The problem is the same as per other male-dominated professions. Few females are at the top in the public eye as role models, so few females are inspired to start at grass roots, exacerbating the problem at the top. Hence some businesses do have a positive discrimination to break the cycle, and the 'old boys that play golf' promotion system.

Thankfully, I think F1 is much more performance-driven, so if the right female popped up, she would get picked (at least, I'd like to think so). So that negates the 2nd issue (old boys promotion club). But the first still remains, coupled with the old sport/fitness/strength discrepancy (which is probably negated in F1 at the moment with power steering etc), so it's still very difficult.

So what can you do? Reduce the strength/fitness required - arguably already done. Actively promote females up the ranks to break the cycle - not going to inspire much and no team would take the risk or take a lower performing driver unless there was proven benefit.

So the only thing to do is either have a/some female championship/s to get the throughflow of numbers to give us a chance of finding a decent one or two to transfer to male championships. Or put a MASSIVE amount of (financial?) incentive from grass roots upwards to get females into the sport. But that would never result in a payback to the original suppliers of such an incentive, so would probably have to be government-led, akin to the science and engineering domains.

 

The marketing pressure to discover a female F1 driver must be enormous; the opportunities presented by the gender would be formidable.

 

You say that, but if they were that big, wouldn't someone have invested already?

 

Susie Wolff completed race distances in testing, so one thing she has done to further the cause of female drivers is to disprove the notion that women aren't strong or fit enough to drive an F1 car.

I think a Formula Woman is a terrible idea; it won't be at F1 level because there won't be the money so it'll be a junior championship and does winning a championship where the majority of competitors are excluded really mean anything? There are I think a couple of women in Formula E, as well as Indycar and WEC.

Of course in googling that I found 'Top 10 hottest female race car drivers' and sexy pictures of Dancia Patrick which I'm not sure helps the cause. And does anyone notice how the TV cameras always manage to find Carmen Jorda in the Lotus pit several times during each race weekend?

 

Personally, I'd like to see more of Carmen Jorda.

 

I honestly don't think it will.

Women perform at a lower level than men in every single sport.

I don't see Formula 1 being any different.

Is there a market for a female only race series? I have no idea. There is no reason why it couldn't be a supporting race to the F1 circus.

The only problem you have is that it is the complete opposite of beach volleyball - the women are all covered up and don't jiggle about/bend over.

 

Some very sexist comments here !! Women do have a roll in F1.if it wasn't for those signs they hold up the drivers wouldn't know where to park on the grid.

 

It was Mike Hailwood who once said "Women have a role in motor racing, and if any of them are in any doubt as to what it is............."

Obviously, one couldn't possibly condone such an attitude in these more enlightened times.

 

Women compete at different tiers (athletically) than men because men and women are not built the same; nor do they naturally have equal muscle mass. Do their talents and abilities often overlap in the realm of sports and athleticism? Of course. But I'll wait patiently for the day when men and women (read: males and females) play on the same football, rugby, and hockey teams.

It'll never happen. Not because it can't, but because it shouldn't. Certain driving competitions where less strength is required do seem feasible for co-ed participation. But you'll never see a woman racing next to a man in the MotoGP.

 

Did anyone notice that qualy was today? There were no women in it. Maybe if there were we could talk about the racing.