Posted by Jamie Hibbard at 3:30PM on Tuesday 27 May, 2008 11 Comments
Indy500 hopeful Danica Patrick got taken out of contention at Indianapolis on Sunday after she was tail swiped by Ryan Briscoe.
Danica's our favourite woman driver here at Top Gear, and we were hoping she'd become the first Miss Indy500.
But alas, Briscoe ruined any chance of a win that Danica might've had by pulling out of his pit box into the side of her.
So yeah, alright, she didn't really have the pace to win anyway, but that's not the point. We felt sorry for her. Briscoe denied it was his fault - as racing drivers do - but if you watch this interview, you'll see the collision, and you'll know it was his fault.
Yet the best thing was that as soon as Danica was out of her car she stormed on foot down the pit lane to confront the pesky fool. She didn't get to him, but we like her even more for trying.
What I think should happen is that she needs to go and race in Formula One.
Her feisty attitude would be a great breath of fresh air, and she'd do a lot of good for F1's American appeal, as her legion of fans would doubtless follow her move.
So here's a thing (our editorial director hates it when we wildly speculate like this, by the way, but he's on holiday): rumours are afloat that Rubens Barrichello will be leaving Honda - who supply IndyCar engines - at the end of this season to go and race IndyCar for Andretti Green Racing. Who just so happen to be Danica's team.
Straight swap?
Danica could surely fill a Rubens' sized space - not physically, she's only 5' 2" - and brand wise she'd be a perfect fit.
What do you think?
Anyway, go here to read a much more sensible race report from the Indy500.
11 Comments for "Danica to F1?"
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Gifting her a spot in F1 just because she is a woman would be a mistake.
A driver is a driver no matter what. A woman or a man can turn a steering wheel just the same, but she is not a fast enough driver to earn a spot in F1.
If she gets a spot in F1 and does poorly, everyone will just say "see we told you a woman couldn't do it". They need to wait for a woman of proper skill level.
As for her little temper tantrum, she does it too much to be put up with. It was Briscoe's fault, obviously, but she does that stuff everytime a collision happens.
It is racing... it will happen... get over yourself, you are not the most important person out there.
She isn't fiery, she is a volatile whiner and proved that on Sunday. If you listened to her radio communications to her pits where she just said "the car isn't fast, you guys have been doing this longer than I have so fix it". That isn't good technical feedback, that is just complaining.
As an F1 fan nothing makes me more uncomfortable than the thought of this little brat in an F1 car.
She's stereotypically an American, spoiled and whiney, yet not really that talented. One win in a career shouldn't earn anyone an entry into the pinnacle of auto racing, nepotism aside.
Danika to F1? Brilliant idea! This is probably the best marketing tool to jump start F1 in North America. (Even better than David Beckham playing for L.A. in Major League Soccer).
The female fanbase is already building up in NASCAR and a woman driver will easily attract more fans from both genders.
I think it's awesome, F1 is known for having a lot of pit babes but all they really do is stand around, usually next to some rich old guy. I think it's about time they actually did some racing.
There is a lot more skill involved with F1 so its not a question of 'can this woman drive?', it's a question of 'can this American deal with the idea of corners?'
The thing is, Ayrton Senna could pop Eddie Irvine in the mouth when he deserved it. If Patrick got to Briscoe's garage, what could he have done? She's abusing her position because she knows she can get away with it.
She's won one race due to strategy on an oval in IndyCar. If Marco Andretti or Graham Rahal aren't good enough for F1, why is she?
Take her on the tests and put her inside Rubens' car - if she'll be lapping as fast as Rubens can, we can tell she is good enough for F1.
With all respect for her - being fast on ovals does not mean she deserves to be in F1.
Put her in GP2 and see how well she does. After all, don't most F1 drivers come from GP2 anyway?
So spoiled whiners, little brats, and tantrum-throwers don't belong in F1, eh? Then you need to have a few words with Fernando Alonso, Ralf Schumacher, etc.
Sure, she's a bit overrated when it comes to her driving skill, but it's not like she would be wearing a McLaren or Ferrari badge. The Honda Factory team would be a perfect place to start.
I agree, give her a chance. Maybe she would be a better driver if she could turn left AND right...
Although I'm both a Danica fan, an avid F1 fan and an American, I don't believe she would do well at all in F1... not yet at least. She'll need A LOT more wins and get some control over her temper.
Cristiano DaMatta was a Champ Car champion, and he did poorly in F1... Sebastien Bourdais was a 4-time Champ Car champion, and he's struggling. Maybe she could give GP2 a try next season, then we'll see how it goes.
You have Sebastian Bourdais, arguably the greatest open-wheel racer America has seen this past half decade, struggling to finish races in F1. So what makes you think this girl would do better, even if Honda had a competitive car next season?
As for a straight swap, I'd say Marco Andretti has a better chance... but he isn't that great either. Honda should have brought Dario Franchitti over when they had the chance.
Among the current crop of Indycar drivers, only Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan seem to have the F1 mentality built into them. Whether they have the skill remains to be seen...
She's not good enough yet and may never be. Look at the list of people who've failed in F1, and you can see you need real talent to make it.
Danika won her (only) race because she happened to have enough fuel left on the last lap. Indy Car oval racing is all about being on the lead lap going into the closing stages, in F1 you have to be on it all race.