Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali doesn't believe the sport is ready to welcome women onto the grid anytime soon.
The prospect of a female driver in F1 is again being discussed as the sport promotes the W Series, an all-female competition that runs in conjunction with certain F1 grands prix. Lella Lombardi was the last woman to start an F1 race when she took part in the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix.
Susie Wolff —wife of Mercedes team principal Toto —most recently tested for Williams in 2014 and 2015, but women remain wildly underrepresented in the industry. Gender equality in sport has become an increasingly fervent topic in recent years, but Domenicali doesn't envision any imminent change.
"Realistically speaking, unless there is something like a meteorite, I don't see a girl coming into F1 in the next five years," said the F1 figurehead. "That is very unlikely."
The W Series held its inaugural season in 2019 and is in the midst of its third year, featuring 10 races (fewer than half the current F1 calendar, which features 22 stops). Jenner Racing's Jamie Chadwick has won both titles to date and will wrap up a third if she wins the next event in Singapore on October 2.
For the time being, Domenicali feels the women's only contest serves its purpose as a proving ground for some of the best female talent. In order to see change, it's his belief women must start competing at an earlier age.
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"We believe that to be able to give the chance for girls to be at the same level with the guys, they need to be at the same age when they start to fight on the track," he added. "We are working on that to see what we can do to improve the system. And you will see soon some action."
F1 stars like Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc each got their starts in karting, though the latter pair benefit from having fathers who raced at the top level. Motorsport can be an expensive hobby to keep up, particularly at a young age when there's little promise of remuneration.
Alpine started a new initiative in June called Race(H)er, a programme that promises to provide women with a pathway between karting and the professional sport. Chief executive Laurent Rossi said at the time the manufacturer wanted to "debunk myths that women can't" race at the elite standard, hoping the emergence of new role models will inspire a dynasty of female talent in F1.
