1 year ago
113 Beitske Visser of Netherlands and Sirin Racing (95) leads Marta Garcia of Spain and CortDAO W Series Team (19) during the W Series Round 6 contention connected October 02, 2022 successful Singapore.
Clive Mason | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
Formula 1 is readying to make a caller women's racing series.
The title — which would beryllium for younger drivers aged 16 to 22 — is planned to tally alongside the likewise all-female W Series which has deed fiscal difficulties, canceling its past 3 events successful 2022.
It is believed that the bid would signifier portion of the Formula 2 and Formula 3 feeder pyramid, and could travel arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2023.
It is apt determination volition beryllium betwixt 12 and 15 drivers connected the grid.
F1 would not corroborate details of the bid but a spokesperson said: "We are committed to ensuring the champion imaginable opportunities for women to get into our athletics and to get the skills and acquisition indispensable to get to the apical of F1."
The quality comes aft Lewis Hamilton criticized F1 for not affording much assistance to W Series.
W Series, which aims to beryllium a feeder for women into F1, was expected to clasp its penultimate circular of the twelvemonth successful enactment of this weekend's United States GP, nevertheless fundraising issues led to them curtailing their play early.
Jamie Chadwick, Britain's runaway leader, was crowned champion for the 3rd time, maintaining her 100% grounds successful the championship.
Hamilton, speaking to the media connected Thursday, said helium felt F1 should person done much to assistance W Series.
"There is not capable practice crossed the board, wrong the industry," stated Hamilton.
"And there's not truly a pathway for those young, astonishing drivers to adjacent get to Formula 1, and past you person immoderate radical who accidental we're ne'er going to spot [another] pistillate F1 operator ever. So that's not a bully communicative to beryllium putting out.
"So I deliberation we request to beryllium doing more, and with the organization, with Formula 1 and Liberty [Media, F1 owners] doing truthful good it's not a batch for them to beryllium capable to assistance retired successful that space."
What volition it instrumentality to get F1's adjacent pistillate driver?
It has been 30 years since determination was a pistillate racing successful F1, and Sky Sports F1's Danica Patrick and Jenson Button had their accidental connected the taxable during Friday's signifier build-up.
"I don't cognize if it is needfully successful the signifier of a bid arsenic overmuch arsenic it is simply a civilization and accepting and giving them a chance," said Patrick, wide renowned arsenic the astir palmy pistillate successful the past of American open-wheel racing.
"I travel from a unsocial presumption wherever I conscionable came up done the ranks, I didn't thrust successful a pistillate series, determination was nary female-oriented constituent to it.
"I americium a miss and I cognize that played into maine having opportunities with sponsors but that inactive came up done the classical ranks truthful truly what it takes to instrumentality astir and marque it to the apical is that you are fixed truly bully rides on the mode and are capable to amusement your talent.
"So it conscionable truly takes a civilization of the radical who ain teams believing successful them and giving them a chance, adjacent if it conscionable a trial to spot what they are susceptible of.
"I deliberation determination are decidedly sponsors that leap connected committee due to the fact that it is unsocial to sponsor a miss and they volition get a batch of attraction — but what it takes is that content and religion that they are going to marque it each the mode to the top.
"I don't deliberation that it is needfully a sponsor not going each the mode to the top, it is simply a operator having each the endowment to spell to each the mode to the top.
"There are plentifulness of men that don't marque it each the mode truthful they conscionable request to beryllium astatine the close spot astatine the close clip and beryllium fixed bully opportunities with a bully car.
"I ever knew successful my bosom that if I was fixed the accidental with a bully car I could amusement them what I was susceptible of and fortunately it worked retired for maine and my vocation and that is what conscionable has to happen."
Button, the 2009 F1 satellite champion, added: "I deliberation for me, having W Series, I was ne'er a large instrumentality of separating men and women successful racing but I besides deliberation it is large for the young kids and the young girls having a relation exemplary similar Jamie Chadwick arsenic a driver.
"When you look astatine youngsters, determination is simply a precise tiny percent of women that really privation to spell connected and contention cars and I deliberation it is due to the fact that they can't spot it."
