planetf1.com

Updated main page with a couple more names.

Note Jamie Chadwick won a GT4 24 hour race. I don't recall girls at my school racing Aston Martins when we were 16...

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"I'd rather lose a race going fast enough to win it, than win one going slow enough to lose it".
-Stirling Moss

Simona de Silvestro to Formule E in London - here

Beitske Visser gets a front row slot in FR3.5...and loses it..here

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"I'd rather lose a race going fast enough to win it, than win one going slow enough to lose it".
-Stirling Moss

I guess they were mentioning the old Champ Car World Series before the merger with Indy Car.

Well I thought I'd pick this in light of commentsabout Carmen Jorda.

I think it's fair to say that the prospects of female drivers coming through single seaters in the next couple of years is not good. I can only find (see first pot for links):

Tatiana Calderon (Formula 3 European Championship)
Samin Gomez (GP3)
Jessica Hawkins (MSA Formula)
Alexandra Marinescu (MSA Formula)
Louise Richardson (MSA Formula)
Leanne Tander (Australia Formula Ford)
Beitske Visser (GP3)
Caitlin Wood (Australia Formula Ford)

Annd with all due respect none of them are getting results that suggest they could step up to a higher level series for 2016.

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"I'd rather lose a race going fast enough to win it, than win one going slow enough to lose it".
-Stirling Moss

It's going to be a long process no doubt. However the increased exposure from having Carmen, Maria, and Susie as test drivers is a step to get women interested early. That along with having more women in management like Lena Garde at Audi, Claire Williams, and (oof) Monisha women drivers who do come up with some credentials they're more apt to get a fair shake.

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{Insert clever sig line here}

Well that's the interesting part is that as yet the increase in high profile women in the sport, irrespective of their role, doesn't seem to have translated into more female drivers coming through. Not yet anyway.
I didn't mention karts in the list and there a plenty of female kart drivers doing OK, but again they're not winning titles.

An interesting consideration here is the superlicense points system. It lessens the chance of a driver (male or female) getting to F1 purely on marketing/pay grounds.

Despite a lot of peoples optimism I don't see a female F1 driver any time soon.

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"I'd rather lose a race going fast enough to win it, than win one going slow enough to lose it".
-Stirling Moss

If Bottas goes to Ferrari as has been reported (the validity is still in question), perhaps Williams might give Susie Wolf the nod for 2016 and save some money?

I'd say of anyone she has has the greatest chance to get the opportunity to start an F1 race. I'd be very interested to see how she does though I don't expect it would go considerably well, though that would be my hope.

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HAMILTON :: ALONSO :: VETTEL :: RAIKKONEN :: RICCIARDO :: VERSTAPPEN
BOTTAS :: MAGNUSSEN :: OCON :: SAINZ :: PEREZ :: VANDOORNE :: HULKENBERG
GROSJEAN :: GASLY :: ERICSON :: LECLERC :: STROLL :: SEROTKIN :: HARTLEY

Susie won't qualify for a super licence and tellingly they did not consider her capable of standing in for Bottas when he hurt his back.

I agree, but stranger things have happened.

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HAMILTON :: ALONSO :: VETTEL :: RAIKKONEN :: RICCIARDO :: VERSTAPPEN
BOTTAS :: MAGNUSSEN :: OCON :: SAINZ :: PEREZ :: VANDOORNE :: HULKENBERG
GROSJEAN :: GASLY :: ERICSON :: LECLERC :: STROLL :: SEROTKIN :: HARTLEY

It won't be saving money in respect to loss of WCC points

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PF1 Pick 10 Competition

2013: 5th Place
2014: Champion
2015: 3rd Place
2016: 4th Place
2017: 9th Place
2018: Currently 1st

Wins: Canada 2018, Abu Dhabi 2017
Podiums: (6)

In MotoGP (Moto3 class)

-Ana Carrasco
-Maria Herrera

Curiously they both collided in the last race and both out.

And then there's the arguably best and most successful female motorcycle rider of all time, Laia Sanz, who does trials and dakar.

Yes Ana had a good first season and had a top ten or two. But not so good equipment since then.

Maria is supposed to be the real deal having done well in the Spanish Championship with a couple of wins to her name. and went into the final race leading the championship. Shes been running in the top ten on occasion this year; which is a considerable achievement, but is crashing a lot. Not often her fault either.


totalrace.com

Well to be honest I think none of the two are good enough. But lets see.
Ana was the team mate of Maverick Viñales in 2013, who became champion. They had the very competitive KTM bike. The gap between the two was enormous.
I suppose Maria is faster but I dont expect so much of her.

