12/21/24
June 20, 2005
"You know I've got one of those wonderful ideas ... women should be dressed in white like all the other domestic appliances." : How to win fans for F1?
posted by graymatters to auto racing at 12:09 PM - 28 comments
ESPN version of the article with no registration.
posted by tieguy at 12:49 PM on June 20, 2005
He means before Labor Day.
posted by chris2sy at 01:15 PM on June 20, 2005
They would have fans if the teams just went out and raced. Screw the tires, this is what they get paid for right!! And who cares about the so called risking their life with michelins, they do that every race no matter how good the equipment is!!
posted by Rage Rod 74 at 01:54 PM on June 20, 2005
Ecclestone's an idiot? Who knew?
posted by squealy at 01:56 PM on June 20, 2005
This just in: Sheltered Upper-Class Spoonmouth Favors Neo-Victorian Ideology Over Long-Overdue Progress! In other news: Water is Wet! Sun Rises in East! Michael Jackson Is Slightly Weird!
posted by chicobangs at 02:07 PM on June 20, 2005
Sheltered Upper-Class Spoonmouth Uh, that's not exactly right. Ecclestone is more of a rabid self-made man. Of course, that doesn't excuse this remark.
posted by qbert72 at 02:59 PM on June 20, 2005
I stand corrected.
posted by chicobangs at 03:13 PM on June 20, 2005
Ecclestone is more of a rabid self-made man. Sounds like the rabid self-made idiot has a domestic appliance for a brain.
posted by roberts at 04:14 PM on June 20, 2005
I'd like to watch Danica play with her appliance.
posted by teamskidmark at 05:52 PM on June 20, 2005
I am praying that he is indeed losing his marbles. He is apparently batting 0 for 2 this week end. On the subject of Danica Patrick however, I'd be very surprised if she could even get within 5 seconds from a leading driver in an F1. Not a gender based comment - it's just that the style of driving she does is much less challenging skills-wise (albeit possibly as or more challenging from a courage point of view). You need to experience the braking, the acceleration and the curve speeds of an F1 to understand the difference. That is why Michael Andretti never was really competitive in F1. The one American guy who looks like he might well have the talent to race - and win - in F1 is Scott Speed - product not of the ovals but of the European circuits. I look forward to seeing him in a BAR next year (well, maybe not if the love story between the US and F1 is dead before it hatched).
posted by ergos at 06:08 PM on June 20, 2005
The only thing that makes Danika special is that she is a female. Shes not an incredible racer, or a great personality. She simply looks better on camera to the redneck idiots that watch nascar.
posted by jamesasteven at 10:25 AM on June 21, 2005
Other than her name being "Danica" and the fact she doesn't race in NASCAR, I think I get what you're saying.
posted by yerfatma at 11:30 AM on June 21, 2005
So with Danica, you are saying that "sexy sells". That could be a very dangerous stereotype-similar to "domestic aplliance" comment or my old favrite-"barefoot and pregnant". I would like to think that Danica is racing cause she is a good racer.....Yet I hear more about her looks than I do her racing availability.
posted by daddisamm at 12:04 PM on June 21, 2005
She doesn't wear shoes in the cockpit?
posted by yerfatma at 12:44 PM on June 21, 2005
Yet I hear more about her looks than I do her racing availability. Well you could start by looking at last year's Toyota Atlantic series results. The Atlantic Series is the antichamber for America's two major open-wheel racing series (Champ and IRL). Patrick finished third last year, ahead of Québec rookie sensation Andrew Ranger. This year, Ranger is making an impression in Champ Car, and was extensively paraded to F1 managers in Montreal last week as the up-and-coming local boy. So I see no problem with Patrick getting the same treatment at Indy. Now, how good is she? That's still up for debate. She's obviously got potential, but a lot of kids her age do. It all comes down to if she can keep improving in higher series. Jacques Villeneuve did not win the Atlantic series in his day, despite a huge sponsorship push, yet he went on to be crowned CART champion two years later, and F1 champ four years later. What did he do? He kept improving his driving skills, had a good entourage, and made the right equipment choices. On the other hand, a two-time Atlantic champ like David Empringham is now making a killing in the lowly Grand Am series.
posted by qbert72 at 12:51 PM on June 21, 2005
Oh, and just one last point... Patrick would have more future is she competed in a series where they race on road tracks. For oval-only series, she's already near the top. The only way up is NASCAR, which I'd venture to say is not where she wants to go if she likes open-wheel racing.
