Liuzzi Says F1 Would Be Tough for Patrick

Less than one year has passed since several rumors hinted that Danica Patrick would be the next female racer to compete in Formula One. Back then, when the dreams of having an all-American team in the Great Circus rested with US F1, Patrick was among the drivers to be considered for a 2010 lineup, despite the fact that she constantly kept denying a potential interest in an F1 switch.

Although the world of F1 is more than open to welcoming a female racer into the series – especially one with the huge advertising potential of Danica Patrick – current Force India driver Vitantonio Liuzzi believes the Texan would have a hard time adjusting to the tougher demands of the Great Circus.

“I think it would be quite tough for the girls. I think Danica could be big for publicity like she is in America but Formula One has a different objective and is a tougher challenge both physically and psychologically. To be at the top in Formula One is not as easy as people expect,” said the Italian racer.

Nevertheless, being that Bernie Ecclestone recently admitted that Patrick's potential entry in F1 would assure a big advert for the sport, Liuzzi said anything could happen. If it were for him though, the 28-year old should continue focusing on her current career in North America.

“I think Formula One has seen a lot of similar moves happening in the last few years, so it wouldn't surprise me. (...) Bernie has all these great ideas to showcase the business and he is the boss so you never know!” added Liuzzi.

Patrick has a pretty impressive CV in North American single-seater racing, having become the first female racer in the history of North American open-wheel racing to win an IndyCar event – Motegi, 2008 – as well as the highest female finisher in the history of the Indy 500 race (3rd place, in 2009). However, most recently she committed to a future in NASCAR backed by sponsor GoDaddy, while running a parallel programme in the IRL. So an F1 switch for the future would be even more unlikely than before.

Female racers are not that common in F1 – at least not as common as they are in the IRL – as the last woman to enter an F1 cockpit was Giovanni Amati, in 1992. However, in 3 Grand Prix entries, she failed to qualify for a single race. Only 5 women in the history of F1 have competed in the series, while the only two to have actually started a race being Maria Teresa de Filippis and Lella Lombardi. The latter scored half of point in 17 races.