I thought I'd ask this as a seperate question...

[Loosehead]

If women are better drivers as we are continually being told, how come there are very few women racing drivers? You'd have thought that F1 would tap into this talent!

[noxlumos]

There have been three noteable female racing drivers, but unfortuneatly it's more of a financial and fitness reason than a lack of talent that you no longer see women in F1.
For a start statistically women do not watch formula 1 in the numbers that men do, therefore the corporate advertisers and sponsers prefer male drivers as they can sell their products to the male audience. Secondly the level of fitness needed to drive a formula 1 car for nearly 3 hours is huge and women just erally do not have the stamina for it in a purely physical sense.
The lack of women in motorsport is almost unique to Formula 1 for the above reasons, in shorter races in differing classes women are very successful, they are just not ever going to thrive in F1 unfortunatly. Shame I quite liked Dierdre Wilson.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Women are 'better' in the sense that they take fewer risks and don't drive as fast. Their accidents tend to be minor bodywork incidents, often done during parking (which is what you would expect, since women's spatial orientation is generally less good than mens) and these tend to be cheap to repair.

Men tend to have far more expensive accidents as a result of driving at excessive speeds, therefore from an insurance perspective they are a higher risk.

[rosie posie]

why do you think there are very few women racing drivers then loosehead????

[Loosehead]

well rosie you hardly ever see one in a race, are you normally this thick? or is this some attempt at humour that I have not noticed.

[rosie posie]

well i wouldnt know as i dont watch,,avoiding the origional question i see,,,,,,,ooooouch hit a nerve did i....if you havent noticed any humour then why would you assume i was being humourus

[rosie posie]

doohh

[rosie posie]

you asked why there were few women racing drivers ,so i wondered what your views were on the matter,,whats up you not taken your tablets...........

[Loosehead]

I see Rosie, I thought when you said "why do you think there are......" to mean that there where some and I was somehow mistaken. I now realise you meant "what is the reason for there being so few" . Sorry for snapping at you. I think Nox pretty much sums it up as to the reason.

[joko]

i don't agree that women aren't fit enough noxy, there are plenty of extremely fit women who could cope with it no problem, same as they cope with many other physically demanding jobs

i think on the whole, the main issue is interest - quite simply women aren't interested in becoming racing drivers.

the desire and ambition generally isn't there in most women in the same way as it is in men.

same reason there are more female hairdressers than male - its not that they can't do it, they just don't want to.

[Goodsoulette]

I agree, I dont know of one girl in my past or present that has ever said "when I grow up I want to be a racing driver"
or any sort of driver for that matter. I wanted to be in Dynasty and most of my friends wanted to be models, actresses or nurses.

[rosie posie]

its ok loosehead...i can see how it may have been taken the wrong way,i accept your apology .

[Postdog]

It's simple really - they'll mess their hair up too much putting on the crash helmet, and they don't do designer overalls.

[Big Bri]

wimmin rule the road i love you were do you live loosehead and am not a racist

[Count_Emmup]

What about Jodie Schectker, Emma Sonfitipaldi, Joan Surtees, Marie Andretti, Niki Lauda and Ren� Arnoux, all ex-chamions?

[Count_Emmup]

1958 Maria Teresa de Filippis, 4 races
1975/6 Lella Lombardi, 12 races.

Three others never qualified -

Giovanna Amati , Davina Galica, Desir� Wilson.

[littleoldme]

Maybe it's because most women don't see driving as a competition and don't turn into aggressive morons when they get behind the wheel. Perhaps it's not so much why are there so few women on the racetrack as why there seem to be so many frustrated wannabe male racing drivers on the roads.

Just a thought, like.

[-Zorro-]

F1 women are great....and must have loads of stamina to hold up them placards for ages before the race.

[Count_Emmup]

Ducks in case any flak aimed at Zorro comes this way!

We musn't forget the Scottish World Champion Jaqui Stewart, the English World Champion Dame Ann Hill!