Ecclestone still a non-believer in female F1 drivers

We've heard it all before but Bernie Ecclestone reiterated his belief that women drivers are not "physically capable" of racing competitively in F1.

While recognizing in the past that a woman in Grand Prix racing would evidently have a marketing appeal for the sport, the F1 supremo has always belittled the female gender's potential in succeeding at the pinnacle of motor sport.

Speaking this week at an Advertising Week Europe conference, the 85-year-old said that a women racing in F1 "would not be taken seriously".

Ecclestone did however acknowledge the increasing importance of women at the managerial level of the sport.

"Women are more competent, and they don't have massive egos," he said.

The prospect of seeing a woman race in F1 in the mid-term appears remote. Susie Wolff, who retired from active duty last November,  was the last woman to have been employed as a driver by a F1 team, having assumed a testing role with Williams for a couple of years.

As a reminder, Claire Williams is currently the deputy team principal of her father's eponymous team.

Maria Teresa de Filippis, who passed away in January,  was the first woman to race in a Grand Prix in 1958. Her Italian countrywoman, Lella Lombardi, was the only female driver to have finished in the points, raking in a sixth place finish at the Spanish GP in 1975.

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