Reacting to the F1 CEO's suggestion that there may not be a woman on the F1 grid for at least five years, FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem has reaffirmed his commitment to the possibility.
Speaking to the media earlier this week, Stefano Domenicali said that while F1 remains "committed" to seeing women on the F1 grid, he doesn't see it becoming a reality anytime soon.
"It's a point we are really working on, because we believe that it is crucial in this moment to try to give the maximum possibility to women to come to Formula 1," he said. "And this is something that we are totally dedicated to.
"We are trying to understand how we can, I don't want to use the wrong term, but let's say, prepare the right parameters also for the girls to come into the parameter at the right age with the right car, because this is really the key point.
"We are very happy with the collaboration with Formula W," he added. "But we believe that in order to be able to get the chance for girls to be at the same level of competition with the guys, they need to be at more or less (the same) age (as men) when they start to fight on the track at the level of Formula 3 and Formula 2.
"So, we are working on that in order to see what we can do in order to improve the system. And you will see soon some action.
"Realistically speaking, I don't see, unless something that will be like a sort of meteorite coming into the earth, a girl in Formula 1 in the next five years," he said. "That is very unlikely.
"I need to be realistic. But we want to build up the right parameters with the right approach step by step in order for them to start to race against the guys at the right age, with the right car. That's really what we're working on."
Among the first to react to his comments was Sebastian Vettel, who rebuked the F1 boss for his "stereotyping".
"I haven't read exactly, but it was a very unlucky choice of words," said the German. "Because it's statements like that, that I guess women are, probably all girls, are probably confronted with when they grow up and sharing their dreams. I don't know sitting at breakfast, saying that I want to become a racing driver. And then, you know, the father might have just read exactly that statement and makes it clear to her that, 'but you do like other things, why not focus on other things', and then maybe they do focus on other things and drop racing or the idea of it.
"It's important that we don't say these things, because you know, there's sparks everywhere," he continued. "I don't see a reason why we can't have a woman on the grid. I think the challenges we are facing, they can be faced by women. So, I do the opposite. I encourage every girl at the breakfast lunch or dinner table to speak up and prove Stefano, in this regard, wrong and all these people wrong.
"Let's say that, you know, certain things can't be done by you, because you are a girl or a woman, I think this this sort of stereotype thinking is slowly disappearing, but has to disappear completely."
Today, FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem, made clear that he remains fully committed to bringing women to the F1 grid.
"Since its foundation, the FIA has always supported and nurtured women in motorsport," he said in a brief statement. "Motorsport is unique as under FIA regulations, women and men can compete on equal terms.
"We will continue to actively encourage the participation of women whether that be through our FIA Girls On Track Rising Stars programme, the presence of women in our Race Control, Operations and Technical teams and other departments throughout the organisation or in partnership with our ASNs with female volunteers and officials.
"The FIA and FOM are committed to greater opportunity for women in the sport. Stefano Domenicali and I are working together to improve access and the pyramid for women's entry and progression. Throughout history, women have made their mark in motorsport, on and off track, and it is our desire, under my leadership, that the trend will continue for years to come."
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