Current F2 race driver and cousin of Sebastien Buemi, Natacha Gachnang is hoping to be the next female driver in Formula One. The young hopeful has previously raced with the Campos Spanish F3 team, and is expecting that her relationship with the team will allow them to race together once more, but this time around in the pinnacle of motor sports.
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When F1 teams hire a driver from outside F1 it's always a gamble, but it can be a gamble worth taking when the driver will improve the image and marketing potential of the team. Natascha will certainly do that for any team that hires her.
On the surface, it seems really cool to have one or two attractive female drivers on the grid. But that's selfish, and we need to understand just how it will affect the women. Obviously, anyone entering Formula One is entering the deep end of the pool, facing the best drivers in the world, and under enormous pressure. But they are facing the very best, and if they do not have talent or suffer from lack of proper experience, they will fail. A pretty face and tits will get you in the door, but if you expect to last for more than just a few months, you will have to deliver respect and results. These women are realists, and I believe are very capable of making decisions that do not lead to dead ends for their careers.
So what would most likley happen to Natacha and Danica if they did get involved in Formula One as drivers? The first few months would be wonderful for them, a glorious honeymoon. Huge salary, lots of endorsements and fans, life would be good. But like almost all rookies, it will be very difficult to satisify the demands of fans and teams. Once the honeymoon is over, they will have to produce results because of their high profiles. It's extremely difficult for a rookie to make an impact, they only come along about only one per decade. So the odds are is that these ladies will fail by Formula One standards, and be discarded soon after the novelty wears off. Then what happens to them? Used and discarded by the fans and teams, they will have to re-invent themselves and hopefully seek employment in other racing series. That's not a pretty picture, but a scenario I believe will be played out if it ever comes to be.
Lately, rookies have entered Formula One via GP2. But even having success in that series is no guarantee for success in Formula One. Just look at Nelson Piquet Jr. His record before he entered Formula One is stellar. But now he's in Formula One, and definitely struggling.
I would love to see a woman racing in Formula One. I believe that the days of gender inequality is history, and it's only a matter of time before a woman steps to the top podium of racing. But I believe that the right woman has not arrived yet.
Racing should be decided on the track, not the court room.
Dave I couldn't agree more. While it would be a great publicity stunt initially, which would obvioulsy lead to more press coverage and probably sponsorship revenue, eventually they driver has to get the real job done of producing results on the track. It doesn't matter if its's a man or a woman, at the end of the day, they're either up to the job, or they're not. Any driver that fails in F1 will have a tough time re-inventing themselves in another formula. Just look at Ralf - despite having years of F1 experience, and even a few wins, he's being driving second hand DTM cars until this year!
I'd love to have some more eye candy on the F1 grid, but not for a marketing exercise, only if they're good enough. After all, that's what actually matters!
