American ex-racer Danica Patrick reveals SHOCKING opinions on what must be done for women’s equality in motorsports
Danica Patrick has revealed what she thinks the motorsports franchises should do to increase women's participation in motorsports.
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Only a few decades ago, Formula One was viewed in a regressive manner as an elitist sport reserved only for the privileged Europeans. But since the time the handover of the franchise occured from Bernie Ecclestone to the Liberty Media, the sport has had leaps and bounds towards becoming more inclusive. Despite all the attempts, F1 still has only one black driver in its history, Lewis Hamilton, and there is no women racers to be seen in the highest league of motorsports.
To promote the rise of female racers, the Formula One Management has brought about the widely appreciated F1 Academy initiative. Before this, the Formula W was also being held for a couple of years before it has to be cancelled due to financial issues. The start of the F1 Academy has rekindled hope that the world of motorsports will see more female participation a few years later, put former NASCAR racer Danica Patrick disagrees with this view.
Patrick is most successful female car racer in the history of America, and ever since leaving the racetracks, she has been very vocal about women’s place in motorsports. When asked how she feels about the F1 Academy, she said, “I do have a bit of, not a criticism, but an opinion about female series. It’s fine, it can give opportunity for some who might not get a chance otherwise to show what they can do, but at the end of the day, you’re going to have to race against guys.”
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All-women racing series is not the solution, claims Danica Patrick
Motorsports is a heavily male-dominated field, and as a measure to change that, F1 has started the all-female F1 Academy initiative. But Danica Patrick believes the women racers should be pitted against their male counterparts from the very beginning so that they can improve themselves to match the men. As a current Sky Sports presenter, Patrick spoke on their podcast about her views on a female racing series,
“You’re assuming I want that, you’re assuming that is important to me. It’s not.“
A few months ago, the F1 Academy took a massive step by broadcasting their races live, as confirmed by their managing director Susie Wolff. The path towards equality in Formula One is quite complex, especially since there are billions of dollars at stake. But it is only a hope that the motorsports world reaches there in due time as inclusivity is the only way in today’s world.
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Riddhi Mondal
(1821 Articles Published)