Those two riders don't look too happy at being beat by a Woman?

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PF1 Pick 10 Competition

2013: 5th Place
2014: Champion
2015: 3rd Place
2016: 4th Place
2017: 9th Place
2018: Currently 1st

Wins: Canada 2018, Abu Dhabi 2017
Podiums: (6)

Some people pay quite a lot of money for that "privilege" (or so I am told )

I guess that wouldn't be for them though?

_________________
PF1 Pick 10 Competition

2013: 5th Place
2014: Champion
2015: 3rd Place
2016: 4th Place
2017: 9th Place
2018: Currently 1st

Wins: Canada 2018, Abu Dhabi 2017
Podiums: (6)

Most women are getting downright deplorable results in all order of motorsports, and the basis of thier being female is thier lone ticket to ride. Take Patrick, for example. Any male with her results would have been released almost immediately (e.g. R. J. Newman)! But, she is a woman and is thus raking in cash, and is thus hindering other, more talented drivers from getting into her high-caliber NASCAR equipment. There are dozens more examples, but that tends to be the particular example of choice due to the fact that it is, in fact, a top echelon of autosport, where most women drivers have yet to tread. I'm not asking them to be Hamilton or anything, I just think that if they're so equal, they'd have been chucked to the wayside long before now.

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PF1 Pick 10 Competition
8 Starts
1 Win
1 Podium
The sun was glaring; I could not see the flag.
#ForzaJules
#KeepFightingMichael

...And I hate to say this, but, racing takes masculinity, and if you get beat by a girl in equal equipment, you should be very, very embarrassed.

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PF1 Pick 10 Competition
8 Starts
1 Win
1 Podium
The sun was glaring; I could not see the flag.
#ForzaJules
#KeepFightingMichael

What utter nonsense. If you 'hate to say it' do us a favour and don't say it at all.

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Top Three Team Champions 2017 (With Jezza13)
Group Pick 'Em 2016 Champion

No, he is right. Not politically correct but right. Nowadays its like a crime to criticise women, but yeah, its a fact that they are physically weaker... and motorsports tend to be very physical sports.
But of course average guys like us should not be embarassed by getting beaten by top racing women in racing.

In general, women are physically weaker, but, there are many women much stronger than you or I. I'd imagine the women he is criticising (e.g. Danica Patrick) would beat the vast majority of members on these boards in a race - would that mean we should all be embarrassed?

In anycase, most modern racing is more about precision and reflexes than outright strength - so why should that be a barrier?

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Top Three Team Champions 2017 (With Jezza13)
Group Pick 'Em 2016 Champion

Yep, but what matters here is "in general".
Modern racing is about precision and reflexes but you still need to be physically strong. Even the lowest class of 4 wheel racing which is karting is physically tiring if you try to drive on the limit (have you ever done it?).
F1 cars are not as physically challenging as they used to be but still they must be pretty tough.

No it isn't, "In general" doesn't matter when you are picking out individuals to say you should be embarrassed at being beaten by them.

There are many women physically strong enough to race any formula in the world.

Yes I've driven karts - and I'm not very good! Ever driven a V8 Hotstox car? I have - They are big heavy brutes, but there are women competing and have won races this year in that formula. There have also been successful female drivers in its bigger cousin BriSCA F1 Stock Cars.

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Top Three Team Champions 2017 (With Jezza13)
Group Pick 'Em 2016 Champion

The poster said masculinity; thats not just confined to physical strength. And if the poster really meant masculinity, then yes they are talking utter nonsense.

As for the being embarassed about being beaten by women - this really is a societal attitude that needs to change. There should be nothing embarassing about being beaten by a woman. It should be the same as being beaten by a man (i.e. the better driver won). There should be nothing emasucalting about losing to a women. I do think it's sad that some men have this attitude, because it shows them up as being very insecure. And its this insecurity and the need to be 'masculine' that means that men have crippling sucide rates because 'men don't talk about their feelings'. More men take their lives each year because of this horrid and outdated sterotype that really needs to be challenged.

I am a physically strong woman. I can lift my partner up over my head. Does that make my partner less of a man because I'm stronger than he is? Should he be embarassed because he can be 'beaten by a woman' in terms of physical strength? He doesn't think so. And nor do I. I don't undermine his masculinty, and likewise I don't think being strong means I'm 'less of a woman' or 'butch' etc. I'm still feminine.

