2019 W Series

[SestoScudo]

The men would all get sent off for violent conduct and feigning injury?

It's not a sound comparison. Aside from the fact that women have been lower tier champions against men (Jamie Chadwick and Flick Haigh both won British GT, in 2015 and 2018 respectively), we have female football teams to compare to male ones. We don't have female F1 drivers - and that's sort of the point. Perhaps once we get them, we'll be able to draw a comparison.

Nothing wrong with a women only F1 series just like there is nothing wrong with women's only football.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

My bad, I meant that highlighting that these women are good (by putting them on show, essentially) could help to demonstrate that when in the wider racing world they get lost in the shuffle and don't get the chances men might get?

Okay that I can understand more so.

 

[Famine]

Nothing wrong with a women only F1 series just like there is nothing wrong with women's only football.

Again, not a sound comparison. Football has female participants, and in sufficient numbers to make female leagues viable. F1 doesn't. There's also no reason motorsport needs to keep the genders separate, but plenty of reasons that football - once out of the junior leagues - does.

 

[Auditore]

Lets be honest if Women raced in F1 they would get demolished just like putting the best womens football team against Christiano Ronaldo, Messi, Zidane, Ineista, Xavi, Scholes, Figo, Beckham and others you will know what will happen next.

The gap between women football and male football is bigger than a woman vs male racing driver,i don't think that's a good comparison.

 

[warp9engage]

This is a great initiative. This way women can climb up the professional racing ladder without an unfair playing field. This will, most likely, be an unpopular opinion, but it is one supported by fact. Motor-racing is a physical sport, maybe not to the exact level as running or swimming but it requires serious effort nonetheless. Therefore, just like men and women are separated for running and swimming, in the interest of fairness, the same thing should happen in motorsport. Now, there are exceptions, of course, but the norm is that the average man, compared to the average woman, enjoys a biological advantage in reflexes, hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness, due to the way their brain functions and establishes connections. These differences are negligible for most tasks, but racing is not a common task. All three of these characteristics play a huge role in competitive, high-speed driving and, in a sport in which victory and defeat can be decided by fractions of a second, in which moving to avoid a piece of debris on the track, a slight bit later, can be the difference between carrying on unscathed and losing precious time with a puncture (and an unscheduled pit-stop), we shouldn't be asking women to face an unfair slope. More championships like this should come around and motivate more women to get into the sport.

 

[OJT6627]

Honest question: Were there any women racing drivers that actually participated in high-level motorsport championships and actually put out good results? Like, the only driver i can think of is Michelle Mouton: 2nd place behind Walter Rörhl (Group B rally was nuts), win at Pikes Peak and other achievements. But besides that, i can't think of any other women that were remembered for getting big wins rather than the fact that they are women in a man's sport (as misogynist as this may sound, my apologies)

This series idea sounds good, as it may reveal more competitive women drivers around the world, but IMO women were mostly neglected in motorsport not because they are women, but simply because men are mostly faster

 

[baldgye]

Honest question: Were there any women racing drivers that actually participated in high-level motorsport championships and actually put out good results? Like, the only driver i can think of is Michelle Mouton: 2nd place behind Walter Rörhl (Group B rally was nuts), win at Pikes Peak and other achievements. But besides that, i can't think of any other women that were remembered for getting big wins rather than the fact that they are women in a man's sport (as misogynist as this may sound, my apologies)

This series idea sounds good, as it may reveal more competitive women drivers around the world, but IMO women were mostly neglected in motorsport not because they are women, but simply because men are mostly faster

Depends how you define high level motorsport I guess.
My current hero is Flick Haugh who won the British GT championship this year against all males. She's been massively impressive all year. But that is a British championship and not an international one, so I guess that probably doesn't qualify? But she raced against and beat factory drivers from various teams.

 

[Lord Protector]

Because there hasn’t been a woman in F1 since 1992 and because they have identified a glass ceiling that they want to shatter.

So that hasn't. Why does it needs to be changed?

How would that address the issue? And wouldn’t that be just as unfair towards professional drivers?

Issue? I don't see any issue... When a woman get's to be so good that it's justified for her to be in F1, so be it. Not having money to fund it is not a valid reason for this imo. Maybe I could have been in F1 if my family was rich enough, or maybe you.

 

[DonZmeuheu]

I love cars and I love women so for me this series would be interesting my vote goes to Sophia Flörsch

 

[Joey D]

Honest question: Were there any women racing drivers that actually participated in high-level motorsport championships and actually put out good results? Like, the only driver i can think of is Michelle Mouton: 2nd place behind Walter Rörhl (Group B rally was nuts), win at Pikes Peak and other achievements. But besides that, i can't think of any other women that were remembered for getting big wins rather than the fact that they are women in a man's sport (as misogynist as this may sound, my apologies)

This series idea sounds good, as it may reveal more competitive women drivers around the world, but IMO women were mostly neglected in motorsport not because they are women, but simply because men are mostly faster

There are several in NHRA drag racing. Brittany Force won a Top Fuel Championship in 2017, her sisters are also pretty successful. Leah Pritchett is also pretty good as well.

