Female driver would have to deliver - Williams

  • Published on 12 Jul 2016 15:49
  • comments 1
  • By: Dominik Wilde

Williams' deputy team principal Claire Williams has said that she would only sign a woman driver if they were good enough.

Williams were the last team to field a female driver on a Grand Prix weekend when Susie Wolff posted the 13th fastest time in first free practice at last year's British Grand Prix.

Wolff has since retired and no female drivers have participated in a Grand Prix weekend since.

"I'd love to see a female driver lining up on the grid but it can't just be for the sake of having a female driver in F1," said Williams. "Our sport is very much a meritocracy. You have to have to be the best of the best.

"I wouldn't put a female in our car just because I wanted to put a female in our line-up," she continued. "They have to be able to do the job and be able to deliver."

Despite the lack of female drivers in Formula One, Williams, one of two female team bosses currently in F1, insists that there are more women in other roles than ever before.

"The landscape is shifting now and we are seeing more and more women working in F1, which is fantastic," she told Sky Sports News."It is a sport which is very welcoming and accessible to females and that's across lots of different disciplines."

"We are seeing more girls coming into jobs behind the scenes in things like engineering and as aerodynamicists. That's great to see but there is still more work to be done if we are going to get a balance."
 

Replies (1)

Login to reply
  • Cloxxki

    Posts: 13

    And if she was as good as Maldonado and came with as much sponsorship money? :-)
    He did win a GP in a Williams, but I'm not sure even Williams know how :-) theories say it was a special set of tires courtesy of Bernie on Frank's 70th birthday. Great stuff.

    In Formula E, Simona de Silvestro has been mostly slower than her (highly rated) teammate, but she doesn't lose too much time really. How would that (say a few tenths of a second in FE) compare to F1 on a GP course?

    Carmen Jorda at Renault, we know loses 3-4 seconds a lap on a good day in a GP3 car. Which makes you require to be real pretty to get allowed to even work in hospitality in F1, let alone in some driving related role. Basically (and I may be generous here), half the women on Earth could manage that level if they wanted to and committed to racing for a while.

    Who are the quick women to look out for now, which ones are not made look silly by the surround boy drivers?

    • + 0
    • Jul 12 2016 - 21:26

BE Grand Prix of Belgium

Local time 

BEGrand Prix of Belgium

Local time 

World Championship standings 2024

Show full world champion standings

Test calendar

See full test schedule

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2024

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Bahrain
29 - Mar 2
Bahrain
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia
22 - Mar 24
Australia
5 - Apr 7
Japan
19 - Apr 21
China
3 - May 5
United States of America
17 - May 19
Italy
24 - May 26
Monaco
7 - Jun 9
Canada
21 - Jun 23
Spain
28 - Jun 30
Austria
5 - Jul 7
United Kingdom
19 - Jul 21
Hungary
26 - Jul 28
Belgium
23 - Aug 25
Netherlands
30 - Sep 1
Italy
13 - Sep 15
Azerbaijan
20 - Sep 22
Singapore
18 - Oct 20
United States of America
25 - Oct 27
Mexico
1 - Nov 3
Brazil
22 - Nov 24
United States of America
29 - Dec 1
Qatar
6 - Dec 8
United Arab Emirates
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2024

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
29 - Mar 2
7 - Mar 9
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
22 - Mar 24
Australia Albert Park
5 - Apr 7
19 - Apr 21
3 - May 5
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
17 - May 19
24 - May 26
Monaco Monte Carlo
7 - Jun 9
21 - Jun 23
28 - Jun 30
Austria Red Bull Ring
5 - Jul 7
United Kingdom Silverstone
19 - Jul 21
Hungary Hungaroring
26 - Jul 28
23 - Aug 25
Netherlands Circuit Zandvoort
30 - Sep 1
Italy Monza
13 - Sep 15
Azerbaijan Baku City Circuit
20 - Sep 22
18 - Oct 20
United States of America Circuit of the Americas
25 - Oct 27
1 - Nov 3
Brazil Interlagos
22 - Nov 24
United States of America Las Vegas Street Circuit
29 - Dec 1
6 - Dec 8
United Arab Emirates Yas Marina Circuit
See full schedule

Driver profile

  • Team -
  • Points -
  • Podiums -
  • Grand Prix -
  • Country United Kingdom
  • Date of b. Dec 6 1982 (41)
  • Place of b. Oban, United Kingdom
  • Weight 53 kg
  • Length 1.68 m
Show full profile

Team profile

Show full profile
show sidebar