Sir Stirling Moss says women lack mental aptitude for Formula 1

the culture of deference

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/22083547

Former British racing driver Sir Stirling Moss believes women do not have the mental skills to race competitively in Formula 1.
Only five women have raced in grands prix and only one has scored a point.
Female drivers in F1

• Maria Teresa de Filippis - 5 races (1958-69), 3 starts - 0 points
• Lella Lombardi - 17 races (1974-76), 12 starts - 0.5 points
• Divina Galica - 3 races (1976 & 78), 0 starts (did not qualify)
• Desire Wilson - 1 race (1980), 0 starts (did not qualify)
• Giovanna Amati - 3 races (1992), 0 starts (did not qualify)

Moss, 83, told BBC Radio 5 live: "I think they have the strength, but I don't know if they've got the mental aptitude to race hard, wheel-to-wheel."



But F1 hopeful Susie Wolff, 30, responded: "I completely disagree with him. It makes me cringe hearing that."



Moss feels women have the necessary physical strength to race but thought they would be lacking mentally.



"We've got some very strong and robust ladies, but, when your life is at risk, I think the strain of that in a competitive situation will tell when you're trying to win," he said. "The mental stress I think would be pretty difficult for a lady to deal with in a practical fashion. I just don't think they have aptitude to win a Formula 1 race."



F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, who appears on the BBC Radio 5 live special with Williams F1 deputy team principal Claire Williams, says there is "not really" a chance of a woman joining the sport in the near future.


"Unfortunately, the way things are, I don't imagine a lady will ever get the chance to drive a Red Bull or a Ferrari.
"The only chance is with a lesser team - and they only take someone if they come with a good sponsor. Regretfully, the problem is that many ladies who could compete probably as well as the guys won't get chance."



Wolff responded: "I agree with him. Ferrari and Red Bull take best drivers on the market at the time to go out and win world championships.
"I'm in a position where I'm just trying to get into F1, but I do believe that it's possible for a women to get in, otherwise I wouldn't be doing this."
You can hear more on Women in F1 on Monday, 15 April at 21:30 BST

paddy147

Popcorn at the ready here.:pac::D

Tzardine

Stirling is wrong, Bernie is right in some of his points I think.

Would love to see it happen though. Danica Patrick was due to test for Honda in 2008 but they pulled out of the sport. Would have been interesting to see how she got on.

clappyhappy

Watched the documentary on BBC 2 last night about Susie Wolff trying to become a F1 driver, really great programme. The dedication and time given to achieve each level is admirable.

Personally don't see why women can't race in F1.

If you are good enough to race it shouldn't matter what sex you are.

copeyhagen

it will be possible for women to race (and win) in formula 1, as soon as they build kitchens large enough to incorporate a f1 track.

Tzardine

LIGHTNING wrote: »

She isn't a particularly well liked person in the Nascar paddock. Remember the last time F1 had an American driver that nobody liked

Yeah the other drivers dont have much time for her. Didn't one of them complain because she had an unfair weight advantage lol.

the culture of deference

clappyhappy wrote: »

Watched the documentary on BBC 2 last night about Susie Wolff trying to become a F1 driver, really great programme. The dedication and time given to achieve each level is admirable.

Personally don't see why women can't race in F1.

If you are good enough to race it shouldn't matter what sex you are.

Susie is 30 now.

My young one is 10 now and loves karting, I think it's her generation where we might see a future star.

deecaz

I think it's a bit strange given Stirling Moss' sister was a very accomplished rally driver, was the first person to win a rally in a mini cooper, if I remember correctly. And this was in a time when motorsport was extremely dangerous and death and serious injury were regular occurrences. So if women could do it then why not now, when it infinitely safer. (although i think Pat Moss mostly rallyed so not so much wheel to wheel racing)

However, I'm not all that surprised on the other hand Stirling seems like a lovely old geezer but I pretty sure he believes a woman's place is looking pretty, from various interviews I've seen.

I do think that the bbc would have already have known what his thoughts were when they asked him for comment and it's all been blown out of proportion.

H3llR4iser

Women make perfectly fine astronauts and fighter jet pilots. I seriously doubt Formula 1 to be more "life threatening" than these two jobs. Case closed.

Frank Bullitt

Suzi Perry on twitter, fair play.

Re Sir Stirling Moss. I have huge respect for his driving but these comments are archaic headline making tripe, move on.

