Hard to believe we’re still dealing with this, but we are.
In 1897, the first recorded race of motorized vehicles driven by women was held at a horse track in Paris. More than 121 years later, the W Series – an all-women junior open-wheel series that will debut as support for DTM touring car races in 2019 – was unveiled.
On paper, it’s a sincere effort to provide female racers with a starting point on their path to Formula One. In reality, it’s ill-advised. More accurately, it’s demeaning, patronizing and insulting.
Giving aid by segregating, even if the stated intent is to integrate at a higher level, doesn’t help. Opportunities exist for women in ladder series, however sparse. Separating racers by gender at the developmental stage adds nothing.
We’ve been over this before. Women have been driving race cars professionally and competitively against men for more than a century. It’s what sets racing apart from other sports. Everyone is welcome. Everyone – in theory, anyway – can succeed. Motorsport doesn’t need a WNBA. It certainly doesn’t need one at the entry level.
Until people at the top level of the money/power dynamic decide to hire talented women to drive race cars, it will continue to be the same old boys club. They’ve had their chances – Simona de Silvestro in 2014, anyone? – but didn't give the time and effort they've deserved. Established, capable female racers are out there, yet F1 doesn’t seem interested.
Since Maria Teresa de Filippis broke the F1 gender barrier in 1958, only four other women have followed – none since 1992. That’s beyond unacceptable. In other forms of racing, women are winning races and championships. Dozens of skilled pros emerge from karting and ladder series every year, their numbers increasing exponentially with each passing year. Yet F1 remains a closed and locked door.
Not surprisingly, the W Series hasn’t gone over well. Lyn St. James, Pippa Mann and Leilani Münter are among those who have criticized the idea:
Women don’t need help at the lower levels of motorsports; they need help breaking the glass ceiling that keeps them from reaching the highest level. Until an F1 team hires a woman and gives her the equipment and team capable of winning races, we’ll continue to see women stopped just short.
Until that change happens, ideas like the W Series will continue to surface.
That groundbreaking race in 1897? It was a motorized tricycle race, its intent more carnival and spectacle than legitimate sporting event. It was designed to generate laughter and derision, which it succeeded in doing. No men were involved. Just eight women.
Sadly, the passage of 121 years doesn’t always mean progress.