Posted on 06/09/2014 5:43:16 AM PDT by C19fan
NASCAR racer Danica Patrick could be set to become America's first female Formula One driver after her boss hinted she would be a 'great candidate' for his F1 team. The 32-year-old is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing and has competed in NASCAR since 2012, finishing inside the top ten twice. Motorsport mogul Gene Haas, for whom Miss Patrick races for in NASCAR is preparing to launch a brand new Formula One team in time for the 2016 season.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Athlete, somebody with athletic ability: somebody with the abilities to participate in physical exercise, especially in competitive games and races.
I’ll give her that
Your reply is silly. Where did I imply that she should not participate in racing? The simple fact remains, that if she were not an attractive woman, we would barely know of her existence. The attention she receives is not commensurate with her accomplishments My other bone of contention with another poster, is to refer to race car drivers, MALE or female, as athletes.
You should try driving an F1 car at speed for 73 laps. There's a reason there are very few F1 drivers over 35 years of age. The G forces wear them out. You look at them and they are all in top physical condition, and only the young have the stamina to drive a full race. I'd bet you'd be spent after about five laps.
You have hated women racers ever since.
(who's a pretty girl? you are!)
You know nothing of F1.
JPM was a HORRIBLE F1 driver and quit mid season. It’s unheard of. Of course he was driving very poorly and took out his teammate just past the tunnel in Monaco. Ran away with his tail between his legs.
“...Engineers can and do tweak the cars via electronics while the car is actually running on the track.”
It is 100% illegal to do this. They only have telemetry and can inform a driver if brake bias needs to be adjusted for longevity of brakes, for instance. The driver makes all adjustments. Complex adjustments beyond the scope of most drivers.
“...A great driver cannot take a middling F1 car and go to the front...” Again very incorrect.
Fernando Alanso (I do not care for him, BTW) has for the last several years driven his Ferrari at 110% - the Ferrari chassis has been a handful for the last few years and he has driven it beyond comprehension.
NASCAR drivers would have a very difficult time driving a F1 car - 1,200 pounds, 900 HP (the cars actually weigh about 650 pounds but have beryllium ballast to bring them to FIA minimums). They are beastly.
“F1 drivers have been known to actually pay millions to the teams for the ride.” True, but only on the little teams, and the money usually comes from the drivers mentor. The drivers are typically BAD. I sincerely doubt that Haas Racing is entering F1 so it can showcase crappy drivers.
In closing I want to emphasize my point about JPM once more - he’s a terrible F1 driver and the sport is MUCH better without him.
No doubt. Haas himself said it was unlikely for the team to have her.
He’s not spending a massive amount of money to build a new team, then train a new F1 driver - he’ll look to the pool of drivers who are current and qualified.
It’s a business decision.
There are, and have been, female test drivers for F1 teams. Perhaps this could be a route for Patrick. Several years as a test driver, gaining familiarity with the car, then a seat...
She is a toxic spokes model. Anything she sells is a net negative to buy
She is going to switch again? She failed at NASCAR and she wants to move on to something else?
It’s really quite a different environment. For example, the bikinis an F1 driver wears for the cameras are completely different from the ones a NASCAR driver wears.
Correct. She could earn a good living being a F1 test driver, since they are in good demand to test new race cars, especially during the off-season.
In corners, F1 drivers typically experience sideways forces of 4g, and about 5g on braking. As they accelerate out of the corners, they'll feel a 2g pull
multiply that times 3lbs for the helmet and you better have some damn strong neck muscles
"Military pilots experience greater g loads," Monaghan says, "but these are typically aligned with the spine, whereas an F1 driver endures these loads almost at right angles to the spine."
This results in an average F1 driver losing about 4kgs of weight after just one race.
but YMMV...
Requirements[edit]
To qualify for an FIA Super Licence the requesting driver must already be the holder of a Grade A competition licence, and additionally meet the requirements of the 2013 FIA International Sporting Code, Appendix L.[1][2] These requirements state that the driver must be either the reigning champion in a lower category of motor sport, for example Formula 3 (British, Italian or Japanese championship, or Euro Series), Formula 2, or GP2 Series (formerly known as Formula 3000), or must have consistently finished well in these categories. For example, a driver finishing in the first three positions five times within the last two years in GP2 will be eligible for a Super Licence.
Additionally, drivers who have competed in the IndyCar Series are eligible for a Super Licence if they finished within the first four places of the driver's championship. This allows drivers from the United States domestic series to move into Formula One without first taking part in other FIA sanctioned events. Under exceptional circumstances Appendix L also allows the FIA to award a Super Licence to a driver who does not meet the normal criteria if a vote reveals unanimous agreement by the members, and provided that the driver has completed 300 kilometers of testing at racing speeds in a current car.
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