I believe in equality. I treat each person as an individual. I try not to sterotype people on gender, race, religion. You need to look at the qualities of the individual as they are - not make judgements on their qualities because of what you 'think' they are.

I do agree that some women are way overrated, and I await the day we get a really good female driver. And it will happen. And once they are sucesseful, I believe many will follow. But attitudes need to change to let it happen.

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The two most powerful warriors are patience and time…so remember: great achievements take time, there is no overnight success.

Sorry but I insist that there's no such thing as equality in physical sports, as men and women are physicaly different. Thats a fact. Leave the political correctness aside. We are different. Biological fact.
There's no bad thing about it. Whats the problem exactly? Both men and women have their weaknesses and strong points.

I never said we are not different. You are 100% correct, human biology means in genral men are stronger than women. That's not open for any kind of debate. What I'm talking about is the people who fall outside this norm.

I've been had a go at, at work, because I'm lifting things 'to heavy for a woman' despite proving myself more than physically capable of doing it. Some people insist on treating me a certain way 'because i'm a woman', and automatically assume I'm physically incapable of certain tasks, despite me showing them otherwise. When I talk about 'treating people as individuals' thats more what I'm on about. I mean more I will be equal with my assessment of people, and treat them accordingly, rather than just treat them according to how sterotypes say I should treat people.

I am more physically capable than the average woman, and even a lot of men, but I'm not treated like this. Some People streotype me as 'weak' because of my gender, and are not capable of accepting that I'm not as weak as they think. They watch me do certain tasks, and still don't accept it, and that is very frustrating.

When it comes to physical sports (which F1 is to a certain extent, but I still think women could compete with men) you are again 100% correct. A woman and man with equal training, the man will 99 times out of 100 be more physically capable. This is why gender segregated sports like football and tennis are required. I have no issue with this.

Anyway, this is going way off topic.

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The two most powerful warriors are patience and time…so remember: great achievements take time, there is no overnight success.

If the only advantage men have is strength why don't women feature in social sports like snooker or darts, there has to be some kind of physiology going on as well caused by thousands of years of evolution, men being the hunter gatherers, women being the home makers?

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PF1 Pick 10 Competition

2013: 5th Place
2014: Champion
2015: 3rd Place
2016: 4th Place
2017: 9th Place
2018: Currently 1st

Wins: Canada 2018, Abu Dhabi 2017
Podiums: (6)

Perhaps the fact there is a perception of those being "Man Sports" - thus fewer women taking part in them at lower levels.

And there have been women entering the main draws for both of those sports over the last few years in high profile championships.

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Top Three Team Champions 2017 (With Jezza13)
Group Pick 'Em 2016 Champion

Well that's what I mean both snooker and darts have a reasonable turn out of women but what stops them competing at the very highest level, is it just like you say a numbers game?

_________________
PF1 Pick 10 Competition

2013: 5th Place
2014: Champion
2015: 3rd Place
2016: 4th Place
2017: 9th Place
2018: Currently 1st

Wins: Canada 2018, Abu Dhabi 2017
Podiums: (6)

Now, I just can't figure it out if you are you trying to be generous or are you being sarcastic...

No, it's not, not really. And you're posts are a great contribution by the way.

First some facts:

Generally women are not as physically strong as men
Motorsport at this level is physically demanding but it's certainly not about brute strength.
There are women who have proved that they can race competitively (Patrick and de Silvestro) in high the higher categories

So for me there are 2 questions one that follows the other and one easily answered, the other not so much.

Q: Why are there so few female drivers in the top single seat categories?
A: Because there none in the lower categories that are sufficiently successful to warrant promotion

Q: Why are there no female drivers in the lower categories that are sufficiently successful to warrant promotion?
A: ?

Spacial Awareness & aggression are often cited as areas that women lack. Well, again, as a generalization that may be true. But it doesn't matter. The point is we don't need women to "generally" be as strong/fast/fit/aware/agressive as the men. We just need a few that are. Just as "generally" males aren't quick enough to be F1 drivers, but a few are. Top athletes by their every nature need to be exceptions.

