I think of sports the same way politicians think of policy, I simply don’t. As one of those with a penis in the species, I am meant to conform to this mad idea that I should like watching or playing a game with balls. I just don’t like the idea of kicking them, holding them, or anything else you can do with balls. Though being from Scotland and not liking what is called “football” in English and is “Fitbaw” in the phonetically broken English of the Scottish people is next to a crime. At least it seems that way when you get called slurs for gay people.

Nonetheless, motorsport is something that requires almost no balls, that is if you don’t include those that you need to drive 200 MPH around a bend. In my review of F1 2019, I said I just don’t care for motorsport and part of the reason why is the rules and regulations; though another part is how boring I find men in sports. To return to my comments on balls: I don’t care for men aggressively hugging each other in Rugby or during NFL games. However, more recently I’ve grown into watching women do anything in sport.

The Women’s World Cup this past June through July had me in anticipation for the US to win. Yes, it was partially because I could see America bump England either out or eventually into a 4th place. Though by the half-time whistle in the Spain Vs. US match, I was hooked and watched matches I had very little to no care for otherwise. Meanwhile, through the years of casually observing F1 from a distance, I’ve always thought, “Why aren’t women here and racing?” It isn’t a sport where they are going to punch each other, so it should be ok, right?

In the 1930’s through to about the 1990’s the argument was somewhat: “They simply don’t have enough strength to turn the wheel.” Though since the 50s, when this misogynistic idea was already outdated, Chrysler had created power steering which means even I can drive a car. Though there has never been this prominent force pushing for women in motorsport, at least to normalize it outside of a small group of older or niche-r motorsport fans. In the strange space of my semi-F1 literate brain, I could point to Susie Wolff as a force to be reckoned with, but she has since bowed out of the F1 spotlight. At least as a Williams test driver.

Other downright stupid arguments against women driving is the power of the cars, something that could kill a normal man. Though Wolff and many women in the Formula Renault and other series’ could attest to it being complete and utter bum fluff. Even upon writing this article to this point, I didn’t know about the five women that actively raced in F1 until now. I don’t know because it is not normalized and neither are women in motorsport in general (to a great degree).

So with that established, why am I here writing about motorsport on a gaming and entertainment site? Motorsport is a form of entertainment (shocker, I know), and it turns out for the last three months there has been an exclusive women’s Formula series, aptly called the “W series.” Let’s first talk about how this could progress motorsport into a new realm because actively holding events with women at the front of it could inspire a whole new generation into it. It is not a leap or a sprint, but somewhat a step in the right direction.

With the W series airing in the UK on Channel 4 (creatively named for sure), and also airing in Asia, Africa, and Oceania in its initial season, this gives visibility to something not often seen outside the niche fans. However, the advertising seems a little underwhelming. As I’ve said, I have wanted to see some form of this for years. Though I didn’t know about the W series until twelve hours before the final race of the short season this past Sunday.

I may be on the mailer list of one of the channels the W series has aired on, but nothing highly promoted it. Instead of receiving ads for motorsport in general following several trackers finding F1 tags in things I’ve searched, I was given ads for a game I had already reviewed. Even watching shows on the said network  the W series aired on has resulted in a, “How am I just finding out about this now?” Which isn’t something you want to shout at 3 AM while everyone else around is sleeping.

My grievances with a lack of advertisement aside. Holding this series in the UK on what is called “terrestrial TV” opens it up for exposure that it would not receive on cable or satellite TV. Issues of production aside, it shows young women that they can drive fancy go-karts with jet engines on the back round a race track. Not to mention it shows young men, from a very young age up, that women can do the same as them.

Though listing the grievances slightly bothers me, such as production, it feeling a little cheap, or that it is filled with the same restrictive rules; even the Formula 3 set up. However, I return to what I said earlier: “It isn’t a sport where they are going to punch each other, so it should be ok, right?” The biggest issue anyone has with the series is how it is segregated, yes it is a step forward from where we were with almost no coverage, but lacks so much because of this. It is the One Step Forward and two steps back that the Desert Rose Band sang about.

With the segregation, there’s a lack of legitimacy that you’d find in almost any other motorsport. As Charlie Martin said in 2018 following the announcement of the series, “This series is founded on segregation, and while it may create opportunities for some female drivers, it sends a clear message that segregation is acceptable.” Continuing with “We don’t discriminate in sport based on race, so it is particularly jarring that we feel it is acceptable to do so based on gender in 2018. As racers, we want to compete again the best drivers – regardless of age, race, sexual orientation or gender – and prove we are the best at what we do.”

Personally, I am torn on the issue. It is segregation of the genders for the reason of the publicity, though it could give a sense of normality to women in motorsport. While it is clear, there are small sections of motorsport with women, there’s a lack of young women getting the top F1 spots alongside drivers they could genuinely have contention with. If the W series could lead to a newly formed intergender series rising from its ashes in a year or so, it could serve a purpose as a step to that point. However, to create a series to just get the publicity or to show women are being supported could be better used elsewhere.

What Martin said was echoing Pippa Mann‘s comments, in which she states the money going into the series could be better used to elevate women already on their paths. Former F1 test driver Simona De Silvestro also suggesting it would be better to invest in scholarships pitting women against male counterparts, as opposed to the W series. Neither argument I can disagree with as pushing the best women to fight the supposed best drivers in the world would do more.

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