Why aren't there any female F1 drivers ?
Why aren't there any female F1 drivers ?
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Discussion

Geo28

Original Poster:

262 posts

246 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
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Ok so as the title says, why don't we have any female F1 drivers, do we have any aspiring female drivers out there or any up and coming female drivers?

There must be women out there with the right amount of talent and desire surely?

Altrezia

8,740 posts

240 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
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Evidently not smile There are plenty of female racing drivers, but not many make it to F1, and those that do, aren't fast.

StevieBee

15,294 posts

284 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
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Can you imagine Monaco - having to pass all those shoe shops? And think of the carnage of race day coincided with a visit from Aunt Flo!


1970s comedy aside, it has always puzzled me this and surprised no team has given this more effort as the publicity would be pretty good!

Holst

2,468 posts

250 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
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The same reason there are no Mongolian F1 drivers.

GTP rpm

4,506 posts

225 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
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It's to do with the level of fitnes/strength required that there arn't any.

Will probably happen one day though...

Geo28

Original Poster:

262 posts

246 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
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So now I have found that there have been 5 entries since F1 started only 2 of which ever raced.

This was a surprise to me as I thought there weren't any.

Geo28

Original Poster:

262 posts

246 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
quotequote all
GTP rpm said:
It's to do with the level of fitnes/strength required that there arn't any.

Will probably happen one day though...
I can't believe this is why, the average person doesn't have the required fitness or strength to drive an F1 race but there are more than plenty female athletes in the world that I'm sure would or could gain the required fitness.

Munter

31,331 posts

270 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
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GTP rpm said:
It's to do with the level of fitnes/strength required that there arn't any.

Will probably happen one day though...
I think this is the reason. There are enough in the "lower" formulas that you'd expect them to get up there frequently if it was just a question of car control. But I think F1 is at a level where the male body's ability to be stronger plays a part.

Same reason the male tennis players have the fastest serves, and male 100m sprinters are faster etc

Dr Derek Doctors

8,422 posts

222 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
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The same reason that women have there own leagues in most other sports..... because in direct competition they aren't as good.

Sorry ladies but this is a fact.

ETA there are some exceptions (Micelle Mouton springs to mind) but they are so few and far between as to be classed as freak occurences.



Edited by Dr Derek Doctors on Tuesday 14th September 20:06

mattikake

5,116 posts

228 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
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Geo28 said:
GTP rpm said:
It's to do with the level of fitnes/strength required that there arn't any.

Will probably happen one day though...
I can't believe this is why, the average person doesn't have the required fitness or strength to drive an F1 race but there are more than plenty female athletes in the world that I'm sure would or could gain the required fitness.
Here we go again. That old PC delusion that the sexes are equal, when you only need to look around anywhere, anyday, to see they are not.

The reason there are no (decent) female F1 drivers is as simple as it is obvious.

Edited by mattikake on Tuesday 14th September 20:20

Geo28

Original Poster:

262 posts

246 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
quotequote all
If this were true then essentially your saying the best driver on the track is also the fittest and strongest.

I absolutely agree that physical fitness plays a big part but surely there is a level that is required and after that it's down to driver ability.

Having the reflexes, driving talent and the instincts required to win must all be talents that women can be just as good at.

Surely someone else must agree with me?

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

32,000 posts

264 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
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Did you know that the person with the record lowest point score (other than zero) was a lady...

..1/2 point.

I just thought I'd mention that biggrin

(and three lady entrants I believe is the most for a British GP weekend)


Davie_GLA

6,876 posts

228 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
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My daughter is going to be the first female F1world champion. She's two at the moment but stay tuned.

GTP rpm

4,506 posts

225 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
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Geo28 said:
If this were true then essentially your saying the best driver on the track is also the fittest and strongest.

I absolutely agree that physical fitness plays a big part but surely there is a level that is required and after that it's down to driver ability.

Having the reflexes, driving talent and the instincts required to win must all be talents that women can be just as good at.

Surely someone else must agree with me?
Instead of questioning others beliefs for why, how about you offer some of your own?

