It’s International Women’s Day and I was going to give you a roundup of 5 incredible women in motorsport or 5 initiatives that are pushing for more diversity.
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But then I realised that the thing I really want to talk about is the stick we get for being female fans.
Women Aren’t Capable Of Enjoying Racing
First and foremost when did it become a crime to find someone attractive?
So what if someone finds Charles Leclerc hot? Or thinks Carlos Sainz should be a model. I’ll say it again, so what!
But to say we can’t enjoy the sport. To say we can’t enjoy watching racing. Or we can’t enjoy the nuances of a car design, just because we are women, is downright degrading!
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Stop Integrating Us!
Who won the World Championship in 1972? How many Grand Prix‘s did the Jordan F1 team win between 1995 and 2005? And at what circuit was the European Grand Prix held in 1997? Ahhh!! I don’t know!!
It’s crazy to think that because I am a woman it is okay to grill me. You can’t just accept I am a fan? You have to interrogate me like I’m some sort of prisoner.
I love Formula 1 but I also don’t remember what I had for breakfast last week, so stop asking me trivia questions to try and catch me out.
It’s not okay.
I don’t see you questioning ‘John’ down the pub about about his football knowledge? Would he know exactly who scored the winning premier league goal in 1994, 1997 and 2002?
A Fan Is A Fan
Why does gender mean you can’t take a fan seriously?
How do we expect to see changes in motorsport, a female driver in Formula 1 or more women working in motorsports if there isn’t even respect for female fans?
That misogynistic comment you left on TikTok.
That eye roll you make when a woman says she’s a Formula 1 fan.
And the fact that you don’t take us seriously.
Makes you part of the problem.
One Step Forward For Women Two Steps Back
We are finally seeing a rise in female fans within motorsport but it seems like men are determined to put a stop to it. We’ve taken a step forward, so now isn’t the time to take two steps back.
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Whilst Formula 1 is certainly no stranger to sexism, in recent years the problem has been thrust into the spotlight. With prominent motorsport figures such as Christian Horner making comments suggesting women are drawn to Drive to Survive because of attractive drivers and Joe Saward suggesting women watch F1 for the male eye candy, we really do have a long way to go.
The culture of sexism thankfully is on the decline but in such male dominated industries like motorsport there is a long battle ahead. And it starts with ensuring that women are not an afterthought but a priority. It starts with recognising that comments from Joe Saward (Journalist) and Christian Horner (Red Bull team principle) are not okay and ensuring they are reprimanded.
We need to demand more as female fans and it starts with calling out misogynistic and degrading comments.
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