Formula One: The Women Who Do Work Part One

It seems that every few years, the question comes up to why there are no women in the paddock.  Many teams and driver's assume that it is the fact that women cannot handle the F1 cars.  In our current position in the sport, it may be true.  There are no women currently in and motorsport which leads to a super licence that are dependable and reliable. 

Yes we have women who are currently in motor sports that do race but cannot maintain the necessary standards at each race to support a move to Formula One. 


Giovanna Amati

 The last time that we have witnessed a woman in the paddock was in 1992, Giovanna Amati had a chance to race for Brabham Formula One team. 

In the 1976 British Grand Prix was the first and only time that the paddock saw two women vying for a drive during the grand prix weekend. With the current state of women's rights and the process of sponsors arriving at a team with a driver, it seems curious that it was only during the 'feminisim movement' in the 60's that brought women onto circuit and not in present times; times where we see women running massive corporations and finally breaking through the 'glass ceiling'. 

List of females that have made it into the paddock:

Maria Teresa de Filippis



• Maria Teresa de Filippis drove from 1958 - 1959 for Maserati and Behra-Porsche. She entered 5 Grand Prixs and started 3.
• Lella Lombardi drove from 1974 - 1976 for March, RAM and Williams. She entered 17 Grand Prixs and started 12. On a side note, Lombardi was the first (and only) woman to score points in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. She received half a point due to the race only lasting half its distance. 




Lella Lombardi


• Divina Galica drove from 1976 - 1978 for Surtees and Hesketh. She entered 3 Grand Prixs and started 0.
• Desiré Wilson drove in 1979 for Williams. She entered 1 Grand Prix and started 0.
• Giovanna Amati drove in 1992 for Brabham. She entered 3 Grand Prixs and started 0.

 
Bernie Ecclestone has frequently expressed a desire to have a woman driver, particularly for the marketing value. But there are a lot of current driver's managers that say they would refuse to take on a woman driver for the lack of available sponsors. Yet many would be able to plainly see that these managers are afraid of taking on a driver that may not even be able to finish a race. 

What I mean it is that the sticking point is often whether a woman would be physically capable of handling a Formula One car, which submits drivers to huge G-forces in cornering and braking.

Katherine Legge

“It would be interesting to have the equal opportunity, the equal car, no politics, nobody’s controlling situation, and then we would see how quick we really are,” Katherine Legge said. “The problem is that no team wants to be the first to hire one, and to risk looking stupid if the girl can’t finish the race,” she added. “We just need to be given the opportunity.”

We see throughout all other facets of motorsports, female participation and female success.  Why not in Formula One?  Maybe what the FIA or an individual team might have to do is essentially 'breed' a female driver. 

Just like Lewis Hamilton, start young and mould them into the perfect driver.  Or better yet, look outside the norm.  Send some talent scouts out across the world.  There may be a woman lapping some insane little track in a far off corner of the world that is just waiting to be found...