Three-time world champion Max Verstappen has highlighted the numbers game at play in motorsport as the reason F1 does not have a female driver.
In recent years the sport has made increased efforts to attract more females into racing at all levels with initiatives such as Girls on Track and W Series.
This year, Formula 1 ran its own F4 category exclusively for female drivers, F1 Academy, which will next year benefit from increased participation from exiting F1 teams and appear on the supporting bill seven times.
“I think if you look at the percentage of men and women in racing, I think already for men the potential is, of course, very low to get into Formula 1, so naturally for women it’s even harder,” opined Verstappen on the difficulty of a female reaching F1.
“I do think physically driving F1, in some places, it’s quite tough but I do think that it’s all trainable if you work hard for it, but it’s naturally a bit harder for a woman.
“But if you have enough talent then, of course, it is possible because I don’t think team bosses are people who make decisions to choose their drivers look at it like ‘Oh, no, we only go for men’.
“If there was a woman who is beating everyone else, then naturally, they will have the opportunity to get to Formula 1.
“But it’s just that there are less women in the sport, and naturally of course, the percentage to make it to the top is lower.”
The lack of female participation is a failing of the sport and its ability to be inclusive and appeal to young girls.
With fewer girls racing, less progress meaning, as Verstappen alludes, making it less likely that one will reach the top.
There remains a perception that cars and motorsport is geared towards men, an attitude which is changing but remains nonetheless.
It is those barriers F1 Academy, among other initiatives, seeks to address by showcasing female participation in the sport in all areas.
For 2024, Tina Hausmann (Aston Martin), Abbi Pulling (Alpine), Bianca Bustamante (McLaren) and Lia Block (Williams) will all benefit from support from F1 teams during their F1 Academy season.
It’s expected Australia will be represented on the grid with Aiva Anagnostiadis having joined the Alpine Academy for 2024.
That helps break down the notion that it is a male-only sport and inspires the next generation in an uncomfortably slow process.
However, with increased participation rates, the chances of a female F1 driver increase proportionally.
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