posted by qbert72 at 12:55 PM on June 21, 2005
Patrick has still yet to win a professional auto race in a a car and her only win in cars coming in the pro division of the Toyota celebrity race, so I'm still skeptical of her talent, although I'll still be rooting for her. Basically I'm just cautioning that she might be a solid racer who picks up a win here and there, but she might not be the female auto racing Tiger Woods as some are hoping.
posted by gyc at 02:02 PM on June 21, 2005
In the main stream sports media, you hear more about her beauty and her photo shoots than you do her talant.
posted by daddisamm at 02:09 PM on June 21, 2005
talant as a driver
posted by daddisamm at 02:09 PM on June 21, 2005
Patrick has still yet to win a professional auto race in a a car and her only win in cars coming in the pro division of the Toyota celebrity race, so I'm still skeptical of her talent, although I'll still be rooting for her. Basically I'm just cautioning that she might be a solid racer who picks up a win here and there, but she might not be the female auto racing Tiger Woods as some are hoping. Sterling Marlin started in 279 professional races before finally posting a victory. I don't know how many people were that skeptical of his talent though it took him that long to finally win (the Daytona 500 was his first and second victories). Danica Patrick has not been racing that long yet. Just because she is a woman, I don't think it should be necessary for her to be better than everyone else (Tiger Woods). She just needs to be competitive. And, yes, it would be good if she eventually did win as well.
posted by graymatters at 02:27 PM on June 21, 2005
daddisamm, that says more about the sports media and the fans who read it than her driving.
posted by billsaysthis at 02:53 PM on June 21, 2005
exactly bill. to which i ask, would she be getting this much attention if she wasn't pretty but had the same or better driving skills.
posted by goddam at 03:05 PM on June 21, 2005
would she be getting this much attention if she wasn't pretty but had the same or better driving skills?. I thought the same thing. Remember Janet Guthrie? She was a decent driver but was a little older and not as good looking as Danica.....
posted by daddisamm at 03:30 PM on June 21, 2005
would she be getting this much attention if she wasn't pretty but had the same or better driving skills. Well, obviously, she wouldn't be getting this kind of attention if she wasn't pretty. But in my living memories, which go as far back as the 80's, she really is the most talented open-wheel female driver. I'm pretty sure she would still be getting a lot of attention just because of her results and the fact she's a woman, even if she was a less attractive one. She might not have made it in Maxim, though.
posted by qbert72 at 03:38 PM on June 21, 2005
Guthrie got plenty of media attention back in the day and Muldowney even had a movie about her story.
posted by billsaysthis at 12:34 PM on June 22, 2005
Ok, Danica hasn't won yet. Seems to me F1 has a problem in itself.... look at how long it takes for a F1 driver to adjust to Indy Car racing. Eddie Cheever took forever. Mario, blast from Indy cars and won the F1 title. As far as the comments made? Danica can race with the big boys in white or any other color. I only wish my appliances looked that good. All I have to say is good lord when she wins is the F1 director gonna be happy. No! She is racing Indy Cars! F1 should have such a smart and good looking driver maybe then people would watch the races. If all the drivers would start a race. Just who are the girly-girls as it is! Go Danica! Your the cutest little bug since Herbie the Love Bug! Wonder if F1 is afraid of Herbie too!
posted by Rob at 05:36 PM on June 22, 2005
Something I think bears mentioning/repeating: Danica is a rookie. She's been in seven races in her life. None of the top racers can expect to achieve lasting success until they've put a couple dozen races under their belt, and any success you have before then shows as much luck as it does talent. Danica has begun having success long before she's grown into the cars she's racing. If the next Andretti kid finished 4th at the Indy 500 in his sixth pro race, he'd be on the cover of SI as "The Future Of Racing" or some similar hype too (though maybe not so much with Maxim; then again, who's to say?). She's doing fine. She's growing with every race, and showing composure and promise way beyond her years and experience, sure. But we can't realistically expect to know how good she'll actually be until she gets another year or so under her belt. Let her grow into the job, for pete's sake.
posted by chicobangs at 01:09 AM on June 23, 2005
I'd like to say that I'm shocked the F1 president and CEO would hold views akin to a neanderthal but I'm not really.