Former Formula 1 development driver Carmen Jorda wasn’t popular among women in racing when she was appointed to the governing body’s FIA’s Women in Motorsport Commission last year, and she recently fueled the controversy around her.
Reinforcing her opinion that women cannot compete equally with men on the race track, Jorda recently claimed that women aren’t strong enough to succeed in F1. Instead, she said they should focus on racing electric cars in Formula E because it would be less challenging.
She faced a mountain of backlash from men and women in racing, and Danica Patrick responded to it Wednesday on the phone with For The Win.
Patrick said:
“I think that the natural stature of a man versus a woman is probably what’s deceiving because men are naturally – stature wise, strength, muscle mass – they are stronger. When you take the peak strength of a man or a woman in the world, they’re going to be different.
“But in racing, we’re not dealing with peak strength. We’re dealing with endurance. We’re dealing with strength but mostly endurance of that, so that’s not necessary. The level of strength that you need is achievable across the board, so obviously that’s just not true. And much of (success), too, comes from being relaxed behind the wheel and getting the car to handle for you, and then things also get a lot easier.”
While Patrick has never raced in F1, she spent seven years in the IndyCar Series and then switched to NASCAR full-time in 2012. Her last NASCAR event before retiring was the Daytona 500 in February, and she’s returning to IndyCar for the Indy 500 in May for one last race.
She’s the first woman to race consistently full-time at the top of both NASCAR and IndyCar, and she’s one of the most in shape drivers on the track.
Former F1 world champion Jenson Button pointed to Patrick’s undeniable strength in his fiery response to Jorda’s comments.
“It’s a less physical car than in Formula One because of the downforce and because of the power steering as well. So yes, for sure. The challenge that we women have in Formula Two and Formula One is a physical issue and I think in Formula E, we won’t have it.
“It’s not for me to decide what’s good for women or not in the sport. But in my experience I can say Formula One — not all the other championships, karting, Formula Three, GT, I think women are capable of good results in all those series — in Formula One and Formula Two there is a barrier that is a physical issue. I think there is a big issue for women and that’s why there aren’t any in those championships.”
If anyone is qualified to refute that, it’s Danica Patrick.
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