 

[DonZmeuheu]

There are several in NHRA drag racing. Brittany Force won a Top Fuel Championship in 2017, her sisters are also pretty successful. Leah Pritchett is also pretty good as well.

Maybe....Sabine Schmitz she won 24 h of Nurburgring.

 

[Michael88]

Honestly if i was a woman racing driver i would feel a bit offended,this feels like a participation trophy "here your little racing category in this little corner"

So if you don't race in the top level of motor sports you are immediately sidelined and racing in a little category in some corner? The vast majority of racing drivers do NOT race in F1, Super GT500 or MotoGP, they all race some little category in some corner. Formula 3 level is pretty cool, I definitely would not turn down an offer to race in such category, even though its not F1.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

Honestly if i was a woman racing driver i would feel a bit offended,this feels like a participation trophy "here your little racing category in this little corner"

I'm sure that's how Lucas, Jann, and others feel too, looking at their GT Academy trophies.

 

[twitcher]

Ok, I guess.

I really don’t get it though. Lewis Hamilton was identified as a talent when he was 10 years old. He did not come from a rich family, and the fact he is a black man competing in a white sport was as big an obstacle to overcome as being a female in a male sport.

Point being, if there actually was a talented female racer out there, one would think the likes of McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, Redbull, or Renault would snatch them up with their YDPs. If there’s any kid out there, boy or girl, who can match what Lewis did in carts, the funding will come. Lando Norris broke Hamilton’s record of being the youngest even carting world champion - that is the main reason he was backed by McLaren through his junior formula, because he has mad talent, not because he fits a certain demographic.

My biggest question though, is what happens next? So we have a series for women, driving what are basically F3 cars, on European circuits - two very known quantities. So what is going to happen after a full season of this series, when it comes time to sign drivers for 2020, and Formula W’s drivers are slower than Forumla 3 drivers by X seconds....which top teams are going to sign these drivers?

Is the goal to get a female from FW straight into F1 (a la Max, Ocon, Stroll going from F3 to F1)? Or would they have to go through F2 first? My concern here is that unless the drivers in FW can put up actual numbers that indicate they are faster than F3 guys, top teams will continue to look past them. I worry that if this happens too much, the same forces behind the development of this series will demand mandatory female seats on the F1 grid.


To be clear, I’m all for women in racing, I fully believe they are just as fast behind the wheel. I just don’t think this is the right way to go about trying to force
diversity.

Furthermore, if I want to put on my SJW hat, why just women? Where is Formula Asian? Or Formula African? There’s all kinds of people in Africa who are prevented from furthering their motorsports career because of lack of funding - where’s their free to enter series?

Last thing, are women still allowed to compete in F3?

I hope this works out somehow, really I do. I just think this is forcing the issue too much, and I don’t think it’s going to end up with the results that people are hoping for. We’ll have to wait and see I guess.

 

[baldgye]

Last thing, are women still allowed to compete in F3?

There is a women racing in it at the moment.

 

[Moby45]

[sarcasm] Sure, what better way to say that women can't drive as good as a man[/sarcasm]

Honestly the best part about motorsports was that they never separated the sexes(except in SCCA autox which they are now trying to get rid of). That was one of the great things about motorsports. A driver was a driver. Didn't matter who, what or where. They were just a driver. It was mostly about the cars anyway.

I believe this is a stupid idea.

 

[DonZmeuheu]

There is a women racing in it at the moment.

Yes....the girl wo race in F3 is Sophia Flörsch

 

[JockeP22]

Give these twenty W Series race seats to the twenty umbrella girls that Formula 1 left without a job
earlier this year. That would only be fair.

 

[baldgye]

Yes....the girl wo race in F3 is Sophia Flörsch

Ah I read it as GP3! Yeah Sophia Flörsch races in Euro F3

Tatiana Calderón was the woman I was thinking off who races in GP3 at the moment

 

[PocketZeven]

This is what happens when people try to rewrite facts i.e men and women are equal, some phsychos even say there is no physical difference between men and women. Men are superior to women at most things, so lets call a spade a spade and shoot down any idiot who claims we are all equal.

You completely misunderstand the whole movement. It isnt about men and women being the same, but having equal rights. Women get less wage for the same job, harrassed more and have less opportunity. A guy who is 170cm should have the same rights and opportunity as one that is 180cm. Unless it is job that prefers certain physical requirements.

