(Adnkronos) - Introducing >= More than Equal: A pathway to women competing and winning at the pinnacle of motorsport
SILVERSTONE, United Kingdom, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, Silverstone saw the launch of >= More than Equal – a new initiative bringing together some of motorsports' best scouts, physical
A total of 771 drivers from 41 different nationalities have raced in at least one of the over 1,050 FIA World Championship races since the first event, the 1950 British Grand Prix. Only 5 women have entered a Grand Prix, with just 2 qualifying and starting a race. For a sport that has always been open to women, that's a 99.8% male dominance.
Thirteen-time Grand Prix winner David Coulthard MBE and entrepreneur Karel Komarek founded and are funding >= More than Equal, with the ambition to understand and minimise barriers specific to women racing in Formula One, as well as providing better scouting and earlier, ongoing support.
The team hears a variety of reasons suggested as to why women have not achieved more in Formula One; Strength, endurance, racing aggression…but none have been tested and proven to be an insurmountable barrier.
A key partner in the >= More than Equal programme is Hintsa Performance, a global leader in human high-performance coaching. Formula One drivers supported by the company have won 16 world championships between them. Hintsa's CEO Annastiina Hintsa shares her view: "We see our role as talent identification and development of the mental and physical strength necessary to win a drivers' championship. VO2 max, neck and core strength, leg power, heat tolerance… we see and measure many key contributory factors that make a world champion and there is not one that cannot be reached by a woman."
So, what's really stopping them? Key partners within >= More than Equal agree:
>= More than Equal Advisory Board member and Formula One veteran Kate Beavanis well placed to comment. "I joined the Formula One business in 2003 and have watched women strive and fail for myriad reasons. I know women can make it and win, we just have to look harder and support earlier."
Coulthard describes his motivation to found >= More than Equal: "I always believed my sister Lynsay Jackson had more natural racing talent than me but I was given the support towards a Formula One journey and she was not. To succeed, talent needs early nurturing and I'd like every "Lynsay" out there to have the same opportunities as men in the fight to reach Formula One and win."
Co-founder Komarek added: "I know from my experience in business that there is always much more that needs to be done when it comes to gender equality. >= More than Equal brings a bold but achievable ambition that David and I hope will open more eyes to female potential everywhere – in sports, business and society."
Formula One presenter and motorsport diversity & inclusion champion Ariana Bravohosted today's launch at Silverstone. "For women, there's a duality to the word 'drive'. The drive to drown out the noise of 'why not' by building strength and race craft that creates wins from a very young age. I'm a huge advocate for women in motorsport and it's exciting to see a new initiative that I think will help to clear the way for the development of female racing talent in reaching its full Formula One potential."
More information about the initiative is available on the website www.MoreThanEqual.com and updates will also be available on the Instagram profile @more.thanequal.
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