Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur recently opened up on the statistical limitations that women face in F1. He revealed that there is just “One girl for every 1000 men” in the sport, during a recent session with Ceva, a partner of Ferrari.
Vasseur, explaining his stance said as per an X video, “There is no psychological or other limit for me when it comes to having a girl in Formula 1. What limits their access is the stats. At the age of ten, one girl starts Karting for every 1000 men.”
“f1 is not a sport for women”
charles: *disagree* f1 has done a lot of things right to support women in motorsport and making it even more possible to see one of them in f1 in short term. but there are also a lot of women in the paddock…pic.twitter.com/JHKvvqU2M7— clara (@leclercsletters) November 7, 2023
“Which means that we can welcome one bit every year or two in F1. So statistically that would be one girl every 159 years if nothing changes,” he added.
Admittedly, Vasseur and his star driver Charles Leclerc took part in a ‘make-a-choice session’ together. There, the duo was asked if F1 is not a sport for women. To this, Leclerc disagreed. However, Vasseur had a mixed response. Nevertheless, F1 already has a plan to eradicate the Ferrari boss’ issue.
What is the current scenario in F1 for women?
There are no female drivers in F1 currently. However, there are women in leading positions across the sport. Red Bull’s chief strategist Hannah Schmitz, Mercedes’ Rosie Wait, renowned commentators Natalie Pinkham and Naomi Schiff and new Aston Martin star Jessica Hawkins are some of the names that have been on the headlines in the recent past.
However, given how big the talent pool within the F1 community is, having just a handful of female employees isn’t optimal. Nevertheless, F1 already has a plan ready for the female drivers who want to make their mark in the world of racing. Their plan includes hosting the F1 Academy Championship- an all women racing championship.
Saluting the success of over 100 female mechanic graduates! 🎓👏
Yesterday, in collaboration with Escola do Mechanic (Interlagosunit) and the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, these remarkable women have risen above adversity to graduate as fully trained mechanics after a year of dedication… pic.twitter.com/6eQhF20qX2
— F1 Academy (@f1academy) November 3, 2023
Additionally, Leclerc also voiced his opinion on this matter. He said, “Formula 1 has done a lot of things right to support women in motorsport and making it even more possible to see one of them in Formula 1 in the short term.”
He added, “But there are also a lot of women in the paddock, the engineers, mechanics.” Therefore, the Monegasque driver sees a positive F1 in bringing women right into the heart of F1. This is something Lewis Hamilton wholeheartedly supports.
