Danica Patrick has always had a rocky relationship with racing fans due to her polarizing views and comments. However, no one can question the fact that she did rise up through the motoring ranks, as a woman, and made a relatively successful career out for herself. What’s even more impressive is the fact that the urgency with which effort and attention are being put into getting more and more women into racing nowadays was virtually zero when she began. In hindsight, Patrick hence seems to be in agreement with the likes of Lewis Hamilton as to the importance of keeping the wheels of positive change in motion.

The F1 Academy is the latest venture from F1’s side to fast-track the arrival of the first-ever full-time female driver on the Formula 1 grid. But with the fate that the W Series suffered, people like Hamilton and Patrick have acknowledged the inherent importance of giving young women a chance to showcase their talent on the biggest stage.

Lewis Hamilton and Danica Patrick agree on common cause

Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz had recently revealed that Hamilton was a staunch, and probably only, supporter of the W Series. Patrick, on the other hand, has arguably been in stark contrast to Hamilton’s eagerness to champion the cause of more female representation in F1. However, this time around, she seems to side with the 7x champion.

On a recent episode of the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Patrick was quoted as saying, “I mean I think that the more times that you put yourself in a position to show what you can do the better off you are. And it’s better to be in the car than not. More cars, more track time and more opportunities to show what you can do is always a good thing,” while referring to the need to have formulas like the W Series return.

While the bankrupt W Series may never return, F1 has now shifted its focus on making the F1 Academy the biggest thing ever to happen to female motorsports.

Read More: Days After Issuing Sexist Remarks, Danica Patrick Takes Controversial Stance on Employing Women in F1

F1 Academy gets unanimous nod

The F1 Academy is an all-female single-seater racing series. And big things are incoming for the category that is in its first year of running in 2023. With the F1 Academy all set to become a support series to the main Grands Prix in 2024, another massive nod of approval and support has been recently extended to them unanimously by all ten teams.

ESPN reported, “All ten Formula One teams will nominate a driver to take part in the all-female racing series F1 Academy next year, with each driver sporting the associated livery on their car.”

How long do you think we will have to wait till our very own female F1 star?

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