Doriane Pin may get her first F1 test with Mercedes. The Frenchwoman has been associated with the German racing team for quite some time. Will we see a woman on the F1 grid within five years? Stéphane Kox, part-time driver and former pit reporter at Viaplay, does not see it happening. “A women’s class is not inclusive,” she states in the Women’s View section in FORMULA 1 Magazine.
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In every edition of FORMULA 1 Magazine, Stéphane Kox, Paulien Zwart, and Chatilla van Grinsven respond to a statement about Formula 1. Read Kox’s contribution below.
Statement: ‘Within five years, there will be a woman on the Formula 1 grid!’
Stéphane Kox: “I don’t see it happening within five years. There is a clear development underway; women in motorsport are really being pushed. Just look at the Iron Ladies initiative, where talented women are truly funded to race all year. And that development is progressing fast. Someone like Doriane Pin really has potential and has already been picked up by Mercedes F1. If I see anyone do it someday, it might be her. She has the whole package.”
Also read: Doriane Pin hints at first F1 test with Mercedes
“But at the end of the day, the power of the large numbers also counts. Women are still hugely in the minority numerically. They are indeed being pushed a lot, also with, for example, F1 Academy, but I struggle with that. Because how inclusive is a women’s class? Not at all, in my opinion.”
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‘Teacher’s pet’
“Motorsport is one of the few sports where men and women can compete mixed at a very high level. And how unfortunate is it then that a women’s class is created to push girls? That is socially driven. In F1 Academy, 16 girls race around, of whom 14 are not fast enough. They should have just given the entire budget to those two fast women who might have a chance to reach F1 instead of playing the teacher’s pet and creating a women’s class.”
“I hope to see a girl like Doriane appear in F1 one day, but I fear it will remain for a very long time at test, reserve, and ambassador roles, and those are just for show. Moreover, a woman in F1 is still physically a bit of an issue. But with the new generation of cars, that doesn’t have to be insurmountable.”
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