W Series to support F1
Discussion
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/tv/w-serie...
As per the link.
To my shame I didn't even know this race series existed but there again I'm really only a Sunday F1 race fan.
Does anybody follow this and dare I even ask what the standard of driving i.e lap times is?
They've gone to great pains to make fair, swapping cars and engineers between drivers, it's very interesting.
I wonder if they'll use the same cars as either F3 or F2 (I haven't read the link), glad it's supporting F1 though, if it gives my daughter some female motorsports role models then it's doing its job. Stands a better chance this way than supporting DTM
I wonder if they'll use the same cars as either F3 or F2 (I haven't read the link), glad it's supporting F1 though, if it gives my daughter some female motorsports role models then it's doing its job. Stands a better chance this way than supporting DTM
kambites said:
I'm in two minds as to whether the series is ultimately good or bad for female participation in top-tier motorsport but if it's going to exist, supporting F1 sounds like a sensible place to give the series publicity.
I fully agree with this, I quite often watch F2 and 3, sometimes the Porsche Cup as well on GP weekends. Usually when I’m making the family breakfast or baking or what not.It needs to be on GP weekend and if it is, we’ll certainly watch. In fact I know my eldest would be more interested if she knew there were girls competing.
Whether that’s right I’m not sure. I’m more of the opinion that rather than right or wrong and can’t be a bad thing to have a women’s series.
It’s just a shame it couldn’t generate some wildcard entries onto the F1 grid (along with F2 and 3 to be fair!).
kambites said:
I think they're basically Formula-3 cars.
I'm in two minds as to whether the series is ultimately good or bad for female participation in top-tier motorsport but if it's going to exist, supporting F1 sounds like a sensible place to give the series publicity.
It's one of those ideas that works aslong as the first 2 or 3 women who move from it to the mixed F3/F2 series do well in them. If they end up hovering round at the back of the mixed field then it will soon lose credit as a viable step on the ladder for anything other than access to some cash I'm in two minds as to whether the series is ultimately good or bad for female participation in top-tier motorsport but if it's going to exist, supporting F1 sounds like a sensible place to give the series publicity.
DanielSan said:
It's one of those ideas that works aslong as the first 2 or 3 women who move from it to the mixed F3/F2 series do well in them. If they end up hovering round at the back of the mixed field then it will soon lose credit as a viable step on the ladder for anything other than access to some cash
Well quite. If the series winner consistently goes into F2 or even F3 and is genuinely competitive, it's probably good. If they either get offered nothing in a comparable "mixed" series or do get a seat but turn out to be miles off the pace, I think it could do more harm than good. Ultimately we're not going to see women properly represented in top level motorsport until we see girls properly represented in karting. If Formula-W aids that then it's obviously good; if it becomes a patronising joke then it could have exactly the opposite effect. I think only time will tell, really.
Edited by kambites on Tuesday 15th September 19:27
Motorsport is one of the few sports that women should be able to compete on a level playing field with men. In fact, it could even be a plus point given women generally weigh less than men and that would give the team more scope to move more weight in the car to where they want it.
It needs some world-class women to come through and at least be mid-field in F1 pretty quick.
It needs some world-class women to come through and at least be mid-field in F1 pretty quick.
The Moose said:
Motorsport is one of the few sports that women should be able to compete on a level playing field with men. In fact, it could even be a plus point given women generally weigh less than men and that would give the team more scope to move more weight in the car to where they want it.
It needs some world-class women to come through and at least be mid-field in F1 pretty quick.
I assume it's because for every girl getting into Motorsport there's a 1000 boys. It needs some world-class women to come through and at least be mid-field in F1 pretty quick.
I'm sure they're not any less skilful as racing drivers, it's simple averages.
If you're handy in a car and you're around say 12-16 years old then being female is akin to holding a golden ticket in today's climate.
In 5 to 10 years I wouldn't be surprised if every F1 team is mandated to have 1 female driver.
ChocolateFrog said:
The Moose said:
Motorsport is one of the few sports that women should be able to compete on a level playing field with men. In fact, it could even be a plus point given women generally weigh less than men and that would give the team more scope to move more weight in the car to where they want it.
It needs some world-class women to come through and at least be mid-field in F1 pretty quick.
I assume it's because for every girl getting into Motorsport there's a 1000 boys. It needs some world-class women to come through and at least be mid-field in F1 pretty quick.
I'm sure they're not any less skilful as racing drivers, it's simple averages.
If you're handy in a car and you're around say 12-16 years old then being female is akin to holding a golden ticket in today's climate.
In 5 to 10 years I wouldn't be surprised if every F1 team is mandated to have 1 female driver.
Get girls into carts is obviously job one and by shifting FW into a support series that provides a better aspirational route from hobby to F1 for girls. When the numbers of girls in the talent pool grow to reasonable levels, we can start to see if there is actually a talent disparity between the sexes. Talking in terms of averages there might be, we simply don't know as there has never been enough female drivers to make a meaningful comparison. But I think we need to at least get to that point before asking that question, and at no point should anything be mandated.
