Lotus development driver Carmen Jorda thinks an all-female championship would be both “fantastic” and “the right answer” to help promote women into Formula One.
The ex-GP3 racer’s remarks come after F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone suggested the creation of such racing series during last weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix.
The idea immediately drew the ire of several female racers, including Williams test driver Susie Wolff, FIA European F3 driver Tatiana Calderon, and VLN endurance pilot Michela Cerruti.
No need for a femaleF1 series, we're capable of competing at the highest level of Motorsport! Once visor goes down we're all racing drivers
— Tatiana Calderon (@TataCalde) March 30, 2015
What's the sense in full female championship? Make a show and amuse people, don't tell me there would be a talent research in that #bullshit
— Michela Cerruti (@MichelaCerruti) March 30, 2015
Jorda, who joined Lotus over the winter and will follow an “intensive simulator programme in Enstone”, begs to differ.
“I think society has changed a lot in the last few decades,” she told the official F1 website. “You see women in better jobs, managing to have careers of their own in areas that were deemed male for a long time. Nowadays you see women competing in their own championships in most sports: football, tennis, skiing - you name it - and in none of these championships are men and women competing against each other. So the question is: why not have a F1 world championship for women?”
“Should the female championship happen, that would be fantastic!”
The 26-year-old Spaniard, whose best result in GP3 was a 13th place finish in 2012, also believes women are given less opportunities to reach the pinnacle of motor racing than their male counterparts.
“The truth is that there is no ‘route’ for a woman to break into F1. There are so many barriers, and you have to overcome them all. Men do have routes into F1, so it is easier for them to make it in at a younger age.
“When I was very young - I had only started racing in go-karts - I had a podium finish and the guy who ended in P3 started to cry. When they asked him why, he said it was because a girl beat him. That’s the reaction of men everywhere in racing - they try to push you down!”
Click here for a more lighthearted look at some of the scenes from the Malaysian Grand Prix
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