NEWS: Bernie Ecclestone, F1 CEO, Not a Fan of Women

CULTURE: Bernie Ecclestone, F1 CEO, Not a Fan of Women

Formula One racing, generally considered the best and most distinguished racing in the world, has an asshole for a CEO. Danica Patrick, Indy Racing phenomenon who finished fourth in this year's Indy 500, has mentioned that she would be interested in a move to F1 if a team approached her. Bernie Ecclestone, F1's CEO, was asked what he thought about Ms. Patrick. What he said was, well, beyond comprehension.

Fucking WOW.

Fucking WOW indeed. I mean sure we all think but to say it out loud in a interview takes guts. [BTW, I am sooooo just kidding.]

What an assbag.

Oh no, you're absolutely right. That does take guts. He'll never be able to show his face in... well.. Shit, a lot of places anymore. Imagine never being able to go into a restaurant again for fear of being shanked with a fork by a random passerby.

The other quote in the source article is really odd too.

seriously... this guy is a complete dick, and for that his dick shall get none!

Loads of F1 drives are sorted out by the sponsorship/money a driver brings to a team so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that a woman could get a drive but it would most likely be in a non-competetive car. As there is no parallel parking and she wouldn't be expected to reverse park it into the garage I can't see anything stopping a woman from doing as good a job as a man of equal talent. Plus there is also the lack of a need to navigate to assist as well. All of which has got to be good for the argument to have women racing in F1.

[Edited on Jun 20, 2005 by Crivelli]

Anyone who follows F1 passionately will know Bernie's sense of humor is somewhat a little on the dry side...

Out of curiosity, why is this Danica Patrick an Indy Racing "phenomenon" then?

are you kidding. he owns F1. how rich do you think he is? how much younger than him do you think his wife is? the man isn't going to have any trouble getting any, because - luckily - he has to rely neither on his looks or his charming turn of phrase. or, it seems, actually being able to organise an F1 race

Well, why is she a "phenomenon" - she managed to finish 4th in the Indy 500 - so what? A really good effort to be proud of i'm sure but worthy of the tag line "phenomenon" ?

That is unless all the other competitors who finished 4th in the Indy 500 in previous years where tagged "phenomenon's" too in which case its a cultural or traditional thing.

Unusual, significant; remarkable person--She's a rookie driver, she's good, and if fuel didn't become a factor, she very well might have won the Indy 500. That makes her unusual and significant. She's also a woman, and while women are obviously capable of great things in every facet of life, it is rare that a woman compete at this elite level alongside men. That is unfortunate, but it is the way things have gone. Perhaps in the future this will be different (hopefully), as women will be more prevalent in motorsports, etc. However, until then, this qualifies as notable, and Danica qualifies as a phenom, or phenomenon.

actually, she is the 4th female to compete in the indy 500

</nitpick>

To finish fourth in that race is actually quite a feat...it truly is. This is her rookie year in there too isn't it? Rookies don't normally get that high up against the the seniors. They usually take their lumps for a couple of seasons. So, I think she is a phenomenon. There is another driver this year who also is like that (but is a guy). It is a very tough field to get high up in. 4th is an amazing race...

It still doesn't take away from the fact that guy is a misogynistic prick. and racist too! Fuck, let the women drive and spank the boys asses. There are many professional women in other driving leagues. I believe the most famous one is the drag racer...though I will never remember her name for the life of me.(then again I never remember most of the names)

This is true. But she has fared the best.

While we're on this one, what ever happened to Sarah Fisher, who raced in the Indy 500 a few years ago and took a McLaren for a spin around the F1 Indianapolis track? Is she still driving?

You so missed an opportunity to say "Not of a fan of the ladies, are you, Ecclestone?"

i think women could do well in f1 the sad thing is the teams are too afraid to try it out. there has been women f1 drivers but only in backmarker teams one did score a point but i cant remember her name. and as for bernie he said saturday night he was 100% certain all 20 cars would race on sunday. He does get things wrong.

Really no point in moving to F1. At the US Grand Prix over the weekend they only started 6 cars, made one parade lap, and finished. All because F1 wouldn't let the teams replace defective tires, which Michellin made readily available. Something you would have expected from CART, not F1. Further proof that the IRL is the only series worth watching

new AIM away message!

And I thought NASCAR was sexist. I wonder what he thinks about people of color.