Verstappen pinpoints why it is 'harder' for female drivers to reach F1

Max Verstappen has rated the chances of a female driver entering Formula 1 going forward.

Throughout the sport's long history, just five female drivers have entered a race weekend, while only two have started a race.

A female driver has not driven contemporary F1 machinery on a Grand Prix weekend since Susie Wolff had her fourth and final FP1 outing for Williams at the 2015 British GP.

The F1 Academy, an all-female racing series, was set up this year to promote representation for women drivers, with Marta Garcia becoming the inaugural champion, with Wolff acting as director.

The new category came following the collapse of W Series which ran for three seasons before folding.

With more men entering motorsport at a grassroots level compared to women, Verstappen highlighted that it makes the chances of a female driver even lower.

“I think if you look at the percentage of men and women in racing, I think already for men the percentage is very low to get into Formula 1,” he told media including RacingNews365.

“So naturally for women, it's even harder because there are less women.”

Physical demands

F1's cars are known to be physically demanding to drive but Verstappen has brushed off suggestions that female drivers would be unable to cope with them.

"I do think physically driving F1 in some places is quite tough but I do think that it's all trainable if you work hard for it - but it is naturally a little bit harder for a woman.

"But if you have enough talent, then of course it is possible.

"I don't think team bosses are people who make decisions to choose their drivers look at it like: 'Oh, no, we only go for men’.

"If there's a woman who is beating everyone else, then naturally they will have the opportunity to get to Formula 1.

"It's just that there are fewer women in the sport and naturally, of course, the percentage to make it to the top is lower."