T-Maxx

I think Moss is right. To hell with being PC!

iDave

I thought Max Chilton was a girl

Stellaluna

I'd be curious to know what the reason is for the lack of female drivers in the sport. Is it a fundamental difference in female nature that means there are very few, if any, that would be able to make it to F1? Or is it the case that not enough girls are being brought up/nurtured to be racing drivers?

Mellio

Just create a Womens F1 season, would probably get way more viewers than the current shambles that is the F1. I cant stand the F1 anymore I just dont think it has the appeal it used many moons ago with the likes of Senna,Prost,Mansell e.t.c.

When Shumacher came along and was winning everything it spoilt the spectacle even more and from then on its lost its way, there are no characters anymore I dont think that create discussion points jsut bitching team mates that dont like each other cos they didnt hlep out the team.

I think putting the women out in a more even contest in fast cars would appeal to a whole new audience.

I would watch it....

RayM

Stirling Moss is an idiot. I wish journalists would stop interviewing him (and if they could keep their microphones away from Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda and John Watson too, that would be great). Fine - interview him about stuff that happened fifty years ago, but he has nothing interesting or relevant to say about modern-day F1.

Of all the people who participate in motorsport, only a tiny percentage have the talent and the luck to make it to F1. And only a small number of those who get there are any good. If only a tiny percentage of people participating in the lower levels of the sport are female, it's statistically far less likely that there will ever be a successful female F1 driver. It has nothing to do with women being less physically or mentally capable.

the culture of deference

When we start seeing equal numbers of boys and girls coming through the formula's from 6 years of age upwards, then I cannot see any reason in the future for not having female F1 drivers.

Incidently Stirling was getting into trouble before this

Sir Stirling Moss caused controversy recently by saying he didn't want "a poofter or anything like that" to play him in a film.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/9929738/Stirling-Moss-doesnt-want-a-poofter-to-play-him-on-film.html

ScumLord

the day I went to witeriver go kart track to see a race the stand out driver there was a young girl and she was more than able to mix it up with the lads and fight her way through the pack.

Many girls probably wouldn't consider go karting, we're still only fresh out of women being told their place is in the home doing girly things.

To compare it to another sport that's just started promoting females, the UFC. The women in that work just as hard, maybe harder because they don't have the hormones needed, they show a streak of viciousness that's not in the mens fights.

There just isn't enough women doing the sport to make any assertions either way. It's all just assumptions based on dogma.

super_furry

Daft old man says something daft. More at six.

losthorizon

super_furry wrote: »

Daft old man says something daft. More at six.

Excuse me!! I contribute a lot to the motorsports forum!

paddy147

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Nascar drivers wouldn't be the slimmest group of drivers in all fairness

.....or the most intelligent either????:pac::pac::D

Danica......."DONT HIT ANYTHING"....:pac::D

Slutmonkey57b

Fantastic commentary by @f1kate on espn's website.

" But at least I can identify whether or not an elevator is in place before I elect to step into an empty lift shaft."

oceanman

the culture of deference wrote: »

Susie is 30 now.

My young one is 10 now and loves karting, I think it's her generation where we might see a future star.

thats true, at 30 its a bit late in the day to be thinking of F1.

Autosport

Stirling Moss can bake me a cake. Talks alot of rubbish and i dont listen to him anymore. Now if my daddy owned a nice big company i'm sure i could pay for a seat in a team and then we would have at least one female driver who would personally just drive into Vettel at every opportunity she got

Signed
Vettel's No 1 fan

Cookie_Monster

Stellaluna wrote: »

I'd be curious to know what the reason is for the lack of female drivers in the sport.

like nearly any other female sport - no one is as interested in sponsoring them as the visibility and returns are nowhere near the same as the mens version. Motor sport differs slightly in that it's a mixed gender sport but in general I would see the same holding through.
As F1 requires such huge money it will be very difficult for a female racer to pull in the same sponsorship IMO - especially given the (stereotypical) general lack of interest in cars and racing among the majority of women, so there isn't even really a target market for female orientated sponsors.

De Hipster

RayM wrote: »

Stirling Moss is an idiot. I wish journalists would stop interviewing him (and if they could keep their microphones away from Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda and John Watson too, that would be great). Fine - interview him about stuff that happened fifty years ago, but he has nothing interesting or relevant to say about modern-day F1.

Of all the people who participate in motorsport, only a tiny percentage have the talent and the luck to make it to F1. And only a small number of those who get there are any good. If only a tiny percentage of people participating in the lower levels of the sport are female, it's statistically far less likely that there will ever be a successful female F1 driver. It has nothing to do with women being less physically or mentally capable.