But with racing I must disagree. I dont see women having any physical disadvantage to perform less then men in motorsport. Culturally it is a mens sport, but so was almost every other physical sport out there, where women do have a physical disadvantage.

 

[svenvangent]

And if we would say "man only " we have World war 3 .
In the world of fashion for example where the top models earns a 100 more than man do you think this will change !
Hey nothing against woman who like to play soccer or race race cars but it has to be earned in a honest (ye keep on dreaming ) way not because there are woman .

 

[twitcher]

There is a women racing in it at the moment.

I should have phrased that better. I’m aware that Sophia is competing in F3 at the moment.

What I meant was, next year after Formula W starts, will women still be allowed to compete in Euro F3?

It’ll actually be interesting to see what Ms Florsch does, as if memory serves, she’s one who was against an all female series when it was first brought up. If she can get a full program together next year, I’d rather see her continue with F3 than go to FW (if she’s allowed to do F3 next year, or will she be forced to do the women’s series?).

 

[baldgye]

I should have phrased that better. I’m aware that Sophia is competing in F3 at the moment.

What I meant was, next year after Formula W starts, will women still be allowed to compete in Euro F3?

What would prevent them?
This is just another racing series... Does DTM prevent Mercedes from running GT cars in other racing series?

 

[Brend]

Great idea to find talent in a more concentrated arena. Still though, funding dictates everything in motorsport so you can be the best female driver in the world but if daddy doesnt know a millionaire then you’ll probably still miss out on the prime time disciplines.

 

[DR_MOJO91]

Fighting perceived discrimination with real discrimination.

 

[eran0004]

So that hasn't. Why does it needs to be changed?

Because women should have the same opportunities as men.

Issue? I don't see any issue... When a woman get's to be so good that it's justified for her to be in F1, so be it.

Sure, let’s stop lower tier formula racing completely and just wait for drivers to magically become good enough for F1. Sounds like a marvellous idea. Hats off to you.

Not having money to fund it is not a valid reason for this imo. Maybe I could have been in F1 if my family was rich enough, or maybe you.

Not getting an opportunity because of your socio-economic background is also an issue. If you want to organise a series targeted towards working class kids, then by all means go ahead.

 

[ThePotatoKing]

I think before judging the whole idea , we should ask ourselves: Is there any obstacle that doesn't let talented female drivers to enter high-level racing ?
As far as i know , motorsports in general is gender-neutral , since the main elements required for someone to be a succesfull are talend and money basically (nothing gender-assosiated)
so the reason why there aren't any female drivers in high levels of motorsport (not just F1) would be that women are simply not interested in the sport and /or really few.

It's not that i'm against seeing female drivers in F1 , i just don't see how this series will bring any

 

[twitcher]

What would prevent them?
This is just another racing series... Does DTM prevent Mercedes from running GT cars in other racing series?

What would prevent them? Perhaps the orginizers of FW might look to the FIA to make a rule which mandates it? Why would FW do that? Because next year and years after, any woman who competes in F3 undermines FW, so it’s actually in the interest of FW to prevent women from competing in F3.

 

[baldgye]

What would prevent them? Perhaps the orginizers of FW might look to the FIA to make a rule which mandates it? Why would FW do that? Because next year and years after, any woman who competes in F3 undermines FW, so it’s actually in the interest of FW to prevent women from competing in F3.

The whole point of this series is to promote women and to help get them into F1.

Not only that, but why the hell would the FIA mandate that women can only compete in a single FIA event? That makes literally no sense and goes against what the FIA has been doing for the last few years...


It would be like trying to suggest when Formula E came about that in a few years the FIA would ban F1 because FE was the ‘future’...

 

[SlipZtrEm]

so the reason why there aren't any female drivers in high levels of motorsport (not just F1) would be that women are simply not interested in the sport and /or really few.

It's not that i'm against seeing female drivers in F1 , i just don't see how this series will bring any

Visibility. If a little girl watches a series where a bunch of people that look like her are competing, she may be more inclined to pay attention to motorsport.

I wouldn't disagree that, on average, women are less interested in motorsports. My question then becomes "why?". @Famine explains it better:

There's also a trickle-down. Girls who see exclusively men doing things don't think women can do it. Girls who see mainly men doing things think it will be too hard for women to do it (but some try anyway). Girls who see women doing things think they can do them too. The more women we see in motorsport, the more women there will be in motorsport - not just driving, but engineering, design and mechanics. W Series may encourage more girls into STEM subjects.

What would prevent them? Perhaps the orginizers of FW might look to the FIA to make a rule which mandates it? Why would FW do that? Because next year and years after, any woman who competes in F3 undermines FW, so it’s actually in the interest of FW to prevent women from competing in F3.

Sounds like pre-emptive tilting at windmills, really.