“I don’t expect a female driver in the next 5 years” – F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali predicts a long road ahead for women

F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali says they are working to create an environment to give more chances for women drivers to race.

Formula 1 and racing, in general, has long been a sport dominated by Men. The participation of women in racing has been discouraged for generations. But F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali plans to bring some changes very soon.

F1 has to date seen only 2 Female drivers across its 72-year-long history. Lella Lombardi became the first woman to score points in the 1975 Spanish GP. She has 17 entries and 12 F1 race starts to her name.

The last woman in a Formula 1 car was Susie Wolff. She is the wife of Mercedes team boss in Formula 1 Toto Wolff drove a free practice session for Williams in the 2014 British GP.

 

Domenicali says it’s important to allow more women drivers in this sport. Ahead of the 2022 Belgian GP, he shared the vision F1 has to make this possible.

He said, “We are trying to understand how to create an environment where women at the right age can get into the right car. That is the key factor. So we are working on that to see what we can do to improve the system. And you will see soon some action.”

But the Italian was realistic with his target saying, “I don’t see a girl in Formula One in the next five years. Unless something like a sort of meteorite comes into the earth. That is very unlikely.”

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Stefano Domenicali announces collaboration with W series

Stefano Domenicali’s claim about meteorites striking Earth was sadly true. Women have long been turned away from racing despite gender not playing a huge role in deciding the pace of a driver.

The problems begin at the grassroots level of racing. Girls are not given the same opportunities as boys at karting and in Junior Formula Series. This leaves them will a lack of sponsors to further pursue their careers.

To encourage more women to participate in F1, the change must take place at Junior levels. They also need the same guidance and training as males to succeed in the sport. And F1 has decided to collaborate W series to nurture such talents.

The W Series is a single-seater racing competition for women. Since its inception in 2019, the series has received support and viewership and has seen a steady rise.

Domenicali’s said, “We are very happy with the collaboration with W Series. But we believe that to be able to give the chance to girls to be at the same level of competition with the guys.

He adds, “They need to be at more or less the same age. Then they can start to fight on the track at the level of Formula 3 and Formula 2.

W series driver Jamie Chadwick has won the first 2 seasons and is on course to win her 3rd in 2022. She joined the Williams Driver Academy in 2020 as a development driver.

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