I think Susie Stoddart is great, and clearly she is perfectly capable in her current role. But as much I like her, I would think it wrong if she were to get a race seat and here's why. Compare these 2 CV;s

2015 Formula Renault 3.5 Series = 1st (currently)
2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series = 4th
2013 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 = 2nd
2012 Formula Renault 2.0 = 3rd
2011 Formula Renault UK = 1st
Total Wins: 22
Total Podiums: 52

vs

2010 DTM = 13th
2009 DTM = 16th
2008 DTM = 18th
2007 DTM = 20th
2006 DTM = 17th
2005 British Formula Three = 18th
2004 Formula Renault UK = 5th
2003 Formula Renault UK = 9th
2002 Formula Renault UK = 18th
Total Wins: 0
Total Podiums: 4

top is Oliver Rowland, bottom obviously is Susie, and yet there's every chance Rowland at age 22 has a career that will peak soon and he won't get to F1.

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"I'd rather lose a race going fast enough to win it, than win one going slow enough to lose it".
-Stirling Moss

I talk from personal experience because when I was younger I had the opportunity to play a friendly match of boys vs girls in football.
Us boys were a team from small village so we were very low in category and level.
The girls were from an almost "pro team", one of the best in the region regarding female football.
I tell you we were struggling badly against them.

There is absolutely no physical reason stopping women competing at the highest level in motor sport, there are a host of cultural and historical reasons, not the least being the reluctance of parents to spend the money necessary for their female youngling to acquire the experience

For every father prepared to back his daughter there are hundreds of sons with the same support...

By his own admission Pat Moss was every bit as quick Stirling

Davina Galica, 4 time Olympic skier, secured multiple podium finishes in the British F1 series

Michele Mouton won four World Rally Championship events and finished second in the 1982 WRC driving an Audi Quattro, she regularly set fastest stage times

Anyone else think it sad that, even in the 21st century, the prejudice which prevents fathers backing their daughters still exists in their childrens generation

I'm not sure that's true actually.

Go to a young Karting meet and the percentage of female drivers are far higher than the percentage that race in any single seater series.

I would say that up to the age of about 14/15 there is quite a good ratio of girls racing. I think they decide to give it up for themselves rather than lack support.

I wonder if the 'baby issue' is a big part of women not progressing further than this? Women are expected to give birth at some point - one cannot expect to be driving a single seater with a bump, so many teams may see it as 'risk' to hire a women, because what do you do 'when' she has a kid? (it should be noted that while not all women have kids, the vast majority will do, and scientifically, its better to give birth before 30)

It tooks years (and if some reports are to be believed, we still are not there) for women to hold senior positions in companies because 'they go off and have kids, and businesses can't afford that' attitude. I could see why a lot of teams would get very nervous over hiring a woman between about 21-35, when the science says thats the best time for her to have kids (fertility wise and baby health wise).

Men of course, do not give birth, so thats not a problem. Although men can still be taken out for a year by injuries etc and still come back, (think Schumacher and his broken leg), so I don't think a year kid break is actually a big deal even for a F1 team.

Most people in motorsport nowadays have sponsors. How many sponsers are going to sponser a woman if the fear is even if she gets to F1, within a few years she'll have a kid and all that would be wasted.? I'd wager not many. So many may simply be forced to give up because no-one will sponsor them to go further. This I wager is the real thing you need to tackle if you want more women in motorsport.

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The two most powerful warriors are patience and time…so remember: great achievements take time, there is no overnight success.

I just think that part of it is not an issue citing Danica Patrick as an example

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PF1 Pick 10 Competition

2013: 5th Place
2014: Champion
2015: 3rd Place
2016: 4th Place
2017: 9th Place
2018: Currently 1st

Wins: Canada 2018, Abu Dhabi 2017
Podiums: (6)

Again I see some kind of obssession with certain people to try to equalise at all costs men and women even though we are different.
For each... lets say... 20 guys I know that like fast driving, racing, speed, and motorsports, I know 1 women who does.
I think each gender have different preferences regarding this, and no one forces women to like or dislike motorsport.

Sophia Floersch has left Ginetta Juniors to prepare for the German-based ADAC Formula 4 series in 2016

http://uk.motorsport.com/openwheel/news ... ching-for/

Good to hear; at the moment, I'd say she's certainly on pole so to speak in terms of the female drivers out there with the legitimate potential to make it in F1. Of course, it's still really early, but hey - Verstappen did it at 17 straight out of F3, so who knows?

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PF1 PICK 10 COMPETITION (4 wins, 14 podiums): 2017: 19th| 2016: 3rd| 2015: 4th
PF1 TOP THREE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (No Limit Excedrin Racing): 2017: 2nd| 2015: 1st
AUTOSPORT GP PREDICTOR: 2017 United States Champion! (world #2)