Representation and inequality of women have been major topics of discussion in motorsports. To facilitate a better environment, a new all-women series, F1 Academy, has been introduced. Furthermore, the media continues to focus on the physical appearance and presentability of top female drivers competing in major racing series worldwide, despite their impressive skills and abilities. Unfortunately, we have witnessed numerous instances where hardworking women in motorsports have been overlooked in favor of celebrities or women associated with F1 drivers, leading to missed opportunities. This time it was the girlfriend of Carlos Sainz, Isa Hernaez, who partnered with Puma and Ferrari for an exclusive collection.

Isa’s example is a repeating pattern, as we have seen with Kelly Piquet earlier. Kelly, Max Verstappen’s partner, featured on the cover of Dutch Vogue as a “woman in motorsport.” For this, the fans thrashed the magazine as well as the Brazilian model, as it merely dragged down the other women in motorsports. Fans called them out for not taking actual female drivers, engineers, strategists, and others for their segment despite calls for equality and fair representation.

The latest example of the girlfriend of Carlos Sainz thus becomes a major point of contention for the fans who have slandered the brands for calling Isa a woman in motorsport. As people dismissed Isa as a WIM, they brought up many more deserving names for the partnership. The partnership’s attempt failed miserably because the fans are commenting negatively about the issue.

Fans slam inclusion of the girlfriend of Carlos Sainz

 Of the three people featured in the ad, only one, i.e., Naomi Schiff, could be said to be the actual woman associated directly with the sport. Apart from that, fans directed their anger towards Carlos Sainz’s girlfriend, Isa Hernaez, as it reduced women’s participation to their partners in F1, an already male-dominated sport.

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The fans named Lilou Wadoux and Susie Wolff as the best examples that could’ve been included instead of Isa, because of what they have actually accomplished.  

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Reckless cases such as these justify the anger of the fans. What do you think of the campaign? Should the brand acknowledge its mistake?