The FIA (Fédération internationale de l'automobile) feels somewhat obligated to evaluate the possibility of an F1 championship for women, but the concept apparently generates little enthusiasm within the governing body.
Bernie Ecclestone, the President of Formula One Management, recently proposed the setting up of a single-seater championship for women in order to provide better exposure to those hoping to reach Formula 1. Ecclestone's idea might have been well-intentioned, but the reaction on social media indicates that such a series would create some uneasiness. The right answer? Susie Wolff, development driver at Williams, believes that the number of women who have the necessary experience is too small to fill up a truly competitive grid. And furthermore, “why would I ever look for a race where I was only competing against women?”
Carmen Jorda, who holds a similar role at Lotus, rather thinks that an all-women championship is “the right answer” since many sports have separate championships for men and women. However, race car driving cannot be compared to tennis, football or hockey. The car itself has the effect of mostly levelling the physical differences. That is why an F1 championship for women is probably not a good idea, especially when considering that they have spent their careers fighting on track against men. Anyway, no rule prevents women from racing in F1! “The idea of an all-women competition is not something we would dismiss without proper debate and research,” declared Michele Mouton, the President of the FIA Commission on women in motorsport, to Associated Press. But that does not mean the former French driver, runner-up of the 1982 World Rally Championship, is necessarily in favour of Ecclestone's plan. On the same level “From my own experience as a competitor, I truly believe women want to compete on an equal level with their male counterparts,” said Mouton.
“Motor sport is just one of three sports, including sailing and horse-riding, where men and women compete alongside one another with the same rules and classifications. This level playing field provides a real indicator of performance and pushes athletes to be the best in the world, regardless of gender.” “We have to continue promoting the fact that motor sport is open to all, with the same prospects and potential to succeed,” she emphasized. Women having the required experience to race in F1 are few. But according to Carmen Jorda, an enduring impression from another era partly explains that under-representation. If sponsors do not offer more support to women drivers, it is “because they all dream of winning, and they believe that a woman cannot win in F1,” she told the official Formula 1 website. Recent Articles
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