Any chance of a female F1 champion in the next 20 years?
Discussion
My girlfriend and I were having a conversation this evening on the possibility of a female F1 driver’s champion. I made the sweeping statement that it's extremely unlikely to happen in the next two decades going on past and present prospects.
I'd love to be wrong but am I?.......she thought so
I'd love to be wrong but am I?.......she thought so
Well so few male drivers make it and there are so fewer female drivers by percentage alongside male drivers that the odds are very very low.
Unless a good woman racer gets good sponsor backing and lucks into a mid-grid team needing money who happen to hit on the sweet spot of a new car and make it a race winner. Danica Patrick with US money behind her in a Redbull sponsored Newey designed car is the only sensible and possible combination I can think of at the moment.
Unless a good woman racer gets good sponsor backing and lucks into a mid-grid team needing money who happen to hit on the sweet spot of a new car and make it a race winner. Danica Patrick with US money behind her in a Redbull sponsored Newey designed car is the only sensible and possible combination I can think of at the moment.
I would say its monumentslly unlikely.
This is not say it won't happen: just that your assessment of the chances would seem to me to accurate.
What it requires is a young, talented lady driver to be spotted, then sponsored and funded for as long as it takes to become F3 champion - probably twice over - then to get a test drive with a F1 team - and be selected. Then she's got to impress the hell out of the major teams by putting in blinding laps despite the shoestring budget her team has. A few years later she's got to get a drive with Ferrari. Then she's got to win more points than anyone else for a whole season.
What are the odds of that? Same as Tim Henman winning Wimbledon.
This is not say it won't happen: just that your assessment of the chances would seem to me to accurate.
What it requires is a young, talented lady driver to be spotted, then sponsored and funded for as long as it takes to become F3 champion - probably twice over - then to get a test drive with a F1 team - and be selected. Then she's got to impress the hell out of the major teams by putting in blinding laps despite the shoestring budget her team has. A few years later she's got to get a drive with Ferrari. Then she's got to win more points than anyone else for a whole season.
What are the odds of that? Same as Tim Henman winning Wimbledon.
I think the late Lella Lombardi is still the only female driver to score World Championship points, and she only managed half a point (the race was stopped early). Some way to go to a Championship-winning score...
Found a note on the web that there have been five female F1 drivers. I can remember Lombardi, Giovanna Amati, Davina Galica. Desire Wilson only raced in the Aurora series. Who were the others?
Katherine Legge tested a Minardi a few years ago. She's the only other female driver I can think of who might have a shot at F1 anytime soon.
Found a note on the web that there have been five female F1 drivers. I can remember Lombardi, Giovanna Amati, Davina Galica. Desire Wilson only raced in the Aurora series. Who were the others?
Katherine Legge tested a Minardi a few years ago. She's the only other female driver I can think of who might have a shot at F1 anytime soon.
I would say no chance at all.
Men are much better suited to F1. Physically stronger for a start.
A race that lasts best part of 2 hours...Hmmm...
Unless of course F1 changes beyond recognition in the next 20 years to reduce the natural advantages men have in such an activity.
I think people are so totally bombarded with politically correct messages
these days that they start to believe that things like this will happen.
Let's be honest and just accept that men are better at some things and women are better
at others.
Andrew Noakes said:
I think the late Lella Lombardi is still the only female driver to score World Championship points, and she only managed half a point (the race was stopped early). Some way to go to a Championship-winning score...
Found a note on the web that there have been five female F1 drivers. I can remember Lombardi, Giovanna Amati, Davina Galica. Desire Wilson only raced in the Aurora series. Who were the others?
Katherine Legge tested a Minardi a few years ago. She's the only other female driver I can think of who might have a shot at F1 anytime soon.
Found a note on the web that there have been five female F1 drivers. I can remember Lombardi, Giovanna Amati, Davina Galica. Desire Wilson only raced in the Aurora series. Who were the others?
