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- Hammerhead Garage
With the increased speculation that Danica Patrick will join USF1 next season and the confirmation that Natacha Gachnang will test for Campos, I think it's high time for a discussion about the potential for women in Formula One.
The benefits of women in the sport are obvious; more attention from the media and audiences, and the potential for more sponsorship deals that the signing of a female driver will bring.
Now, I'm not being sexist, but I do not believe Patrick or Gachnang should race in the sport. They simply do not have the results to their names. Firstly, Danica Patrick has made several podiums and a well-documented win at Motegi, but all of her results have come on oval circuits. Her podiums were at Texas, Nashville, Motegi and Indianapolis; all of them are ovals. Every time I think of Danica Patrick in a Formula One car, my mind cannot get past her showing at Surfers Paradise last year when she spent most of the race in last place and when there was a traffic jam and her car had to be re-started by the marshalls, she was clearly frustrated and from that point on she gave up; even the commentators noted it. What's more, a lot of her worst results come on street circuits - Edmonton, St. Petersburg, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio etc - so how will she fare in a racing series made up entirely of road and street circuits?
Likewise Natacha Gachnang. She is racing in Formula Two at the moment, and after three rounds she has zero points; her best result is eleventh. Why should she be allowed a Formula One race seat with results like that when teams could sign championship leaders Andy Soucek or Robert Wickens?
I get the appeal of having a female driver, and I think it would be a great thing for the sport. But I don't think Danica Patrick or Natacha Gachnang will be or should be those drivers. Not because they are female, but because they simply do not perform. People say they shouldn't be denied a race seat because they are women, but in the same way, I don't think they should be given a drive because they are women, either. They should be treated the same way as any other driver in the sport: awarded a race seat because they have the results and the consistency a team is looking for. Danica Patrick said it herself when she said "The car doesn't care if I'm a chick", so why should we care?
The way I see it, if Patrick and Gachnang are given a race seat, there's a very real likelihood that they'll fail to deliver. It might be good in the short time - a little extra attention, sponsorship dollars flowing in - but it's worse in the long term. If they fail (and based on their results alone, there's a much greater chance of that happening than their success), it will do nothing to encourage women in motorsport. In fact, I'd say it would do exactly the opposite.
The benefits of women in the sport are obvious; more attention from the media and audiences, and the potential for more sponsorship deals that the signing of a female driver will bring.
Now, I'm not being sexist, but I do not believe Patrick or Gachnang should race in the sport. They simply do not have the results to their names. Firstly, Danica Patrick has made several podiums and a well-documented win at Motegi, but all of her results have come on oval circuits. Her podiums were at Texas, Nashville, Motegi and Indianapolis; all of them are ovals. Every time I think of Danica Patrick in a Formula One car, my mind cannot get past her showing at Surfers Paradise last year when she spent most of the race in last place and when there was a traffic jam and her car had to be re-started by the marshalls, she was clearly frustrated and from that point on she gave up; even the commentators noted it. What's more, a lot of her worst results come on street circuits - Edmonton, St. Petersburg, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio etc - so how will she fare in a racing series made up entirely of road and street circuits?
Likewise Natacha Gachnang. She is racing in Formula Two at the moment, and after three rounds she has zero points; her best result is eleventh. Why should she be allowed a Formula One race seat with results like that when teams could sign championship leaders Andy Soucek or Robert Wickens?
I get the appeal of having a female driver, and I think it would be a great thing for the sport. But I don't think Danica Patrick or Natacha Gachnang will be or should be those drivers. Not because they are female, but because they simply do not perform. People say they shouldn't be denied a race seat because they are women, but in the same way, I don't think they should be given a drive because they are women, either. They should be treated the same way as any other driver in the sport: awarded a race seat because they have the results and the consistency a team is looking for. Danica Patrick said it herself when she said "The car doesn't care if I'm a chick", so why should we care?
The way I see it, if Patrick and Gachnang are given a race seat, there's a very real likelihood that they'll fail to deliver. It might be good in the short time - a little extra attention, sponsorship dollars flowing in - but it's worse in the long term. If they fail (and based on their results alone, there's a much greater chance of that happening than their success), it will do nothing to encourage women in motorsport. In fact, I'd say it would do exactly the opposite.
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Granted, the IRL runs mostly oval courses, at about a 2 or 3 to 1 ratio. But still, it is a very competitive series, and they do run at very impressive speeds. That much she will already be accustomed to, and also, F1 cars (even the fledgling USGP team's no doubt) have much more downforce and handle much better than Indy Cars. So she shouldn't have too much trouble keeping it on track.
