Sky F1 pundit gives controversial view on female motorsport drivers
Sky F1 pundit gives controversial view on female motorsport drivers
Former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick has a bold perspective on the advancement of women into motorsports, claiming it is 'not important' to her.
Patrick, now retired, frequently commentates for Formula One with Sky Sports, and recently gave her view on women progression into the sport on the Sky F1 podcast.
When asked what steps should be made to ensure more women have a chance in motorsports, she gave a blunt response.
“Well, you’re assuming I want that, you’re assuming that that is important to me, and it’s not,” Patrick said.
“It’s always an interesting stance I have on it. I think that what makes a sport really popular is great racing. You can have half the field out there [be] women, and have it be follow the leader, and it’s not going to be interesting to watch.”
This is not the first time Patrick has given a unique standpoint, after speaking to a Sky Junior at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“I think that the nature of the sport is masculine. Its aggressive,” she said.
“You have to, you know, handle the car – not only just the car because that’s skill, but the mindset that it takes to be really good is something that’s not normal in a feminine mind, a female mind."
READ MORE: Best F1 TV commentators and presenters: GPFans Broadcaster Power Rankings
Female Series
Patrick is currently the only ever female driver who has won in IndyCar, having claimed victory at the Japan Indy 300 in 2008.
With her experience, Patrick insisted there should be no shortcuts to reach the top in motorsports, as this was not possible for her.
“I think as someone who was obviously a girl, you’ve just got to come up like normal,” Patrick told the Sky F1 Podcast.
“I do have a little bit of, not criticism, but an opinion about female series is that it's fine it can give opportunity to 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.”
Patrick believes that women should be given an opportunity to race in the likes of Formula One and IndyCar, but bases this solely on talent.
"I just think that, giving proper tests, to be able to see if a female driver is fast enough, is a great way to know if there should be a next step forward,” Patrick added.
“But as far as anything beyond that I think they should be racing with the guys. I think its racing in the same series, and they’ve just got to get people around them that believe in them”. "I think the more times that you put yourself in a position to show what you can do, the better off you are, and it's better to be in the car than not. So, I think just more cars, more track time and more opportunities to show what you can do is just always a good thing."
READ MORE: F1 On TV: Meet the Sky Sports and Channel 4 Commentators
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 News Today: Hamilton hints Newey Ferrari move as Verstappen takes swipe at F1 rival
- 1 hour ago
Newey Red Bull EXIT date revealed as F1 star confirmed at new team - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
Verstappen takes F1 swipe at Hamilton and rivals with ruthless remark
- Yesterday 22:57
Marko defends Ricciardo in 'unbelievable' idiot claim
- Yesterday 21:57
Hamilton hints at sensational Newey arrival at Ferrari
- Yesterday 20:57
Suspended Red Bull employee 'grilled' as Horner saga given potential END DATE
- Yesterday 19:57
Related news
Channel 4 F1 highlights today: How to watch the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix FREE
Channel 4 F1 highlights today: How to watch the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix
Channel 4 F1 highlights today: How to watch the dramatic 2024 Australian Grand Prix
Sky F1 TV coverage gets NEW home in major broadcast change
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860