Katherine Legge tested a Minardi a few years ago. She's the only other female driver I can think of who might have a shot at F1 anytime soon.
Desire Wilson was entered for the British GP in 1980, but failed to qualify.
So, Lombardi, Galica, Wilson, Amati, De Filipas
Edited by freedman on Friday 30th March 17:28
SamHH said:
How strong do you need to be to operate an F1 car?
not strong per se... but the edurance factor... sustained high G, make no mistake - piloting a F1 takes alot of physical effort.
but i dont think its that that stops a female getting a seat. but the problem often with motorsport is often more, money and backing - Lewis is where he is because of the backing hes had from mclaren, Karthrine Leggie is doing well out in the US, but possibly a bit old to make the move to F1 being in her late 20s but thats not to say it cant happen.
are there any lasses in this years line up for F3?
I suppose if one of the top teams were to back a girl from karting and nurture her career in much the same way as McLaren have to Lewis (which will happen more post-Lewis) it could fit into the 20 year time scale. The only thing is of course for her to be noticed in Karting she would have to be winning everything, even at the age of 12! And of course she would have to be in the right team at the right time if and when she eventually makes it to F1.
lord summerisle said:
SamHH said:
How strong do you need to be to operate an F1 car?
not strong per se... but the edurance factor... sustained high G, make no mistake - piloting a F1 takes alot of physical effort.
Vanina Ickx (all 5'0" of her) had no trouble double stinting the Rollcentre Dallara a couple of years ago at Le Mans - and would get back in for another double a few hours later. Even when the power steering broke she was still quite happy.
It is a different type of racing, I fully appreciate, but she impressed everyone with her strength and endurance.
As others have said, it comes down to sheer numbers - there are lots of very talented blokes who don't get the breaks, while the number of women who even want to race is tiny by comparison.
MrKipling43 said:
Yeah, a Le Mans car is a VERY different animal... you're talking about 2G ABSOLUTE maximum in a prototype. F1 cars are pulling 5G under braking and 2-5G in the corners.
If it's g-forces we're talking about wouldn't the average woman's lesser weight would give her an advantage to make up for her lesser strength?
I can't believe no-one has mentioned either Sarah Fisher or Danica Patrick. Both have acquitted themseves well in Indycar in the US and I would imagine that those cars are more physically demanding than the lighter F21 cars, even allowing for their paucity of downforce. I think that Patrick could make the move.
I don't think that there re any physical barriers to a woman doing well in F1, just simply the cultural acceptance that it's a man's sport and thus sponsors feel more secure with a man in the car. FWIW I think that Motorola's sponsorship of Patrick is entirely down to marketing reasons.
I don't think that there re any physical barriers to a woman doing well in F1, just simply the cultural acceptance that it's a man's sport and thus sponsors feel more secure with a man in the car. FWIW I think that Motorola's sponsorship of Patrick is entirely down to marketing reasons.
Much is made of the astonishing physical fitness of F1 drivers - I don't doubt that they're in far better shape than average, but I don't believe they're even close to professional sportsmen, they don't put in enough time for that.
No physical reason at all that women should not be able to compete equally with men on the track, and Motorsport as a whole would do well to shed it's 1970s view of the issue.
No physical reason at all that women should not be able to compete equally with men on the track, and Motorsport as a whole would do well to shed it's 1970s view of the issue.
I'll get my coatNick_F I think you'd be surprised how much F1 drivers have to train to be able to manage just 20 laps in an F1 car let alone a full race distance. The G force from cornering and braking is very demanding. I remember Justin Wilson's first test at Jordan, and he had to stop after something like 17 laps, because he was struggling with his neck. He was already an F3000 driver at the time, and trained daily.
I think you under estimate how fit these drivers have to be, they work as hard as any other professional sportsmen.
I think you under estimate how fit these drivers have to be, they work as hard as any other professional sportsmen.
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