Sebastian Vettel is one of the few drivers, or rather one of the few people, who can give you a serious and insightful answer and make you laugh at the same time.

In a press meet ahead of the Mexico GP, Vettel responded to a fan about whether we’ll see women taking part in F1 in the future.

“I think yes, I mean, in the future obviously you cannot say when but I don’t think there’s anything that speaks against it.”

But after giving an encouraging answer to the young fan, Vettel apologized as he gave a reality check that could “disappoint” her.

“So Sophia yes, there will be women in Formula 1 but, I have to disappoint you. There will not be any cats in Formula 1,” Vettel joked as he referred to the cat behind the girl.

Women have been in motorsports for many years

Whenever we see a woman behind a Formula 1 car, it won’t be a radical thing. Women have been part of motorsports for a lot longer than people might imagine.

From Michele Mouton, the ‘superwoman’ according to Niki Lauda, to Sabine Schmitz, the ‘Queen of the Nurburgring’, to IndyCar race winner Danica Patrick, women have been racing and racing hard for a long time.

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So, what about Formula 1?

Well, there has been female participation in F1, but not much. Only five women have participated in a Grand Prix over the years.

In 2019, W Series, an all-female F1 equivalent racing championship, was launched, but it never fulfilled its purpose or its potential. The major problem in W Series is that drivers are often juggling between racing and having a backup job to support themselves financially.

And that isn’t the biggest criticism of the Series.

Pippa Mann, the IndyCar driver, suggests that a “girl’s only” competition isn’t an answer to the question of women’s participation in Formula 1.

“We grew up dreaming of winning races, and winning championships, against everyone,” she said, as reported by WSJ.

“We did not grow up dreaming of being segregated, and winning the girl’s only cup.”

Female testing drivers have proved they can physically and mentally endure the requirements of Formula 1. Women are already racing with men in IndyCar, NASCAR, and other major racing leagues.

So, one wonders how did Formula 1, with its fastest cars in the world, get left behind?

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