Sarah Fisher?

[Testure]

Anything happen in the "demonstration run" she was to complete during Friday practice? Did it go ahead? Was it shown as part of the digital coverage?

[Jay]

By Alan Baldwin:

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - American Sarah Fisher has put women racers back on the Formula One radar as the first to drive a grand prix car in a decade.

The 21-year-old stepped into the spare McLaren, normally reserved for Scot David Coulthard and Finn Kimi Raikkonen, to perform a three-lap demonstration at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ahead of Sunday's U.S. Grand Prix.

In doing so, the Indy Racing League (IRL) regular became the first woman since Italian Giovanna Amati in 1992 to experience the flat out power of a Formula One car on a regular grand prix circuit.

"It was great, it was fun, I didn't get to light it up very much because obviously I only had three laps to do it," she said.

"I don't see any reasons why a female shouldn't be able to compete in Formula One...every car is different but every car is plainly a race car and it has different techniques that you need to modify your driving styles for.

"But it's certainly something that is very possible and there are many women athletes out there who are very good and very fast and can accomplish that."

No woman has ever scored more than half a point in Formula One racing since the championship started in 1950 and Amati was the last to try and qualify, in vain, for a race with the now defunct Brabham team.

RACING BACKGROUND

Fisher was offered her chance to taste the fierce acceleration and braking through sponsor Tag Heuer, who also back McLaren, but she has also got a racing pedigree in the man's world of motor racing.

This year she became the first woman to take pole position in a major open-wheel championship in the United States and has finished in the top three in IRL races.

"Here was just a demonstration and I think people maybe tend to forget the fact that its merely three laps," she said of her outing.

"It wasn't a test of ability or skill or determining whether women are in racing. It was just a demonstration. To do a test for a full day would mean lots."

McLaren boss Ron Dennis has said he cannot envisage a woman breaking into Formula One as a serious contender but Ferrari's five times world champion Michael Schumacher disagreed on Friday.

"I don't have a problem with women," said the German. "My opinion is quite clear, there is no reason why a woman shouldn't be able to race a Formula One car because of physical efforts.

"If you see some athletes, they are certainly stronger than we are, so they can be as strong as we are and do the job. There's just not enough around to do so."

Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, a former CART champion now with Williams, also added a supportive voice.

"It had to be so hard for her," he said. "To have never driven the car before, never been in an F1 car before, in front of her home crowd. It's a good thing.

"If I were in her shoes, I would love to do that. Ninety percent of the people she races against are never going to get to Formula One."

[Speed]

[Dave S]

So, was it a total 'media hype thing', or what? What kind of time did she run? I see this as only a media hype for both her & the IRL. What relevance does this have to a woman running in F1?

[Evilsenna]

Its the kind of event that McLaren likes
remember Hakkinen driving his wife in the snow with the 2
seater.

[Speed]

Originally posted by Dave S
What kind of time did she run?

"Fisher, the only woman to have clinched pole position in auto racing recorded a best time of 1:32.651, more than 15 seconds off the slowest time recorded here in the opening practice session of the weekend, that of Minardi driver Alex Yoong. The Malaysian recorded nineteenth and last place by the time the day's work had come to a close with a 1:16.138"

[Adam43]

Times are totally irrelevent. She had one flying lap and if it occured before free practice, the track was very wet.

Also I doubt that she is the only woman to clinch pole in "auto racing". Clearly in IRL, but...

Desire Wilson has won a race in an F1 car and I think she might have been on pole. This was in the Aurora AFX championship, but, hey, we if we are comparing it to IRL!

[Rennen]

Yes...they did show it on digital...she lifted off everywhere!

David (politically correct) said..."There's no reason why a woman phyisically can't do F1"...Rubbish!

[Lee Janotta]

Danica Patrick is at home grinding her teeth right now...

This is nothing more than Tony George giving McLaren a big sack of money (with Bernie's nod of approval).

Sarah simply doesn't have the skillset to do road racing...She might develop it if she really tried, but the idea that she'd ever get an F1 seat is totally ludicrous!

And yeah, I'm sure Lynn St. James had some poles in her career, and probably plenty of other women racers.

If you ask me, women already proved years okay they're plenty capable of handling competition cars with their rallying performances.

[Rob29]

Interesting that Sarah was rejected by the 'US driver to F1 program' because she is unable to 'heel & toe' as she not only has only raced on ovals but has never used a manual gearbox!

[Adam43]

'heel & toe' ! I thought the program was just looking for future F1 drivers.

[Nicholas]

Originally posted by Rennen
David (politically correct) said..."There's no reason why a woman phyisically can't do F1"...Rubbish!

I'm sure DC (this is Coulthard you're talking about, right?) said something to the contrary... it's probably been mentioned in the popular "Bash DC thread"

I think one of the Sarahs in motorsport (I think it was Kavenagh) did a fitness test with Mclaren and apparently she did indeed have the physical strength to drive in F1... so who knows?

[Valve Bounce]

Originally posted by Rennen
Yes...they did show it on digital...she lifted off everywhere!

David (politically correct) said..."There's no reason why a woman phyisically can't do F1"...Rubbish!

I don't agree with you and I want to say that right here. She was most probably instructed to drive it around and not bend it as that is Mclaren's spare car. Unless you can convince me that your son is as good a driver as Michelle Mouton, then best you keep your chauvinistic comments to yourself. Yes!! This is a straight challenge.


Valve

[Mr V]

Originally posted by Lee Janotta


This is nothing more than Tony George giving McLaren a big sack of money (with Bernie's nod of approval).

Nothing to do with Tony George, Lee, Tag Haure approached McLaren to give Sarah a go.

[Rob29]

Originally posted by AdamAshmore
'heel & toe' ! I thought the program was just looking for future F1 drivers.

The guys that have been selected are coming to Europe to do F3 and /or F3000 -with Bertram Schafer Racing apparently. No one is ever going straight from IRL to F1.