Edited by TheDeuce on Tuesday 15th September 21:52
TheDeuce said:
Mandated? God I hope we don't fall so far in 5 to 10 years! How about sort the equality of opportunity but maintain the meritocracy. That's correct. Mandatory selection is a bit.. basic.
It's probably also illegal in some countries? Although I suppose it's not so different to mixed-doubles tennis competitions. kambites said:
TheDeuce said:
Mandated? God I hope we don't fall so far in 5 to 10 years! How about sort the equality of opportunity but maintain the meritocracy. That's correct. Mandatory selection is a bit.. basic.
It's probably also illegal in some countries? Although I suppose it's not so different to mixed-doubles tennis competitions. I'm personally in two minds about FW as I see what it is supposed to achieve and I support that. On the other hand, it does introduce segregation in to the world of formula motorsport where segregation (amazingly) never used to exist. I'm yet to be convinced that segregation of the sexes is a long term solution to sexual equality! But whatever, right or wrong it raises the issue and I hope the resulting reaction will attract more female racers.
jsf said:
The stopwatch doesn't care about your gender, women simply are not as quick or aggressive as men.
FW wont change that one bit.
I'd love to see a truly great female driver step up, not gonna happen based on history.
I imagine you'll get flamed for saying that - nonetheless it actually could be true. One way or the other at least FW is a step towards testing the theory.FW wont change that one bit.
I'd love to see a truly great female driver step up, not gonna happen based on history.
I suspect you're right but we need a bigger talent pool of female drivers to establish if there really is a physical or mental trend that limits performance at the top. Perhaps 1 in 1000 female racers has what it takes? Hard to know when we've never had that many battling in karts alongside the lads for places in formula racing.
Watched last years racing, I really hope they change the commentator though. Think Crofty but with a high pitched voice.
Aslong as its marketed right then it'll do wonders for introducing young women to motorsport. Some like to market it as "women struggle to get sponsorship, so this series is needed to promote them" which is absolute horse s
t.
Aslong as its marketed right then it'll do wonders for introducing young women to motorsport. Some like to market it as "women struggle to get sponsorship, so this series is needed to promote them" which is absolute horse s
t.This is a good thing, hopefully the visibility that will be gained will make it far more likely for these women to move into F3, F2 and ultimately F1.
The flaw I can see is that the first teams to act on this may be the less financially sound teams, looking for the free publicity that would come, but possibly not giving the lady in question the best chance to race at the front?
My hope would be that Formula W ultimately does lead to at least one woman getting a competitive drive in F1 and proving to younger women with an interest in the sport that if you work hard enough and things go your way, you can make it to F1 and compete. That way we get more women starting to compete at grass roots level (where the real problem is) and the situation continues to improve.
The flaw I can see is that the first teams to act on this may be the less financially sound teams, looking for the free publicity that would come, but possibly not giving the lady in question the best chance to race at the front?
My hope would be that Formula W ultimately does lead to at least one woman getting a competitive drive in F1 and proving to younger women with an interest in the sport that if you work hard enough and things go your way, you can make it to F1 and compete. That way we get more women starting to compete at grass roots level (where the real problem is) and the situation continues to improve.
REALIST123 said:
I’m not sure it helps the cause when quite ordinary female drivers are pushed and promoted in ways that just wouldn’t happen for males with similar records.
It just reinforces the belief that there’s something in female make up that stops them being as good as the best males.
Well that's the real question isn't it? And we need a few thousand females in karts today to maybe answer that question in ten years time...FW might be successful in at least getting the numbers up, whatever the eventual results are girls v boys.It just reinforces the belief that there’s something in female make up that stops them being as good as the best males.
If the problem is not enough women pursue a career in motor racing because traditionally it's a man's sport or boys play with cars and girls play with dolls or whatever, then this will attract more women into the sport and increases the odds of finding a lady who is fast enough for Formula 1.
If the problem is that a woman just can't be as fast as a man in a Formula 1 car (and I don't see why they can't be, they're aggressive enough to be soldiers and fighter pilots so I'm pretty sure they're aggressive enough to drive a car competitively) then in a good few years time we'll notice that none of the top women drivers make it into the top echelon.
Either way, to my mind FW gives them more opportunity than they have had in the past and increases the chance for that next great woman driver to be found.
If the problem is that a woman just can't be as fast as a man in a Formula 1 car (and I don't see why they can't be, they're aggressive enough to be soldiers and fighter pilots so I'm pretty sure they're aggressive enough to drive a car competitively) then in a good few years time we'll notice that none of the top women drivers make it into the top echelon.
Either way, to my mind FW gives them more opportunity than they have had in the past and increases the chance for that next great woman driver to be found.
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