^^^ What he said...Moss, Stewart & Watson in particular have some idiotic notion that they alone invented motorsport & it would not exist today only for them...retire with dignity lads & allow the new generation and cultural shifts some space to compete, evolve and continue in the sport you once excelled in.

F1 is not only male dominated but very much money focused, however there are many exceedingly talented women in motorsport highly respected and regarded by fans, competitors, sponsors and teams: FIA: http://www.fia.com/women-motorsport

There is a very interesting article of women in various aspects of motorsport through the decades: http://www.fia.com/women-through-decades

It chronicles women pioneers from Dorothy Levitt in the early 1900's to Anne Hall in the 60's, including Pat Moss (Sterling’s talented and determined rallying sister) 5 times European Ladies Champion.

From the perspective of F1; Maria Teresa de Filippis - the first woman in F1, Lella Lombardi, Davina Galica, Desiré Wilson...again all F1.

A personal hero of mine; Michéle Mouton with 4 WRC o/a wins...not ladies awards or secondary events O/A WRC wins. It is widely speculated that Michele would have been capable of a WRC title had family issues not intervened.

I was fortunate to watch Michele competing in the Quattro in the 1985 Circuit of Ireland, at the tender age of 9, while my dad shoved my face towards a chicken wire fence, all the while saying 'look at her...that's who you want to be when you grow up'!.
Another hero of mine Louise Aiken-Walker who is still heavily involved in promoting the sport to young up-and-coming talent, FIA Ladies World Champion '90.

Danica Patrick ...most of you have heard of and many more...well worth a read.

Also the FIA and ERC paid tribute to the many women in motorsport currently and through the ages on 8th March this year International women's day.
Moss is a very accomplished former racing driver and a bitter twisted old man who has little regard for non-Brits and women alike.

He won 16 F1 Grand Prix but never a championship (placed 2nd four years running '55, '56, '57, 58). Ironically he himself lost his 'aptitude' for racing when he crashed and was in a coma for a month in 1962.

oceanman

LIGHTNING wrote: »

I`d disagree, with any sport that is dominated by one sex if you get a person of the opposite sex in such sport they can get a lot of sponsorship as they stand out.

if that were true then why are they not getting a lot of sponsorship in f1 already?
i think its more to do with te fact that sponcers dont feel they can 'hack it' and therefore are not inclined to risk money on wemen f1 drivers.

Dravokivich

oceanman wrote: »

if that were true then why are they not getting a lot of sponsorship in f1 already?
i think its more to do with te fact that sponcers dont feel they can 'hack it' and therefore are not inclined to risk money on wemen f1 drivers.

I don't think it's about "hacking it." It's probably sexist to say it, but the elephant in the cockpit is women get pregnant.

frostie500

As mentioned before it's simply a case of there not being enough girls racing from a young age. There's lots of girl karters that show they can cut it with boys but, for me at least, the most dangerous thing for women in F1 is giving drivers like Maria di Villota and Susie Wolff drives, albeit test drives that will never go any further than that.

Why Wolff is being talked up as being even a contender for a place on the grid is beyond me. I know that in her case you could say that there has been more than a few men of similar experience/success getting test drives but the fact is that if women want to be taken seriously in F1 they need to wait for the right women to come along.

In my view a fair comparison is to black drivers. There was no black driver, for whatever reason, until Hamilton. He came in and was immense from day and a racial barrier (whether real or imaginary) was removed. If he had come in and been a crasher would teams have been wary of hiring another black driver? Im sure that they wouldnt have been but it would have been something discussed.

If Wolff or some other mediocre woman was to race in F1 and be off the pace we would see headline after headline of how women had no right to be racing etc. Instead for women to be able to race in F1 we need someone that is truly special. Someone with speed that has worked through the typical formulae and who is noted for her ability not her gender.

Say what you want about Danica but she is a solid race driver that came into Indy Cars and was a contender at the 500 straight away and a regular front runner. She isn't the best driver in the world by any stretch but she is a very competent driver who has done well to make it to the professional ranks and be respected by her peers.

We need someone that the other drivers in F1 would respect as their equal and not just a token woman

paddy147

Has Danica ever won a race or been on the podium in either IndyCar or Nascar?

paddy147

Louise Aiken-Walker ......anyone remember this scary crash??


She and co driver were very very lucky to get away with their lives.:eek:

paddy147

paddy147 wrote: »

Has Danica ever won a race or been on the podium in either IndyCar or Nascar?

1 win in 115 in Indycar.