How would F1 change if Danica Patrick was a driver?

Question

..for any team. Do you think it would be a good thing? Hopefully it would but I think that there will be too much press coverage on her good looks and it could possibly damage the credibility of the sport and her driving.

Having said that I would love to see her racing in F1 in the future.

Answer 1

I think F1 would make the news and it would be exciting and interesting until she's dropped in which case all goes back to normal and nothing's changed.

For women to change people's perceptions concerning their driving abilities they have to crack F1 and she's not the chosen one.

Answer 2

It would be good for whatever team she joined because of the fanbase she has already built up in IRL and all the americans who want to see how she does.     It would be bad for the sport because if she were accepted into a team, it would prove to everyone that F1 is no longer the sport it used to be where talent used to matter, but rather just another platform for big companies and corporations to advertise and get publicity.

Answer 3

i don't think it will change much but i I would love to see her racing in F1

Answer 4

I have heard that she would be willing to entertain a one off test, if it were a proper test. She turned down the chance for a test in the US last year because she viewed it as a publicity stunt. I have followed her career for a good many years, and she has always been pretty competative, but she has not been a winner very often. She had 5 or 6 podiums in Formulas Atlantic and she has recently won a race in Indycar.

I think that some day she might be ready, but she still has a lot of learning to do before she would be ready for a top F1 team. I do believe that she will probably get a chance at some point, and I hope that she does well.

Answer 5

I can't imagine by much, maybe she'll have a hunky bloke holding her number on the grid?

Joking aside, If she is good enough and wins races, she is damned, if she qualifies badly and trails at the back end of the pack , she is damned. The commentators, try as they may will be either pretty patronising or 'dazzled by her beauty'

I hope she does well but coming from US racing to F1 is a tough road to go on as a Champion (ask Bourdais, Zanardi, Villeneuve. . ok, maybe not him)

I wish her all the best, as she'll need it.

Answer 6

Other than being a woman, I don t see why it would be appealing to see her in F1. She s not especially fast, and may not be up to F1 standards.  Being beautiful should not land anyone a seat in F1. F1 would lose some of its Pinaccle of Racing status if they started getting drivers just because.

Answer 7

Sorry to be cruel but she would probably set new record slowest lap times, 1 Indy win since 2005, though good isn't going to make her a successful F1 driver. Good PR for a F1 Honda test that's all that will happen. I hope one day there are successful F1 drivers again but Danica Patrick isn't it.

Answer 8

I think she will try NASCAR before jumping to F1.  Either way, I don't think it would change in the long run.  Yes, there would be more press coverage initially; but that would die down when something else catches the public's attention.

Answer 9

It will be a turning point for F1. The Americans could actually be interested to watch F1 then. And loads of sponsorship will come in. Not sure how good she is in the series she's driving in now but if she wants to really make a good impact in F1, she'd have to be a challenge to the frontrunners.

Answer 10

I think you're jumping the gun a bit.

EDIT: Actually, It would be really funny if she did a Hamilton on them all in her first season and just kept getting better and better and rinsed the floor with them all and then became Alonso teamate in Honda.