Representation and inequality of women have been major topics of discussion in motorsports. To facilitate a better environment, a new all-women series, F1 Academy, has been introduced. Furthermore, the media continues to focus on the physical appearance and presentability of top female drivers competing in major racing series worldwide, despite their impressive skills and abilities. Unfortunately, we have witnessed numerous instances where hardworking women in motorsports have been overlooked in favor of celebrities or women associated with F1 drivers, leading to missed opportunities. This time it was the girlfriend of Carlos Sainz, Isa Hernaez, who partnered with Puma and Ferrari for an exclusive collection.
Isa’s example is a repeating pattern, as we have seen with Kelly Piquet earlier. Kelly, Max Verstappen’s partner, featured on the cover of Dutch Vogue as a “woman in motorsport.” For this, the fans thrashed the magazine as well as the Brazilian model, as it merely dragged down the other women in motorsports. Fans called them out for not taking actual female drivers, engineers, strategists, and others for their segment despite calls for equality and fair representation.
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The latest example of the girlfriend of Carlos Sainz thus becomes a major point of contention for the fans who have slandered the brands for calling Isa a woman in motorsport. As people dismissed Isa as a WIM, they brought up many more deserving names for the partnership. The partnership’s attempt failed miserably because the fans are commenting negatively about the issue.
Fans slam inclusion of the girlfriend of Carlos Sainz
Of the three people featured in the ad, only one, i.e., Naomi Schiff, could be said to be the actual woman associated directly with the sport. Apart from that, fans directed their anger towards Carlos Sainz’s girlfriend, Isa Hernaez, as it reduced women’s participation to their partners in F1, an already male-dominated sport.
it’s actually setting women backwards bc it reinforces the idea that women’s only place in motorsport is to be pretty and support the men who are the real athletes 🤡 https://t.co/tmgI8IpE60
— local arab (@lewissbbygirl) May 2, 2023
society failed the real women in motorsport https://t.co/ARIJOQpt8d
— daniela🦋🐝 C ²🫶 (@hekb__241) May 2, 2023
reducing women in motorsport to wags invalidates the huge contributions of women like susie wolff, jamie chadwick, lilou wadoux, bianca bustamente, bernie collins, alice powell, hannah schmitz and countless other women who fight for respect and recognition every day in the field https://t.co/UqB5b6eN2b
— meg (taylor’s version) (@totosblueshirt) May 2, 2023
women in motorsport means this: https://t.co/TIgQzGazWq pic.twitter.com/5x9ne2gTXf
— nix | race week (@nixisracing) May 2, 2023
A wild concept:
Actually use the women in the motorsport 🤯— Alina Halai (@alihoenahoe) May 2, 2023
The fans named Lilou Wadoux and Susie Wolff as the best examples that could’ve been included instead of Isa, because of what they have actually accomplished.
the wags themselves don’t have shame either when they took this chance to boost their fame and it’s disgusting considering a lot of actually women in motorsport are struggling and deserve the platform https://t.co/NApXhxAwqy
— 🤺 (@jisoobestgirI) May 2, 2023
a new women category for young women getting into f1/motorsports just began last week yet we get .. wags. pic.twitter.com/QA3h81KXyA
— elle || CL16 redemption brewing (@lechairwdc) May 1, 2023
"Women in motorsport"
As long as you are young and thin and beautiful and silent.
Meanwhile, the actual women in motorsport are out living their lives.— Caroline (@Writer_Caroline) May 2, 2023
we just got an all female category but they would rather choose women who have contributed in nothing to motorsports to represent something they have nothing to do with pic.twitter.com/c7yXODWuRW
— mari (@loversenna) May 2, 2023
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No offense. Lilou Wadoux won in WEC this weekend. Doriane Pin is a race winner. Marta Garcia rocked the academy. Sophia drives in F3. Simona de Silvestro and Tatiana Calderon raced in IndyCar. Katherine Legge will race at the Indy 500. So many options to present the WIM category
— Daniel 🐝 (@DanDizzle8) May 2, 2023
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Reckless cases such as these justify the anger of the fans. What do you think of the campaign? Should the brand acknowledge its mistake?