Formula One chief executive, Bernie Ecclestone, believes that a female driver “wouldn’t be taken seriously” at the top-level of motor racing.
These comments come not long after Susie Wolff launched the “Dare to be Different” scheme that will help increase the number of female drivers in motor sport.
However, Ecclestone, who has previously suggest having a women’s F1 Championship, doubts that there will be a female racer in Formula One.
It has been almost 40 years since a woman started an F1 race, Italian driver Lella Lombardi was the last to do so when she competed at the Austrian Grand Prix in 1976, she went on to finish 12th albeit last of the classified drivers.
In an interview with Canadian TV network TSN, Ecclestone was asked if he expected a female driver to return to the grid: “I doubt it.” he said.
“If there was somebody that was capable they wouldn’t be taken seriously anyway, so they would never have a car that is capable of competing.
“There was a girl that was driving in GP3 for a whole season, so it is not something that hasn’t happened.”
The driver he was referring to is Alice Powell, who was the first woman to win the Formula Renault series and is now an ambassador for the “Dare to be Different” initiative.
“Someone needs to prove Bernie wrong.” the 22-year-old said.
“It would be a shame if a team would turn down a female to race in F1 because they would not be taken seriously.
“That is one of the issues though, that people don’t take the chance as they think it will be a joke. We’re not a joke and it is just another factor which makes it harder for females to race at the highest level.”
Powell is among just a few women who have come close to a Formula 1 seat, along with Susie Wolff, who took part in a practice session for Williams last year before retiring from the sport, and Carmen Jorda who was employed as a development driver for Lotus last year.
Simona de Silvestro, who now competes in the Formula E series, was also on the brink of F1 when she tested for Sauber, but unfortunately ran out of funds.
