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F1 team bosses give Danica green light |
Formula 1's team principals have said they would support the arrival of Danica Patrick in grand prix circles – should IndyCar's newest race-winner elect to follow her teenage dreams and switch across to the top flight in the years to come.
After triumphing in the Indy Japan 300 at Motegi last month, the 26-year-old from Wisconsin admitted that she had long hankered after competing in F1 – right back to the days when she raced in England, during which time she finished runner-up to a certain Anthony Davidson in the prestigious Formula Ford Festival in 2000 [see separate story –
click here].
Though she has insisted she still has too much unfinished business in the IndyCar Series to make the move across the Pond just yet – clinching the crown being the principal objective – Patrick is clearly keen to be the first woman to participate in the uppermost echelon since Giovanna Amati attempted to qualify for Brabham back in 1992, before being replaced by then rookie Damon Hill. Amati's countrywoman Lella Lombardi became the only female racer ever to make the scoreboard in F1, notching up half a point for finishing sixth for March in the tragically shortened 1975 Spanish Grand Prix at Montjuich Park.
“We can all see the commercial attraction, how exciting it would be to have a female driver in Formula 1,” commented Honda team principal Ross Brawn, with the Brackley-based outfit's CEO Nick Fry having already professed himself open to the possibility of granting Patrick – who races using Honda power with Andretti Green Racing – an F1 test.
“I think the key thing is whether they can be competitive, because it would be a shame if, purely because they were female, they got put in the car and couldn't compete properly. If they can do that then absolutely, it would be great.”
Patrick initially made her name in the States by becoming first woman ever to lead the legendary Indianapolis 500 in 2005, and her subsequent Motegi success three weeks ago made her the first member of the fairer sex to win a major open-wheel race. Toyota motorsport president John Howett echoed Brawn's feelings that female drivers would be a positive addition to the F1 grid – provided they are genuinely competitive and not merely a token gesture.
Jenson Button had previously joked in an interview with men's lifestyle magazine FHM that: “A girl with big boobs would never be comfortable in the car, and the mechanics wouldn't concentrate. Can you imagine strapping her in? You wouldn't want to be on the circuit with them, would you?” The British star later apologised for his remarks [see separate story –
click here].
“Why not?” Howett countered. “It would probably be very good. We just need to see a driver with the capability and who could deliver performance, because we are basically all focused on winning and track performance.
“I don't think there's any discrimination in terms of anything within our organisation or team, so if we could find a suitable driver, we would be delighted. We have young driver programmes, but unfortunately most of the guys coming into karting at the moment and delivering performance are male.
