One of the topics that has been most discussed in recent years is the role of female drivers in Formula 1. The truth is that girls who have raced in the most important motorsport class can be counted on the fingers of one hand, the last one even more than thirty years ago, while only Lella Lombardi managed to earn half a point in 1975.
Yet the discipline of motorsport is one of the few that allows (would allow) males and females to compete together.
Physical differences do not prevent this from happening. Yes, physicality remains a significant factor (men and women have different muscle development) but “there are no characteristics that prevent you from running at the same level if well prepared” – these are the statements of Rafa Olcina, athletic trainer and manager of the Centro Especializado de la Tecnificación Sportiva del Motor of the Circuit Ricardo Tromo.
Needless to go around it, the racing world whether it’s Formula 1, GT, WEC or other is purely male-dominated. We are obviously talking about the field of drivers because by now the topic of women who hold roles in engineering has been discussed many times, with several important examples. It should be noted that attempts by Liberty Media, the FIA and the teams to level the situation have been made. The last one is the F1 Academy project which will debut in 2023. Debating whether they have been useful or effective is another matter.
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The W Series, for example, is a commendable effort, but not enough. And it won’t be until they are given the same importance that is recognized to the preparatory categories such as those of Formula 2 and Formula 3. Or until the best solution is seen, as now the girls are not allowed to compete regularly with the drivers pilots, male or female.
The point in that case is economics. The young men who arrive have important sponsors who allow them to have the opportunity to make the leap. It is undeniable that if a woman ever succeeds in this field there would be enormous publicity, more profitable than the same result achieved by a man. And someone has already noticed this.
“Today, a driver is nothing more than a product that may be of interest to a company: a young woman, with a good image, who holds top positions… It is something that a brand could be very interested in and in which , if it invests could get a good reward. Even now it is more interesting to bet on a woman rather than a man, because women are attracting more,” said in an interview for SoyMotor driver Nerea Martí, a native of the Valencian Community who took part in the W Series season.
“I think if I was a man I wouldn’t have had the same opportunities that I have. Right from the start, Praga Racing trusted me because they saw me as a product. In the end it is who we are, and the team saw this in me. If I had been a man who knows if they had made this bet on me” – she concluded.
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