F1 Shuts It’s Doors to Women Until a “Meteorite Hits the Earth”

Formula 1 is a global sport enjoyed by many people across the world, regardless of their gender or color. Formula 1 as a whole is working hard to make the sport more inclusive of other gender. However, the recent statement by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is not going to help their cause.

According to Domenicali, it is very “unlikely” that we will see female racing drivers in the next 5 years. The Italian said he is more likely to see “a meteorite hit the earth than a woman in Formula 1 within five years”. Although, he did promise to take “some action” to make things more welcoming.

The last woman driver to race in Formula 1 was Lella Lombardi, who finished 12th place in her final race in the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix. She raced for 17 GPs, which is the longest period by any female racer.

The F1 CEO said, “I don’t see a girl in Formula 1 realistically evaluated in the next five years – unless a kind of meteorite hits the earth,”

“We want to build the right parameters with the right approach step by step so that girls of the right age and with the right car can compete against the boys,”

Alpine recently announced a Rac(H)er program, with the goal of promoting female talent in their academy. The FIA recently announced the all-female W Series in 2019 to promote female talent up the junior ladder.

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The last woman to race in F1 FP was Susie Wolff for Williams in 2015. The W-series champion Jamie Chadwick would hope for a chance to race in F2 or F3.

Domenicali explains the key factors for including Women drivers in F1

Domenicali believes that tournaments like the W-Series come at a later stage of women’s racing career for them to have a crack at Formula 1. He insists on the importance of girls starting earlier, perhaps at the same age group as the boys.

“We are working to give women the maximum opportunity. That’s why we try to understand how we can create the right framework conditions for the girls so that they can get into Formula 1 at the right age with the right car – because that is the key factor.”

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While the recent statement from Stefano Domenicali is not convincing, talented female drivers like Jamie Chadwick must deserve the chance to race at motor sports’ pinnacle. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait for 5 years to see a female driver in the paddock again.