It's down to many other factors I'm sure and one day, another lady will become an F1 driver I'm sure of it.

My understanding is, it's females necks which are significantly weaker. You can see very often, on anti-clockwise circuits that some current F1 drivers have to rest their heads at the end of the races...and they are affected even more when braking too.

woof

8,456 posts

306 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
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just look at the 100m record. Speed, reaction time etc.

Distance Women Mens
100m 10.49 9.58

The womens record was set by Flo Jo and was little doubt that it was due to illegal performance-enhancing drugs. It's worth pointing out that even in 1912 the mens record was 10.6.
Veronica Campbell-Brown is the worlds fastest woman at 10.78. These days a top class womans time would be sub 11 secs. A good under 15 boy will run a similar time.

Women are the fairer sex. Can't be argued with. Men are able to train harder, higher fitness levels, higher levels of aggression and with regards to driving, men have better awareness and skills required to drive at competition levels.

There are a few exceptions both in UK club racing and International but like in general sports, a very average male athlete will beat a top female athlete in any discipline.

Sits back and awaits the hate wink

Nick_F

10,598 posts

275 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
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There's no shortage of women who are fitter and stronger than any F1 driver you can name - and nothing about F1 that precludes a woman from developing the specific strength and muscular endurance to cope and cope well.

What there is, however, is an almost complete lack of women/girls in lower formulae worldwide: if F1 employs 44 drivers then you'd need at least 1 in 44 motorsport competitors worldwide to be women in order to get one into F1 pro-rata.

Women seldom appear in any of the first division championships - it's nothing specific to F1 and everything to do with a lack of grassroots participation.

Geo28

Original Poster:

262 posts

246 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
quotequote all
I don't know the answer, it's why I started the discussion. All opinions are valid and welcome I'm just not convinced that physical ability is the only reason although I do accept that this could well be a factor.
I'm a massive F1 fan, always have been and it's a question I find myself asking myself from time to time.

Maybe it's partly to do with numbers the ratio of male to females in motorsport. F1 been the pinnacle of motorsport making it less likely to have female competitors due to only small numbers of drivers ever making to this level.

Would a team be less likely to invest in female talent believing it to be too much of a gamble?

I'd love to hear more opinions especially those of motorsport teams, female drivers etc.

I'm not looking for a definitive answer to the question I'm sure there are many reasons why

hornet

6,333 posts

279 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
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How much of it is down to motorsport just not appealing to as many women? No idea why F1 seems so out of reach, but you've got the likes of Ana Beatriz and Simona di Silvestro doing alright in US single seaters. And Danica, I guess. Drag racing seems to be more represented than most over the years for some reason, both here and in the US. Not sure why that would be.

Nick_F

10,598 posts

275 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
quotequote all
woof said:
just look at the 100m record. Speed, reaction time etc.

Distance Women Mens
100m 10.49 9.58

The womens record was set by Flo Jo and was little doubt that it was due to illegal performance-enhancing drugs. It's worth pointing out that even in 1912 the mens record was 10.6.
Veronica Campbell-Brown is the worlds fastest woman at 10.78. These days a top class womans time would be sub 11 secs. A good under 15 boy will run a similar time.

Women are the fairer sex. Can't be argued with. Men are able to train harder, higher fitness levels, higher levels of aggression and with regards to driving, men have better awareness and skills required to drive at competition levels.

There are a few exceptions both in UK club racing and International but like in general sports, a very average male athlete will beat a top female athlete in any discipline.

Sits back and awaits the hate wink
That misses the point - you have to be exceptionally fit to be an F1 driver, but you don't have to attain a level of fitness beyond the grasp of a good female club athlete.

The world's fittest men are fitter than the world's fittest women, but F1 drivers aren't the world's fittest men.

As to skills, aggression and situational awareness - you may be right, who knows?

Mazda Baiter

37,069 posts

217 months

Tuesday 14th September 2010
quotequote all
Davie_GLA said:
My daughter is going to be the first female F1world champion. She's two at the moment but stay tuned.
Not if mine gets there first. wink