJ]

Originally posted by Hakk

I doubt it! If there would be a female driver in F1 I don't think she would have lack of intrest from sponsors. I think the opposite.

Hmm... Let's get Victoria's Secret as a F1 sponsor!

[Cociani]

There is absolutely no reason why a woman could not be a winning f1 driver. The only reason there are not currently women in F1 imo is that there are less women involved in racing in general. I have read studies in the past that indicated that the female body can acctually handle more G-Force than a male body before blackout. Women make excellent combat pilots where they have been trained to do so. The Challenge is not at the top in getting women to f1 but rather at the entry levels. More girls need to get into Karting and stick with it into upper formulae.

[RTH]

Originally posted by ensign14
My thoughts exactly. Alternatively, put her in a one make series race. And film the results to sell it to a TV company.

(Only problem: this could lead to a ghastly series of 'celebs Faking It reality TV'...following Paul Daniels trying to become a chef or something...)

Jodie struck me as very bright, determined and single minded, couldn't see her falling for some sham , phoney TV PR stunt, like so many good ideas I don't expect it will ever happen - sadly.

[lom8104]

From a cognitive standpoint, the largest difference between the sexes is the abilitiy track moving objects and estimate their trajectory. It is speculated that the male superiority in this ability stems from the days of being a hunter. As you can imagine this is an important skill to have when driving a formula 1 car. For this reason I see woman as being at a large disadvantage of competing in F1.

[kismet]

Originally posted by lom8104
From a cognitive standpoint, the largest difference between the sexes is the abilitiy track moving objects and estimate their trajectory. It is speculated that the male superiority in this ability stems from the days of being a hunter. As you can imagine this is an important skill to have when driving a formula 1 car. For this reason I see woman as being at a large disadvantage of competing in F1.

Yes, but that only applies to the average woman (in statistical sense), meaning that there are plenty of women who are just as capable as their male counterparts. The average man may be better than the average woman at tasks involving 3D vision etc. but that doesn't necessarily mean that the most gifted women wouldn't kick some serious male ass in that department. And since F1 would appear to be an example of a top-class competitive environment that separates the best from the merely good, I think it's safe to assume that the imaginary female entrant would not be your average Jane anyway. F1 drivers are a highly specified sample that I suspect does not conform to many statistical averages based on "normal" population.

Likewise, I could argue that men are at a disadvantage because of their notorious inability to multitask. This would seem like something that would come in handy while racing an F1 car (I mean, one has to assume that it's an advantage to be able to speak with your team while steering left and checking your mirrors at the same time - without falling off the track), yet it's something that isn't generally regarded as the greatest forte of the male sex. But I'd bet that most F1 drivers are more than capable of multitasking, even if they aren't lucky enough to be female.

[LB]

Originally posted by RTH


Jodie struck me as very bright, determined and single minded.

seriously????

Maybe you should explain the word decorum to her.

[Ross Stonefeld]

which is even more amusingly ironic given her *ultra* posh background.

[dc21]

Two points to clear up:

1) There's loads of adults in Karting, not just kids...

2) There's loads of women/girls in karting too.

From a physical standpoint there's no reason why women couldn't drive in any formula. If 50 year old men can still drive formula cars I'm sure a twenty-something woman can. These cars don't take a lot of strength to drive, just stamina and endurance.

A female driver would definately be good from a sponsors point of view, and if you maje the assumption that the F1 bosses are receptive to female drivers, then there is only one reason there aren't any in F1.... Numbers. You have hundreds of male drivers trying to get 20 F1 seats, how many women are there? Probably 20 at most.

Dave

[MONTOYASPEED]

Originally posted by Superman
Does anyone have pic of her

I can't believe it took 21 posts.

[estoril85]

Originally posted by ensign14

Someone put Jodie Kidd in a car...she could team-mate with Justin Wilson...

Heyyy! Jodie is seriously QUICKKKK....ask JayKay

[Double Apex]

Originally posted by Superman
Does anyone have pic of her

Here ya go:

http://www.kcr.ch/ne...and/natacha.jpg

[Sebastian Deveraux]

she looks naturally beautifull

Hope she does well.

[ruther]

There is a female driver in Brazil that is really good: Bia Figueiredo - she used to race against the big ones at brazilian kart champioship, and sometimes she defeated them all!(Felipe Lapenna, Sérgio Jimenez, Átila Abreu, Alan Hellmeister, Carrapatoso...). Now, she's racing at F-Renaut...she wants to go to F1, or maybe CART(Andre Ribeiro is her manager now, I think).




another pic: http://www.planetkar...icle/view/1662/


links: (portuguese)
http://www.jt.estada.../07/esp039.html
http://www1.jt.com.b...03/velo013.html
http://ibest.estadao...3/abr/05/80.htm
http://www.motorcar....t160802kart.htm
http://www.motorcar....t060502kart.htm
http://www.inema.com...idmat013964.htm

[Sebastian Deveraux]

[DaveDash]

Women have excellent hand-eye co-ordanation and can stand the effects of red and black outs at high G forces better than men.

However, women's 3d-perception leaves a lot to be desired and in a Formula 1 car you suffer mainly horizontal G-Forces.

I think it just comes down to the fact that males love going fast, they hunger for it, and females in generally tend to have other interests. I cannot really see any reason a female would be worse at F1 than a male, except perhaps 3d-perception might come into play - remember, in a F1 car you're very low to the ground and travelling very fast up to corners, so this would make quite an impact.

[Mr Tomalski]

Give Sarah Fisher a go..

She's the only female competing at the top level of open wheelers, IRL, has placed on podium, and pole position too.

Ok, so her form can be quite erractic..but just think of the PR boost and money she could generate.

Hell, can she be any worse than Yoong, Firman, Pizza etc?

[kismet]

If (and when) a woman ever makes it to an F1 grid again (as a driver, not as a gridgirl), she'd better be bloody good as opposed to barely competent in the Alex Yoong mould. There're only a few things more demeaning and patronising than the good old "Oh, I guess she's done pretty well - for a girl". A female entrant in F1 would only serve the purpose if she was good enough to pass the BB lacmus test of inspiring a discussion about her career stats rather than her bra size or collagen-enhanced lips.

[mr. handsome]

Go, girl, go!

[Mr Tomalski]

Originally posted by kismet
A female entrant in F1 would only serve the purpose if she was good enough to pass the BB lacmus test of inspiring a discussion about her career stats rather than her bra size or collagen-enhanced lips.

Guess well never see one again........

[Rob29]

Natasha Gs results in FBMW to date would seem to indicate that she is not 'Jane Turbo/Aytoneta Senna' !! A better choice might be Catherina Felser who is curently 6th in German F3.

[masterhit]

First of all Sarah fisher seems good enough to be driving in F1 right now.

Secondly with regards to Niki managing one of these women and wanting them to succeed, I bet he does. Last one he had dealings with was Giovanna Amati, they were alleged to have had an affair.

[Ross Stonefeld]

Originally posted by masterhit
First of all Sarah fisher seems good enough to be driving in F1 right now.

based on....

[Rob29]

Originally posted by Ross Stonefeld




based on....

Oval racing experience only? I think not.
Re,Ms Gachtang,she finished 8th yesterday,so maybe Lauda's influence is having some effect..